Food Tour with Mo and Soma

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Mo or Soma will meet you at your hotel or in front of the Sayyida Zeinab Mosque, depending on the booking option you chose. We will begin our tour by exploring the grand architecture of the Sayyida Zeinab Mosque from the outside while enjoying the spiritual and vibrant atmosphere of this historic area. You are welcome to visit the mosque from the inside, but please wear appropriate clothing that respects the local Islamic culture.

   30 min

2. Then, you will visit the Sabil of Sultan Mustafa III from the outside, located directly in front of the Sayyida Zeinab Mosque. It is an elegant Ottoman monument, known for its beautiful façade with three large arched recesses decorated with brass windows and blue-and-white ceramic ornaments. The building served several purposes, and we’ll tell you all about them when we get there!

   30 min

3. From there, we’ll start a walking tour through the lively streets and alleys of the neighborhood. You’ll see the real Egypt around you, from local restaurants and cafés where people enjoy tea, shisha, and games of backgammon (Tawla). We can even teach you how to play! Along the way, you’ll see local workshops, pharmacies, schools, and busy shops, giving you a true taste of everyday Egyptian life.

   30 min

4. Amid this lively atmosphere, we’ll head to our first food stop to try Koshary, the king of Egyptian street food! Originally inspired by the Indian dish Khichdi, koshary became a true Egyptian favorite with the addition of pasta, tomato sauce, garlic-vinegar dressing (Daqqa), and crispy fried onions. While enjoying your meal, you’ll become the food judge and decide which eating way of Koshary you like best: Mo’s or Soum’a’s? After our koshary, we top it off with tea. at a traditional local café. Sit back, watch the lively streets, and enjoy a warm drink—perhaps a classic mint tea or freshly brewed Egyptian coffee, just like the locals do.

   1 h

5. After our break, we will arrive at our next destination: a spot renowned for serving Hawawshi. This dish dates back to 1971, created by an Egyptian butcher named Ahmed Hawawshi in Cairo's Taufikya market, who stuffed seasoned minced meat inside raw Baladi bread and baked it, turning it into a national dish named after him. Since you’re not just a visitor but part of the experience, you’ll step right into the heart of the kitchen, join the workers, and grill your own Hawawshi on the hot griddle!

   30 min

6. After this exciting experience, we’ll cool down with a classic Egyptian street favorite: fresh sugarcane juice. We’ll sip it as we continue our walk and enjoy the lively streets around us. You will see workers at a local sugarcane shop who peel the cane by hand with a long knife, surrounded by piles of fresh sugarcane. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the chance to try making the juice yourself and see how a simple sugarcane stalk becomes a delicious, refreshing drink!

   30 min

7. Then, we’ll reach the highlight of the day as we visit a traditional Mamsat (beef offal restaurant) with a stunning view of the Sayyida Zeinab Mosque. From this special spot, you’ll enjoy a beautiful view that combines the lively details of the neighborhood with the rich flavors of traditional Egyptian food. Here, you’ll have the chance to taste some of Egypt’s most traditional meat dishes, including cow’s trotters (Kawaree), head meat, and stuffed intestines (Mombar). These dishes are more than just food—they are a true part of Egyptian culture and a symbol of generosity, warmth, and good energy. You’ll enjoy a rich bowl of Kawaree soup along with these hearty dishes while taking in the view of the mosque. And after all those delicious flavors, you might find yourself asking, in pure happiness, “Who am I?”

   30 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 9 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Cairo

• Its from-price is 76% below the median of the 10229 experiences we list in Cairo.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1766 of 10229.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Cairo

Cairo is Egypt's sprawling capital on the Nile, where the Pyramids of Giza meet medieval mosques, busy bazaars and the treasures of the pharaohs.

On the western edge of the city, the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx rise from the desert plateau, with the step pyramid of Saqqara and the ruins of Memphis further south. Cairo's great museums, the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square and the vast Grand Egyptian Museum beside the plateau, hold artefacts spanning thousands of years.

Top-ranked sights in Cairo: Egyptian Museum (Museum of Egyptian Antiquities), Saqqara (Sakkara), Khan El-Khalili.

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