Mazeej Balad Rooftop — Restaurant in Cairo

A comback to the lovely Cairo downtown. Great renovation work of an old building that brings a spirit of Soho (NY) or Italian baroque upgrade. Atmosphere is created from the entrance music to the staff assistance and the Red carpet. Then the roof entrance , chapeaux for the interior designer, surely his hard work and creativity paid off. The setting on the roof is very fresh and pleasant. The experience needs little twiking from the staff and management, beverage service is at a loss, with no corrdination between staff. Staff should know when to clear the umbrellas at night, not wait for uncomfortable guest to request the effort. Staff should be more attentive with eyes on all the table to clear unwanted items (this is a high end restaurant NOT your friendly neighborhood cafe) little things means a lot. Reservation system was professional until the guest relations personal came and asked us to leave the table cuz other guests are waiting, her Etiquette was NIL (unfortunately that put a very negative end to our experience, some wnated to argue others just wanted to literally leave and shut this page of disappointment), ADVICE TO MANAGEMENT; GOOD HOSPITALTY MANNERs AND CURTSEY GOES A LONG WAY or short depends on your objective. Invest in 2 words on the confirmation email; time 20.00 - 22.30 (rsv duration 2.30 hours). That would have removed unwanted negativity and guest confrontation. (Unless you care about the table revenue margin).

Food; some innovative dishes others were your typical every day menu in many great cairo establishment, taste is really good ( but I'm sure they can take it to the next level, WHY be like everyone else, stick to innovation, the place is all about that).

Surely I will try again, hopefully they bring more to downtown Cairo then just...

My overall rating for this place is 3 stars. Let me start off by saying the places is stunningly beautiful, from the entrance way which is adorned with an amazing ornate mirror to every tiny detail of every corner you could not ask for a better atmosphere. The hostess Giselle and our waiter Yahya were super nice and both spoke English. So there are no complaints for service, every other waiter and a guy im assuming was the manager all seemed friendly with smiles on their faces and a chill work environment! Reservations were recommended down stairs however I insisted and found the place mostly empty, im assuming because it was not the weekend and very cold. Now unto the bad! The food is extremely mediocre at best, nothing stood out I ordered rounds of appetizers because nothing on the main course spoke to my soul and for those prices the food better had been good, thankfully I listened to my intuition because from the appetizers I would have not been pleased. Extremely expensive food for small portions that lacks flavor. The best thing out of the 7 mezzes were the Muhammara. If you have some money to burn for a beautiful Instagram story and photos then be...

Discriminatory Experience at the Rooftop Restaurant

I visited the rooftop restaurant in this hotel with my brother and my aunt, who wears a niqab. We were excited to enjoy a nice breakfast with a view—but what happened instead was extremely disappointing and discriminatory.

As soon as we arrived, we were told that the restaurant has a “dress code” that does not allow the niqab. My aunt was told she had to either take it off or sit alone in a corner and not move too much. That was the only way they would let us in.

This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable. It’s 2025—no one should be treated differently or excluded because of how they dress, especially when it comes to religious clothing. We felt humiliated and unwelcome.

What makes this even more shocking is that this happened in a Muslim country, where you would expect more respect and understanding for people wearing a niqab. Sadly, that was not the case.

I absolutely do not recommend this restaurant to anyone who believes in basic human dignity, equality, or religious freedom. Discrimination like this has no place in any...