Food, Drinks & Traditional Dishes in Alexandria

A legendary, highly specific street food dish that is synonymous with the city. Beef liver is chopped finely and stir-fried at high heat with a fierce, aromatic blend of garlic, cumin, and fiery green chilli peppers. It is typically served stuffed into warm, soft bread rolls with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon. Eating this spicy, savoury delight from a local street cart is a quintessential local experience.

A highly unique local dessert that surprises many first-time visitors. Unlike standard soft-serve or gelato, this ice cream possesses a slightly chewy, elastic texture, similar to Turkish dondurma but with its own regional flair. Long-standing local parlours like Azza and Makram serve it in a variety of flavours, drawing massive crowds on hot summer nights. Enjoying a cone while walking the Corniche is a beloved local pastime.

Being Egypt's premier port city, the seafood here is highly celebrated and incredibly fresh. Sea bass is a local favourite, typically chosen fresh from an iced display at a restaurant and priced by weight. It is most often grilled whole with oil, lemon, and local herbs, or butterflied and baked 'Singary' style with tomatoes and onions. Eating this at a waterfront restaurant like Fish Market is an essential culinary activity.

A rich, utterly decadent traditional Egyptian bread pudding that is universally loved. It consists of layers of puff pastry soaked in hot, sweetened milk, mixed with coconut, raisins, and an abundance of nuts, then baked until the top is beautifully golden and crisp. While found all over Egypt, legendary historic cafes in Alexandria, such as Trianon, are widely reputed to serve some of the finest, most luxurious versions in the country.

As evening falls, the Corniche becomes dotted with small, glowing charcoal grills manned by street vendors. They expertly roast whole ears of corn until the kernels are charred, smoky, and bursting with flavour. It is an incredibly simple, cheap, and deeply satisfying snack. The smell of the roasting corn mixing with the salty sea air is the defining scent of a coastal sunset here.