Baladi Garden Restaurant بلدي جاردن — Restaurant in Al Baairat Village

Because I was staying at Villa Rebecca directly across from Baladi Garden, I ended up eating there every night of my stay. Because the restaurant is brand new, they did not have a printed menu. I suggested they skip that step and tell guests just to trust the chef. I myself was never disappointed doing this, though I would have liked knowing exactly what I was eating so I could have googled to find more explanation. The guys are working things out, but the most important thing: the cook is a genius. So I was there on a night completely by myself, focused on a plain margarita pizza, the crust of which came down directly from heaven. It was crispy in the way a Chicago deep dish is crispy, but only about a quarter to a half inch thick. There is no bready dry rim. Just straight ingredients edge to edge, and one night there was eggplant on it so sweet and velvety it was like cheese. It had come directly from the garden beside me. I could see others hiding there under fat fuzzy leaves, ready to go from the plant to the frying pan. Is this what eating in heaven is like?

Besides the bbq chicken on opening night, I had three other chicken dishes at Baladi Garden: shawarma, fried chicken, and something I ended up calling chicken shiska what’s it, because I never could understand the name. But it was wonderful. Oh, there was one other chicken dish that was so savory, caramelized and yummy that I kept shoveling it in. What IS this? Kabta, I was told. Kapta? No. KaBta. I found out later: chicken livers. My mom never made them like that!! Vegetables? There was okra, bubbling in a tagine with no sliminess at all. There were Carrots, peas and potatoes in a soup base that had bubbled all the goodness out of onions, peppers, garlic and a hint of curry. There was another tagine of thinly sliced potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. Cabbage rolls! Straight from the garden, rolled and stacked in a cooker like tamales, but so much lighter. And eggplant, called aubergine here as well as throughout Europe. Crispy sweet and caramelized, tucked into corners where you’d least expect it.

Salads? Salata baladi is the name of that salad that is served everywhere in Egypt. It consists of sliced or chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley. This one is literally seconds away from its source. The cucumbers are those little Persian ones that are actually sweet.

Salat banjar is made of sliced apples and sliced beetroot. The color and the taste seem to come straight down from the fabric that shield you from the sky.

This place has the potential of becoming destination dining. Sure it’s a little rough around the edges. Wait staff is learning that Yes, Americans would like forks, please, and Yes, napkins would be nice. But I would advise just bring your own hankie. The word “baladi” means fresh, local, just like home, where you FEEL at home, comfortable. Owners Ahmed and Mohammed, as well as the chef Abdul, and the waiter Halid, make you feel...

This gem of a restaurant serves the tastiest dishes we’ve had in all of Egypt. Everything is cooked fresh, and you can truly taste the difference, especially knowing that all the vegetables come straight from their own garden. The ambiance is beautiful, set in a lush garden that makes dining here feel special. The staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. Their tahini, Egyptian bread, and flavorful tagines are absolute must-tries! We loved it so much that we had our dinners here every night during our stay in Luxor. If you’re in town and craving authentic Egyptian flavors and experience, this is the place to be. Highly...

This is my favourite restaurant from my whole trip to Egypt. Delicious, fresh made, Egyptian food, authentic and kind people that they go above and beyond for their customers. We had chicken tagine and kofta with salad, soup, rice, zucchini, bread and tahina and it was the most delicious meal. The price is very low for the portions they offer. It was 930EGP for all of that food and 4 fresh lemon and mint juice. We also run out of cash and they drove us to the nearest ATM by the ferry port to get some money out. That was so kind of them and they offered to take us back to our hotel afterwards. 5 stars service!!! Highly...