Most families eat their large, starchy lunch around 1400-1700 and follow it with a siesta. Dinner parties, however, are scheduled late, often no earlier than 2100, with the meal served an hour or two later. Restaurants In Egypt, as in the rest of the world, restaurants are only as good as the cooks they employ, and cooks seem to be continually changing. For current information on the best restaurants, the expatriate community is unbeatable, and the magazine Cairo Today includes monthly tips listing places to try, and publishes an annual dining guide. Most establishments use native ingredients and will offer fruits and vegetables in season.
Menus are in both Arabic and English except in Alexandria, where they are in Arabic and French.
In large restaurants, the maitre d'hotel will speak English, French, and possible German, Italian, or Greek. These establishments serve a mixture of international cuisine but often include Egyptian or Middle Eastern fare as well. Most hotels also maintain 24-hour coffee shops. They are simple and inexpensive. Waiters speak little English, so use your phrase book.