El Fishawy Cafe

Not many cafés are more than 200 years old, but El Fishawy in Cairo’s historic bazaar can date its opening to before the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797. Today, it is run by the sixth generation of the same family. Over the years, the cafe has attracted famous patrons like Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz and Egypt’s King Farouk. Tourists mix with locals who come to drink tea (prepared in the traditional sand way) and smoke shisha. Choose between chairs outside or the interiors with a great patina.