I came across a very rude waiter. Brought me soup without a spoon, and when I asked for it he ignored me and gave me a dirty look when I asked a third time. Nice place and setting but terrible service.

I came here for lunch whilst visiting Cairo in Nov 2019. Opted for a selection of simple dishes for lunch. The food quality was decent for the price, but I was really put off by the smokers inside. I ended up reeking of cigarette smoke after eating here.

The atmosphere was great, food was good, service was realllllllly sllllllow. So if you are staying in one of the big hotels in the area and want to get out and try a local place then this is a good one to try (as long as you are not in a hurry).

Very similar opinion to the previous reviewer.
Half the cafe is closed and is currently full of beer in boxes like a store room.
The other half of the restaurant probably could do with a sympathetic renovation.....or at least a clean beer towel on the table and a slightly comfier chair.
As for the food and the waiter service. I honestly have nothing good to say about this. We ordered two dishes of soup and one dish of chicken livers with French fries.
The soup came really quickly. Possibly too quickly as we waited for a further half hour before the rest of the order arrived.
When it did arrive it wasn't worth the wait.
The chicken soup was ok. Not wonderful. Just ok. The chicken livers though were served with frozen pre fried fresh chips. They were definitely frozen. But had been freshly made at some point in their life and then frozen and almost reheated.
Halfway through the wait for half our meals we were treated to the chef losing his patience. All diners (the majority of which were also waiting for their dinners) turned to listen in to the ten minute shouting match.
As for the waiter. He looked good, nice tuxedo and clicky heels and everything. He didn't listen, didn't know or understand the menu. Didn't know how to take an order from anyone around us and everybody struggled to make an order with him. Consequently he took so long doing anything that several people got up and got their own menus after waiting to long.

The good news is they have beer. (But they have no beer glasses)

A few of the things we ordered were ok and a few were fairly bad. the service was ok, but after reading the reviews I wished I'd checked the bill better because I thought the total seemed higher than it should have been. there is a rich history to this place, however they have that portion of the building CLOSED and it's full of junk, like a storage area. would not recommend unless you are a huge fan of the specific poets/authors who hung out there.