Restaurant Row

That picture in the next post below of "Ragab Corner" centers on a large apartment building that houses some new fast food operations in our neighborhood.

A couple of years ago, the shops near our Vodafone store in that block looked like this.


We had only a fish restaurant and an electrical supply shop next to the pharmacy.  It was not an exciting spot.  We eat a lot of local food items in Egypt - but never fish!


This year, the fish restaurant had been replaced by a Falafel sandwich shop.  We tried it out and found the Falafel to be quite good.  I was walking past the place one night last week on the way to the Koshary shop around the corner and discovered a grand opening was taking place for a Shawarma sandwich shop (shawarma is the Egyptian name for Gryos) .  As luck would have it, I didn't have the camera along.  There were lots of lights, curtains, music and tables out in the street to announce the opening.

We came back the next day and some of the grand opening decorations were still in place.


The sandwich shop has an extensive menu, including grilled chicken, kabobs and kofta and you notice, at least two delivery cycles.  I took pictures of the two kitchens for you.  Most fast food operators here have the cooking areas out front where you can see what is going on and tip the cooks.  That vat of hot oil is the "deep fryer" for the Falafal.


Linda pronounced the Shawarma the best she has had in Egypt.  The meat is not quite as tasty as you will get at Gyropolis in Bloomington but it's much better than what we typically find here.