Kebabgy — Restaurant in Geziret al Zamalik, Jazirat al Zamalik

I had high expectations based reputation and location, but my experience was a logistical nightmare from start to finish. I made a reservation not once, not twice, but three times over the phone, only to find out each time that it hadn’t been properly recorded. Eventually, I had to drive 45 minutes on a weekend just to pay the deposit in person only to be told by the manager, Mr. Waleed, that it wasn’t even necessary. He assured me everything was set and that we were good to go. Spoiler: we weren’t!!

On the day of the dinner, I even called an hour before to confirm. They said everything was ready and waiting for us. When we arrived, they claimed they had no reservation at all. We were left standing for over 30 minutes while they scrambled to "figure it out," despite an obviously empty table sitting right in front of us. Their explanation? They operate on a “first come, first served” basis, even for reservations which defeats the whole purpose of making one.

When we were finally seated (after the promised 10 minutes turned into 35), the service went from bad to worse. Requests for simple things like ice and water took forever or never came at all. The shisha attendant never returned in time to manage the coals. The waiter disappeared when we asked to substitute desserts, despite initially being told it wouldn’t be a problem. Frankly, I was embarrassed to have brought international guests to a place that fumbled every basic aspect of service.

To be fair, the atmosphere and location are lovely. The food itself was decent, although the portions were underwhelming for the high prices. But none of that compensates for the sheer lack of organization and professional service.

This dinner was meant to reflect well on my company and on Egyptian hospitality. Instead, it turned into a stressful, poorly managed evening. I won’t be returning and I strongly suggest anyone planning to think twice before trusting this place with...

Got in town early so went here for lunch on a Monday. Place is not busy and we sat outside but under the canopy as it wasn’t too hot in January. I imagine it would be nicer in the evenings with lights in the background. Cairo air quality is unpleasant and smoggy which detracts the otherwise nice setting. We walked over to the restaurant over a bridge and down an access road from our hotel. Even though it’s right by the water, it looks like a run down neighborhood with potholes dirty and crumbling sidewalks and strangers soliciting. We passed by a couple nightclubs on stationary boats behind rusted fences. It reminds us of a dirtier Bangkok and a nicer Mumbai. The exterior looks grubby but the interiors are nice.

We ordered the set menu of Kebabgy Delight washed it down with local beer. The cold Mezze were indeed delightful and the freshly made puffy bread excellent. The hot mezze choices that followed were equally tasty and we were already getting full before the main course. I’m not a chicken liver fan but they still tasted great to me. The mixed grill that followed come on a small charcoal box. Those were perfectly grilled. The box kept it warm without over cooking it but the initial smoke bothered my nose a bit. Desserts were an assortment of little bites and um ali (bread pudding) which is not quite what I expected. The um ali was only ok. Service is very good but their English is surprisingly weak. They had great difficulty explaining whether I had to choose among the listed items under the set menu. They definitely could not explain the desserts and the menu...

I was really disappointed today while I dined in ElKababgy after many years of not coming back to this lovely restaurant. The only thing that remained excellent is the restaurant is the location and the nile front view.

Other than that, the food quality deteriorated drastically. Bad taste in all the appetizers and the main course we ordered. Clear low quality ingredients and cooking experience. Nothing to compare to old days excellent food quality and tasty dishes.

Likewise, I observed unprofessional service and non trained staff. It was also disgusting to see some of the waiters were sweating while serving the food to the extent that I asked them to return a plate because I saw sweat dropping into the plate and I asked to change the server.

It is clear the restaurant is lacking professional management and skilled staff. I felt it since we reserved the table by phone, when we ordered our food, the delay in serving the appetizers, the main course that they forgot to serve, the extra words of flattery from the different waiters etc..

I am shocked how come a reputable management company like the one managing this hotel failed to see the deterioration of Elkabagy operation. This restaurant was a golden mine during Sheraton management for decades. Their superb food quality and excellent professional and friendly service were a great successful model.

I hope this place can regain their...