Restaurants in Luxor: where to eat, dishes and drink rules

Koshary

A mix of pasta, rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, garlicky red sauce and fried onions⁴, first made in the 19th century⁵.

Ful medames

The most common breakfast staple in Egypt: buttery, slow-cooked, spiced fava beans⁴, served with olive oil and topped with cumin⁵.

Ta'ameya

A vegan fritter of ground fava beans mixed with aromatic herbs⁴, deep-fried and eaten for breakfast⁵.

Molokhia

Arguably Egypt’s national dish, a soup of minced leaves⁴, made in various styles from very finely chopped mallow leaves⁵.

Fatta

A traditional dish for festive occasions, particularly Eid al-Adha⁵. On the Corniche, El-Kababgy’s menu lists chicken fatta: chicken with rice, crispy bread and garlic tomato sauce⁶.

Hawawshi

A turnover pastry filled with minced meat marinated in onions, pepper, parsley and sometimes hot peppers or chillies⁵.

Eish baladi

The local bread, a hearty, thick, gluten-rich pita⁵.

Om Ali

A bread pudding served hot, made with puff pastry or rice, milk, coconut and raisins⁵.

Basbousa

A semolina dessert soaked in syrup⁵.

Vegetarians do well here, with lots of fresh seasonal vegetables such as tomato and cucumber¹. Main courses may be meat or poultry, or regional dishes such as pigeon or rabbit, and yoghurt or gibna bayda, a cheese like feta but creamier¹, may come on the side.

If pigeon tempts you, El-Kababgy’s menu lists stuffed pigeon with shish tawook⁶.

Finding a beer in Luxor is easy if you stick to tourist restaurants: many restaurants above basic street places sell lager and wine¹. Look for Stella signs outside or people drinking inside¹.

Expect drinks to cost more there, as places that sell alcohol need a special licence and pay extra taxes³. What you’ll find in your glass:

• Stella (not Artois) and Sakkara³, the common Egyptian lagers
• Karkadeh, regarded as a speciality of Luxor but popular across Egypt³
• Sa’idi tea, drunk in Upper Egypt and among Sa’idi people elsewhere⁵

The bars and pubs in the table above:

• Khaled Ibn Walid Street (East Bank): Royal Bar, The King’s Head Pub and Abu Nawas Bar
• Al Gezira (West Bank): Antika, a cocktail bar, and Bar & Byke Rent, West Luxor

For a bottle to take back to your room, there’s a duty-free shop close to the north end of Luxor Temple¹.

Paying, tipping and ATMs

• Prices are in Egyptian pounds (EGP), divided into 100 piastres³.
• Carry small notes: Egypt has a constant shortage of small notes and coins, and even banks are reluctant to break many notes³.
• Egyptian ATMs usually charge no withdrawal fee, but avoid Euronet ATMs³.
• At the airport, the arrival hall has two ATMs, and one charges no withdrawal fee¹.
• Restaurants need no tip, but fancier ones may add a 10–12% service charge³ to the bill.

Is it cheap to eat out in Luxor?

It depends where you sit, because many restaurants in tourist areas inflate prices for foreigners³. Ask for a menu with prices before you order.

The only menu checked for this page is El-Kababgy’s own. It shows no currency or date⁶, so treat these as a guide and confirm when you order:

On top of those, El-Kababgy adds a 12% service charge plus government taxes⁶.

Ramadan and daytime eating

What it means for you:

• Most restaurants are closed until the fast breaks at dusk³.
• Alcohol is often sold only in Western-style hotels and in pubs or restaurants that cater to foreigners³.