Texas’s Top Egyptian Restaurant Revives a Family Legacy Abroad

Built in Houston, Texas, El Helmya is not just another vaguely regional restaurant serving a mish-mash of shawarmas and kebabs—it is very, very Egyptian. Its menu boasts mahshi, hawawshi, kaware’, akkawi, and on-demand feteer. Its bestselling items? Mumbar and molokheya. The woman behind this spot is Yasmine El Melehy, an Egyptian-American entrepreneur with local culinary heritage in her DNA.

"I’ve worked across multiple industries—restaurants, skincare, e-commerce, and real estate—but El Helmya is truly my heart project," El Melehy tells SceneEats. "Before entering this industry, I did extensive research. I personally visited all the Egyptian restaurants and Egyptian-inspired concepts in the state, as well as several others that are Mediterranean fusion restaurants and offer only a few Egyptian dishes." To El Melehy’s knowledge, no other Egyptian restaurant in Texas is owned by an Egyptian woman. ("But if one ever opens,’ she says, ‘I would genuinely love to support her.")El Melehy’s connection to Egyptian cuisine runs deep—in a way, she comes from food royalty. Her grandmother, Amina Zaghloul, was the founder of the legendary chain Felfela that had, at its peak, more than 20 branches across Egypt, as well as international locations in the US, Paris, and elsewhere.

Yasmine El Melehy and her brother, Mohamed, had always dreamed of reviving their grandmother’s legacy. It was when El Melehy’s brother tragically passed away that she decided to take the step they had always wanted to take and build something meaningful in his memory. "I would never have gotten this far without him," says El Melehy. "His memory is what keeps me going. I am on this journey in honour of him.""When I purchased El Helmya last March, it was a small, quiet operation, but I immediately saw the tremendous potential it held," El Melehy shares. "Not only for the Egyptian and Arab community, but for Americans to finally experience the depth, warmth, and richness of our culture through authentic Egyptian food that is made exactly the way it’s served back home. Every dish we serve carries a piece of my family’s story, my grandmother’s legacy, and my brother’s spirit."

In just under six months, El Melehy and her team transformed El Helmya into one of the most in-demand Egyptian food spots in Texas. From serving a couple hundred customers a month to a couple hundred a day, El Helmya’s clientele has also undergone a massive shift. "When I took over this operation, our clients were 99% Egyptian. I love our Egyptian community, but I also wanted to share our cuisine with all cultures."For her Egyptian and Arab customers, El Melehy’s restaurant is heavy on nostalgia. "We have songs by classic singers like Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez constantly playing, an old black and white TV running our favourite classic movies, and a wall plastered with Egyptian expressions," For her American customers, El Melehy plays the 2021 Pharaohs' Golden Parade on repeat and the more recent Grand Egyptian Museum inauguration.

"I like to watch our guests as their eyes are glued to the TV, in awe of the marvellous presentation Egypt has recently put out expressing our rich and ancient civilisation. It really makes me proud," El Melehy says. "I've had American guests book tickets to tour Egypt after visiting us."

Now, El Melehy estimates that 40% of El Helmya’s clientele are non-Egyptians, whom she describes as "a mix between foodies, halal seekers, and curious Americans across all races and ethnicities."Inside the kitchen, El Melehy’s team—whom she graciously credits for El Helmya’s success—is similarly diverse. "Our head cook Ramy is from El Monofeya, and has become somewhat of a local celebrity for his hamam mahshi. His wife Amira makes some of the best mahshi that the US has ever seen." El Helmya’s main chef, Rocia, is Mexican, but El Melehy says "she is the most Egyptian Mexican you will come across—she understands our dishes as well as any Egyptian mother, and can make them en masse." Their newest team member, Sandra, is from Guatemala, while the restaurant’s CEO Noureldin Ellabibidi brings with him a wealth of business experience from Egypt and Canada.The growth that El Helmya has seen in the past months—aided by several viral videos that have racked up millions of views online—has attracted much interest. El Melehy has received multiple franchising inquiries, and plans to pursue that direction in the near future as the business continues to grow. For now, El Helmya maintains its exclusive position in Houston as the hottest Egyptian restaurant in town.