Mayyal: Maadi’s New Deli is Serving 80s Nostalgia One Kofta at a Time

In 1988, when Egyptian pop icon Amr Diab released his hit song Mayyal, it sparked the flames of a pop movement. The song blared from community club speakers, hummed through cafés, and crackled over street kiosk radios. Like any great pop anthem, its impact was palpable. Fast-forward to 2025, and Diab’s lyrics remain a muse—not just for rising artists chasing that same level of virality, but, unexpectedly, for an Egyptian deli in the heart of Maadi.

On Street 231 in Degla, Maadi, Mayyal is an ode to the streets and flavors of 1980s Cairo. But this isn’t your typical ‘vintage-inspired’ eatery. For its founder, Chef Ali Alnatour—a seasoned Jordanian culinary entrepreneur who has called Egypt home for over 25 years—Mayyal is a conversation piece, one designed to bridge generations.

“Most parents of Gen Z’ers were born in the late ‘70s or ‘80s, and there’s always this back-and-forth between them and their kids about how different food was back in their day,” Alnatour tells SceneEats. His experience in Egypt’s F&B industry—first as Head of Research & Development at Streatery, the company behind Egyptian street food hotspot Caizo, and later as the founder of Al Dayaa in Maadi and Zamalek—has put him in the thick of these conversations. And it got him thinking: when did food get so complicated?

“There are so many options now—so many flavors, so many sauces, so many cuisines,” he says. And he’s not wrong. A decade ago, mentioning Koshari Arancini would’ve earned you an eye-roll; today, Cairo’s street food scene thrives on ‘eftekasat’—the thrill of culinary innovation. And while Alnatour respects that evolution, it’s the simple, time-honored flavors that resonate most with him—and that’s exactly what Mayyal brings back.

“We wanted to go back to basics—to our kofta, our hawawshi, our sheesh. Made the traditional way, spiced with cumin and coriander, dressed in tahini—just the way we know and love them,” he explains. But Mayyal isn’t just about the food; it’s an experience steeped in nostalgia. “What brought people together in the ‘80s—at clubs, beaches, street corners, or at home—was music.” That theme pulses through every detail, from cassette-tape table decor to VHS-lined walls and neon-lit memorabilia.

Stepping into Mayyal is like stepping into 1980s Cairo, wrapped in vibrant blues, purples, pinks, and neon hues. But beyond aesthetics, the experience is deliberately stripped back—including the menu.

At Mayyal, the choices are refreshingly simple: kofta sandwiches, sheesh sandwiches, and hawawshi—with fries and chips, of course. “It was intentional,” Alnatour says. “These are the foods no two people would ever argue over.”

So if you find yourself strolling through Degla after iftar this Ramadan, do yourself a favor: pop in your Walkman, blast some Amr Diab, and head to Street 231 for a bite of the ‘80s. And while you’re at it, grab an extra sandwich for your parents—they might just have a story or two to share.