Authentic Restaurants in Alexandria, Egypt: Where Locals Eat

Quick answer: For authentic food in Alexandria, Egypt, start with these seven:

• Mohamed Ahmed (Raml Station): ful and falafel at breakfast.
• Alban Swisra (Ibrahimia): taset gebna, the cheese skillet.
• Kebdet El Fallah (Attarin, downtown): kebda eskandarani, Alexandrian liver sandwiches.
• White & Blue at the Greek Club (Qaitbay): seafood and Greek plates; reservation required.
• San Giovanni (listed in Stanley, on the Corniche): Italian-style seafood.
• El Sheikh Wafik (Ras El Tin, Bahary): rice pudding, Om Ali and ice cream.
• El Nezamy (Bahary seafront): ice cream; open status unconfirmed in October 2026.

Enterprise, the Egyptian business newsletter, priced White & Blue at EGP 800 to 1,200 per person (about $15 to $23) in July 2026. Only White & Blue has a 2026 review; for the other six the newest press is from 2023 or 2024, so check a live map before you go.

Checked 11 October 2026 against Egyptian and international press. Dollars are approximate, at about 52 EGP to the dollar.

What to eat in Alexandria, Egypt

Five Alexandrian dishes explain most of this list:

• Kebda eskandarani (Alexandrian liver): thin-sliced liver sauteed with green peppers, topped with tahini, in small Vienna-style buns.
• Ful iskandarani: mashed fava beans with tahini, tomato and cucumber, eaten with falafel at breakfast.
• Taset gebna: a small frying pan of melted cheese over eggs, kofta, sausage or seafood.
• Seafood: fish and shellfish, eaten by the sea.
• Milk desserts: roz bil laban (rice pudding), Om Ali and belila (a sweet wheat pudding), plus ice cream.

Our Egyptian food guide covers the national dishes.

Seven places to eat in Alexandria, Egypt, compared

We checked prices on 11 October 2026 and found one current figure. The last column is the newest dated press source we read.

We could not confirm 2026 hours for any of the seven; only White & Blue was reported as requiring a reservation (Enterprise, July 2026).

Breakfast in Alexandria, Egypt: Mohamed Ahmed's ful and falafel (Raml Station)

Mohamed Ahmed (مطعم محمد أحمد) is a small restaurant on Shakour Street in Raml Station; on maps you may see the street as Shakour Pasha or Abdel Fattah Al-Hadari. Mohamed Ahmed El-Sammak, a teenage ful seller, took over a modest restaurant called Benyamin from a local Jewish family in 1957 and built its vegetarian menu over six decades. He died in January 2021.

• Order: ful iskandarani, falafel, ful with garlic, shakshouka, mesa'a'a (aubergine in tomato) and gebna ma'leya (fried cheese). The menu is long, so let the staff help you choose.
• On the walls: photos of famous visitors. Queen Sofia of Spain signed the menu in 1989; Naguib Mahfouz and Demis Roussos ate here too.
• Status: busy at all hours in 2020; the newest press mention we read is from July 2023. 2026 hours and prices are not confirmed.

Sources: Egyptian Streets (2015, 2020, 2023), Veto (2021), Shbabbek (2021).

Cheese skillets in Alexandria, Egypt: Alban Swisra (Ibrahimia)

Alban Swisra (also spelled Swissra or Swesra) means Swiss Dairies. It began as a small dairy grocer; press in 2018 and 2021 put it at 82 Port Said Street in Ibrahimia, a couple of blocks inland from the Corniche.

• Order: the taset gebna: fried potatoes, sausage, eggs, kofta or even halawa under melted cheese in a small frying pan, with bread. Egyptian Streets (2020) credits it with a seven-cheese "Egyptian fondue" over seafood, chicken schnitzel or deli meat. If you want something sweet, sakalans are fino bread stuffed with halawa and eshta cream.
• The room: small and old-fashioned, with four or five tables that diners shared in 2016.
• Queues: arrive early. In 2018 there was usually a line out the door; at dinner in 2016 the wait for a table was at least half an hour.
• Status: open 24 hours in 2018 and a late-night staple in February 2023, the newest press mention we read. 2026 hours are not confirmed.

Sources: Ahram Online (2016), Roads & Kingdoms (2018), Egyptian Streets (2020), SceneEats (2021), CairoScene (2023).

Alexandrian liver sandwiches in Alexandria, Egypt: Kebdet El Fallah (downtown)

Kebdet El Fallah (كبدة الفلاح, also Kebda El Fallah or Kebda El Falah) makes kebda eskandarani. CairoScene's January 2024 guide lists it in Attarin and calls it a pioneer of the style. In January 2021 Egyptian press also placed a branch on Safia Zaghloul Street by Cinema Metro in Raml Station and called the Attarin shop the oldest. We could not confirm either branch is trading in October 2026, so check a live map.

• Order: kebda sandwiches in Vienna-style buns, stacked on trays. Staff ask you how many, not what. The 2021 menu also listed sausage (sogo'), brain and kofta.
• History: more than 60 years old, its manager said in 2021; the owner credits a spice blend with cumin, coriander and chilli.

Hours and 2026 prices are not confirmed.

Sources: Egyptian Streets (2020), SceneEats (2020), El Watan (2021), Shbabbek (2021), CairoScene (2024).

Seafood in Alexandria, Egypt: White & Blue at the Greek Club (Qaitbay)

White & Blue (White and Blue) is the restaurant of the Greek Club near Qaitbay Citadel; the club opened in 1909. It looks over the marina by the citadel, and in July 2026 Enterprise's reviewer watched the sunset glow past 8pm. CairoScene listed it among Alexandria's seafood spots in 2022 and likened its white and blue rooms to Santorini.

• Order: Greek plates such as keftedes, spanakopita, feta with honey and sesame, tzatziki, chicken souvlaki, risotto and moussaka (Enterprise, July 2026). For fish, CairoScene's 2021 review of its New Cairo offshoot, which it called an exact replica of the Alexandria original, named wa'aar as the regulars' pick.
• Price: EGP 800 to 1,200 per person (about $15 to $23), published July 2026, checked October 2026.
• Booking: book ahead; you need a reservation. You'll find outdoor seating and alcohol, and Enterprise described it as accessibility friendly.
• Getting there: expect crowds, noise and tight navigation in one of the city's busiest tourist spots.

Sources: Arab News (2019), CairoScene (2021, 2022), Enterprise (July 2026).

Italian-style seafood in Alexandria, Egypt: San Giovanni (Stanley)

San Giovanni is a hotel and restaurant listed in Stanley at 205 El Geish Road, the Corniche road (a business directory listing; no press source we read confirms the address). Scoop Empire (2022, updated January 2023, the newest press mention we read) lists it among Alexandria's historic eateries for Italian-style seafood and live music, and says it has been a film location, naming Anwar El-Sadat and Omar Sharif among past diners. We could not confirm 2026 trading, prices, hours, dress code or booking policy, so ask at the hotel before you plan a dinner around it.

Rice pudding in Alexandria, Egypt: El Sheikh Wafik (Ras El Tin)

El Sheikh Wafik (الشيخ وفيق, also Sheikh Wafik, Sheikh Wafeeq or El Sheikh Wafiq) is on Ras El Tin Street in Bahary. It started as a street cart and grew into a shop on the same spot.

• Order: roz bil laban (with mixed nuts in 2022), Om Ali, belila and couscous, plus mahalabia and ice cream. Its ice cream started with one flavour, vanilla.
• How it works: take a number and expect to wait at least ten minutes; there was no seating when Scoop Empire visited in 2022. In 2016 staff also took orders from customers in their cars.
• Status: the newest press mention we read is from March 2023. Hours and prices are not confirmed for 2026.

Sources: Shbabbek (2016), Scoop Empire (2022), SceneEats (2023).

Ice cream in Alexandria, Egypt: El Nezamy (Bahary)

El Nezamy (النظامي, also Nezamy) is known for ice cream and rice pudding with nuts. Directories list it at 16 26th of July Road, Abu El Abbas; SceneEats (May 2024) put it facing Bahary's beach and colourful boats.

• Order: in 2016 there was a queue in front of the Bahary shop and many orders of rice pudding with nuts; one regular named vanilla, chocolate and biscuit as his family's picks.
• Status: SceneEats recommended it in May 2024; we could not confirm it is trading in October 2026, so check a current map before you go.

Sources: Shbabbek (2016), SceneEats (2024).

Alexandria, Egypt by meal and by neighbourhood

• Breakfast: Mohamed Ahmed (Raml Station) for ful and falafel, or Alban Swisra (Ibrahimia) for cheese skillets.
• Lunch: kebda sandwiches at Kebdet El Fallah (Attarin, downtown).
• Seafood dinner: White & Blue at Qaitbay (reservation required) or San Giovanni (listed in Stanley).
• Dessert: El Sheikh Wafik in Ras El Tin, or El Nezamy in Bahary if it is still trading.

Along the Corniche, roughly west to east, the stops run Ras El Tin and Bahary, Qaitbay, downtown, Ibrahimia, then Stanley. No source we read says whether any of the seven takes cards, so carry Egyptian pounds in small notes.

Pair the stops with things to do in Alexandria; our Alexandria travel guide names more seafood houses.

Eating in Alexandria, Egypt, on a day trip from Cairo

You can fit two or three of these into a day out from the capital; our Cairo to Alexandria day trip guide covers the train, driving and a one-day plan. Per person, checked 11 October 2026:

• From Cairo: Alexandria catacombs and citadel day trip with lunch: from EGP 4,154 (about $80), seafood lunch included, non-refundable; 4.63 from 1,644 reviews.
• From Cairo: historical Alexandria shared day tour with lunch: from EGP 3,630 (about $70), seafood lunch at a local restaurant, non-refundable; 4.59 from 527 reviews.

Neither names its lunch restaurant, so ask before you book if you want one of the seven. Already in Alexandria? Try the Baladi Plates food tour with 14 tastings, EGP 2,563 (about $49, non-refundable, checked 11 October 2026), or the half-day Alexandria food tour, EGP 1,571 (about $30, free cancellation to 24 hours ahead, checked 11 October 2026). More in Alexandria food and nightlife.

Want a private day built around particular tables? Send us the places, your date and group size on WhatsApp.