Reif Kushiyaki 5A — Restaurant in Cairo

I recently dined at Reif Kushiyaki, lured in by its reputation and the promise of a unique culinary experience. Unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations. While the restaurant seems to market itself as an innovative or elevated dining experience, it fundamentally misunderstands the concept of fine dining and value for money.

The portions served were extremely small—so small, in fact, that they bordered on insulting. Fine dining is not about leaving diners hungry; it’s about creating balance and satisfaction through artfully crafted dishes that justify their price. At Reif Kushiyaki, the portions felt more like amuse-bouches disguised as main courses. For the price they charge, I expected more thought, generosity, and creativity in both presentation and substance. Instead, I left feeling unsatisfied and questioning whether I had just paid a premium for style over substance.

Fine dining is an experience—a balance of exceptional food, refined service, and an atmosphere that makes it all worthwhile. At Reif Kushiyaki, the focus seemed entirely on aesthetic minimalism, while the essence of hospitality and culinary satisfaction was sorely lacking.

To put it plainly, the value for money is simply not there. It’s hard to justify spending so much for food that neither satisfies hunger nor delivers a memorable experience. If the restaurant hopes to sustain its reputation, it needs to revisit the fundamentals of fine dining—starting with portion sizes and the overall value proposition.

I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant unless you’re prepared to pay a premium for disappointment. There are far better options in the city for a true fine...

Baky’s hospitality did set the bar high and I keep Sachi as their main compass in the culinary in-house standardized experience created by its founder :) I was so enthusiastic to try Reif since they opened yet I cannot confirm that I was impressed. The minimal Japanese influence of its interior and setup are very appealing, Staff are well trained and very attentive, sometimes too keen to clean around our plates than our own liking. We mostly liked the Sea food Ramen, the egg noodles were perfect, the curry did not conceal the other flavors yet was only consisted of small pieces of squids & a skewer of fried shrimps. Our second liking was the Sea food Gyoza (the closest form of steamed dumplings) soaked in chili ponzo & fried leek, they were appetizing. The rest of our choices were 2 type of Maki (Shrimp tempura & Salmon) that were placed under their special Christmas mini menu but wear very disappointing in taste and gave us the impression that Sushi ain’t their thing even if claimed to be sushi with a twist (placing a potato chip over a sushi was off topic, the sauce was not recognizable and confusing). I might revisit to try their claypot dishes but for the time being, i would just stick to 3...

Just finished a wonderful meal at Reif. We’ve heard good things and didn’t know what to expect. I like that it’s casual and the menu has many great options. I’m surprised to see some reviews about bland food; we thought pretty much everything was delicious, the least being the seafood dumplings. The spicy beef ramen had loads of flavor and could compete with any traditional ones I’ve had before in Asia. The sushi was so good, we had the crispy ebi and spicy salmon. Don’t forget to order the pickles to compliment all the dishes they are done quite well. The chicken thigh skewers and truffle beef skewers were cooked perfect, tasty and well seasoned. Chicken Sando, chicken gyoza, and crispy avocado also yum, the avo could use a touch more sauce if I want to be picky. I’d go back to try more for sure. Service always bugs me in egypt tho, sometimes you feel forgotten and the server is always changing, but the staff is very polite, food comes spaced at good timings, table cleared and cleaned. Oh and the matcha cake was also great! (The only thing...