Egypt Guide
The Nile Valley
Eating
1 1902 Restaurant Old Cataract Hotel, Corniche el-Nil 
097/231-6000 The only restaurant in Aswan with a dress code. Its palatial colonial decor beats its Euro-Levantine set menu. Beer, wine and cocktails available. Reservations are obligatory. Opening time: Daily 7.30–10pmPrice: Set menu €30 excluding drinks
2 Aswan Moon Corniche el-Nil, near the Horus Hotel A spacious floating restaurant hung with colourful tent fabric, serving fish, chicken, vegetable dishes, pizzas and pasta. Try douad basha, meatballs in tomato sauce, in an earthenware pot. Mains £E20–25 plus tax
3 Aswan Panorama Corniche el-Nil, near the duty-free shop Another riverside place, with similar prices to the Aswan Moon. Their tageens are better than their kofta or kebabs. Try the rice pudding with nuts and rosewater for dessert. Opening time: Closes at 9pm
4 Biti Pizza Midan al-Mahatta. Tourists are given an English menu of Western-style pizzas rather than an Arabic one with more combinations, including fiteer, which they only serve after 3pm. The upstairs dining rooms are a/c, with a view of the square.Price: Mains £E25
5 
Chef Khalil Sharia al-Souk This small a/c café near the train station serves delicious fried and grilled fish with rice, salad and tahina. It's worth waiting for a table.Price: Mains £E25-£E100
6 El-Madena Sharia al-Souk A share-a-table diner with set meals of liver, chicken or kebab with salad, tahina, vegetable stew, rice and bread.Price: Mains £E20–25
7 El-Masry Sharia Abu Zid This simple, clean a/c restaurant serves set meals based around fish, kebab, pigeon or stuffed courgettes, with a rapid turnover of Egyptian clients that ensures that the food is always fresh.Price: Mains £E25–30
8 El-Sayida Nafisa Off Sharia Sayida Nafisa Named after a popular Cairene saint, this café is well regarded by locals for its cheap meals of grilled chicken, salad, rice and soup.
9 El-Tahrir Pizza Midan al-Mahatta A cheery, inexpensive rival to Biti offering sweet fiteer as well as savoury ones and Western-style pizzas, plus Egyptian desserts such as muhalabiyya, basboosa and Umm Ali (unusually served cold, though you can ask for it hot).
10 Emy Corniche el-Nil A haunt for felucca captains and expats, Emy (pronounced "Ee-me") has a double-decker boat section with views of Elephantine Island, and an enclosed part that's cooler in summer. Price: Meals £E15–30, plus Egyptian beer and wine, as cheap as you'll find in Aswan
11 Garden New Cataract Hotel, Corniche el-Nil 097/231-6002 Generous portions of mezze followed by chicken, lamb or fish cooked in clay pots, served in a trellised gazebo that's delightful in cool weather but too hot in summer. Price: A full meal costs about £E70
12 Makka Sharia Abtal al-Tahrir Highly rated by locals yet seldom visited by tourists, they use better cuts of meat and fresher fish than similar places in town, and accordingly charge a bit more.
13 Mona Lisa Corniche el-Nil This shabby haunt of courting couples and solitary beer drinkers features handpainted Cairo bazaar scenes on the walls. Try the fish with cloves or a tageen from the menu.
14 Nubian House Uphill from the Basma Hotel 097/236-6226 Not to be confused with the Nubian House on Elephantine or the Nubian Restaurant on Issa Island, this is worth a taxi ride (£E10) for its amazing views over Elephantine Island and the First Cataract, as well as its Nubian meals. There are sometimes Nubian folklore shows, with music, in the evenings. Opening time: Open 9am–1am, or from sunset on major holy daysPrice: (£E35–40)
15 Nubian Restaurant Issa Island 097/230-2465 Geared towards tour groups, for whom a buffet and folk show are laid on, it's lacklustre at other times, though its palm garden is a delightful place to relax over a sheesha on summer evenings. Free boat from the dock opposite EgyptAir.
16 Pharaohs' Village On the west bank of the Nile This laidback outdoor place by an orchard on the edge of the desert serves tasty Nubian food and can lay on live music if enough people are interested. Their motorboat leaves from beside the Judges Club near EgyptAir.
17 Safwa Off Sharia al-Souk A two-storey kushari diner that also does "quiches" of macaroni with meat, and muhalabiyya for dessert. There's a smaller branch near the southern end of Sharia Abtal al-Tahrir, inland from the Memnon Hotel.
18 Salah al-Din Corniche el-Nil Alongside the Aswan Moon, this multi-level restaurant offers the usual menu at slightly higher prices than its Corniche rivals, plus Egyptian beer and wine. Like Emy, it's a hang-out for felucca captains.
19 Vita Midan al-Mahatta An ice-cream parlour boasting twenty flavours, of which a dozen are available at any time. They taste great, despite being short on cream.