Dinner in Maadi

 We never know where we might end up when we go out for a walk in Cairo.  Yesterday, we passed by the neighborhood souvenir shop and ran into our good friend, Hussein.  He had been talking to us about his new restaurant venture and really wanted us to see it this month during its "soft opening."  He picked us up after finishing up his day job and drove us over to the restaurant site in Maadi.

Wikipedia describes Maadi as an affluent, leafy suburban district about seven miles south of Cairo along the east bank of the Nile.  Think "old money" for the locals and "European style living" for the ex-pats who are assigned to work in Cairo.  The Corniche provides a delightful walk along the bank of the Nile in this area.

Maadi is also home to Egypt's Supreme Constitutional court. Right across the street from the court building and adjacent to the corniche lies a huge former Nile cruise boat, the c Armada, anchored and home to several restaurants.

Hussein along with members of his family with many years of food and beverage experience are engaged in a "re-boot" of this facility.

We were immediately taken aback at the scale of the site.  This must be one of the largest "boat restaurants" along the river.  These are popular dining spots.  You can find T.G.I.Friday's, Johnny Corino's and Chili's in similar floating venues.


There are multiple dining areas among the five decks including spaces suitable for wedding receptions and large groups with buffet service.  Hussein and family plan to offer some Turkish, Indian and Lebanese items as well as the traditional Egyptian fare.


We sat out on a quiet part the deck overlooking the Nile and had an outstanding round of Lebanese appetizers along with our main course.  Dinner fit for a pharaoh!


After dinner we visited the central lounge where a very talented musician was practicing his Elvis, Frank Sinatra and other popular tunes suitable for the older generation.  Linda requested the ever-popular Egyptian hit of the 1950's, "Linda, Linda ya Linda."  I asked for something by Willie Nelson.   We were both pleased with the results.  (Brief excerpts available on my Youtube channel.)