Medusa Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Al Ahia'

SHOCKING RACISM FROM STAFF

I’m deeply disappointed to write this, but I had a shocking and upsetting experience during my third visit to this restaurant. The food quality has always been good, and previous visits were marked by professional and welcoming service from another staff member, which is why I invited a friend to join me this time.

However, during this visit on the 15th of August around 20:00, one staff member—a tall, middle-aged man—displayed blatant racism. After learning our nationality, he mockingly pulled his eyes back, an offensive gesture often directed at Chinese people. We immediately called out his behavior, telling him it was racist, but he continued to repeat the gesture multiple times, all while mockingly claiming he didn’t know what racism meant. My friend and I are both based in Europe and were stunned to experience such a dreadful incident in a restaurant popular among European customers.

In my 40+ countries of traveling experience, this was the first time I encountered such a rude, racist act. Before checking out, I looked up the word “racism” on Wikipedia in Arabic to show the staff member, as he clearly needed to be informed and educated about how improper and churlish his behavior was—not just as a waiter, but as a human being. I also informed the staff member who had provided friendly service during my previous visits about the situation. Shockingly, even after reading the Wikipedia entry, the racist waiter offered no sincere apology. Instead, he tried to mansplain, repeatedly interrupting my friend with, “No, you listen to me first,” and spoke in an extremely rude tone. His whole attitude was nothing more but “I said sorry, what else do you expect from me?”

What’s even more concerning is that the relatively professional staff member, who was initially shocked by the incident and apologized for his colleague’s improper behavior, eventually tried to excuse it by saying, “He was joking.” Just as I replied, “No one jokes about racism,” I fear that this waiter hasn’t learned anything from the situation based on his attitude throughout the encounter. Further training and regulation are clearly needed for this restaurant’s staff to prevent similar situations in the future.

To make matters worse, our total bill for two people came to around 1800 Egyptian Pounds. Despite spending a significant amount of money in the local standard, we were subjected to this appalling treatment.

I would love to hear further feedback from the shop owner, as I can tell he values Google reviews and responds to them in an active and professional manner. We are also glad to provide more...

We visited Medusa Restaurant with high expectations based on its location and setting. Unfortunately, our experience was deeply disappointing due to the unprofessional behaviour of one of the staff members, Mohammed, who appeared to be either a waiter or bartender.

Upon arriving, the restaurant was not very busy, with many tables to choose, yet Mohammed insisted we change our seats without offering a clear or polite explanation. His manner was abrupt and unwelcoming, which created an uncomfortable atmosphere from the outset. Given the absence of other guests, this request felt entirely unnecessary and poorly handled.

As a result of this interaction, we made the decision to cancel our food order and leave. The Slovakian owner did come over and apologise, which we appreciated, but by that point, the damage had already been done. First impressions matter, and unfortunately, this experience left a very negative one.

Customer service should always be a priority, especially in hospitality. Being treated with basic respect and courtesy is not a luxury—it’s a minimum standard. Sadly, this visit to Medusa failed to meet even that.

We will not be returning, and we hope management takes this feedback seriously to ensure other guests are treated more professionally...

Fresh and tastefully prepared food for acceptable prices. They actually serve well prepared vegetables, which is not common in Hurghada. 2 cool guys and a very spoiled cat running the service. One of the reasons why I keep going back is because the 2 waiters care for animals (dogs) in the surrounding area.

Update summer 2023: Dogs are no longer welcome. The owners explained that the dogs were not liked by all guests, so they want to protect their business. Unfortunately, the place is frequented by Russian and Arabs. Both known for their hostility and arrogance towards dogs. Me and my European friends are disappointed. We will still use the place, as the food is good and the waiters excellent. However, we monitor the situation closely and I will update, if the aggression towards the dogs...