O's Pasta — Restaurant in Cairo

Ok, they have two places in Zamalek actually, the 2nd place is right next to the 1st, it's only one street away. And the two places are always busy! Especially on Thursday (which is understandable) they will ask you to wait on a waiting list if the place is full (which means you'll stand on the street for some time) we stood for almost 10 mins when the owner told us you can go to our next place! Ok, if you have a 2nd place, why would you let us stand this long on the street!? Anyway we went to the other one, it was very small, the decorations were vintage and the place was very aromatic, it was full of onion and garlic and herbs smell (this old smell of our grandmothers) they use a chalkboard to write down their new items, the tables were so old and vintage (which I liked) they have their signature look, the menu is so simple actually you will find a vegan/vegetarian options on the 1st page, then beef/chicken and lastly you will find sea food pasta options, I was thinking of ordering the sunny-kissed pasta but I ended up ordering the Rosemary's and Six, the food was SUPER hot, which I appreciate, you get beside your food a small chredded cheese plate which adds a nice flavour to the plates itself, I believe SIX is a new item it consists of different types of cheeses and if you order it unvegan they will add beef bacon to it, I don't particularly hate it but I can't taste anything but a very strong salted cheddar cheese, or I would say "gbna adema" taste like 😂🫣 the beef bacon tastes like "dried bastrma" but I actually ate it all 😂 so it wasn't bad, but more of a mediocre plate, moving to the Rosemary's pasta surprisingly I like it more (I actually don't know what the taste of rosemary is😂 but I always had this feeling that I won't like it) however it was nice the green shallots on the top add a nice taste to it) the prices was average for me, maybe slightly high but for the quality it was very ok, they use a high quality ingredients to be honest! The restaurant was somehow a "help your self kinda thing" overall this place is somehow overrated, but it is a nice...

I had walked by this secluded Italian restaurant a few times always curious to try it. Tonite I did and I'll be back for sure... but I am hoping the owner is reading these reviews cuz this restaurant has the makings of a little gem but something needs to improve. I travel the world and cook a lot. I absolutely love a good bolognese or ragu. I also feel that any Italian restaurant worth their salt should make stand out bolognese or at least a great meat sauce. Tonite my meal consisted of pumpkin soup which was delicious. That was followed by what I have to say it the best insalata caprese I have had to date on this planet in my 55 years. I looked into the open kitchen and mentioned that it was fabulous to the boys cooking. It truly was. I should have taken a photo cuz it looked great too. This lead me the think I was on a roll here and would be blown away by the spaghetti bolognese, sadly it was a disappointment. The pasta was fine, it was the sauce and water accumulation at the bottom my bowl that was a disappointment. Pasta should never be served like this. Toss it in some sauce first before you put it in the bowl or on the plate that will usually keep it from being in a puddle of water. Second problem was that the meat sauce had no stickiness. No oil or fat helping it cling to the pasta and give it a rich flavour. I hope this improves. Even check out the spaghetti bolognese at Tuscany at the Marriott nearby - it is solid! The service was great. Everyone was friendly. It is clean. They don't serve wine or beer sadly. Not sure if you can bring your own wine, I should have asked. It is a small cozy place that seats maybe 16 people max. I think I was lucky to get a seat. I'll definitely be back to try the other dishes and definitely order the insalata caprese again! I recommend this place but if you go tell the chef no watery pasta! It was a nice experience...

UPDATE 2021: 2 years after the initial review and O's is still hands-down the best place to eat in Egypt. I must have been there tens of times by now and spent thousands there, enjoyed every single time and every single plate. Now they have a bigger place open just one street down with more room and more tables, same amazing food. I am yet to find any other restaurant in Egypt that serves food made with such amazing skill, love passion, beauty and absolutely executed to perfection. It is genuinely Michelin quality. I hope they open more branches and grow to be everywhere. They deserve all the success that will come their way.

This is the absolute best pasta you can find anywhere in Egypt, no joke. It is genuinely amazing. The pesto sauce is second to none. The tomato sauce is perfect. This is one of the few places in Cairo that has impressed me on all aspects. All compliments to the amazing creative genius chef. The place is extremely cozy and friendly, alas they can't let you sit there forever because there are few tables so they told us we can have the table for an hour. The decorations are pretty good and the whole atmosphere is an amazing experience. You do need to reserve ahead of time because like I said the place is small (only six tables iirc) but when I showed up the first time our group didn't have a reservation and they got us a table in about fifteen minutes so it shouldn't be that big of a problem. Usually I'd consider the pricing too much for pasta, but that's not the case at all here, I'd happily pay more for this amazing pasta and especially the pesto sauce. Keep in mind they don't add service fees so...