Pomodoro
NileGuide Expert Says:
Pomodoro offers some of the best value comfort food in Cairo in a uniquely Cairene mannerAddress:
Phone:
+20 (0)2 2795 6848NileGuide Expert tip:
Pomodoro gets very busy, and is tiny, so it's best to ring in advance and orderDescription:
Walk towards Abdeen Palace from Midan Tahrir in Downtown, and as you reach the end of Tahrir Street you will no longer be smelling traffic fumes, but fish!Welcome to Pomodoro, Downtown Cairo's worst kept secret. Pomodoro is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant which serves pasta. Only pasta. Dishes come in two sizes (15 LE or 20 LE), and you can get your pasta with seafood, shrimp, chicken, beef, or vegetables.
The portion sizes at Pomodoro are huge (think carefuly before ordering a 20!), and generous with the animal. This is isn't sophisticated al dente Italian pasta here, these dishes come laden with thick, spicy tomato sauce and are heavy, oily, and sometimes excessively salty. But they taste great, and are brilliant comfort food.
The only problem with Pomodoro, and in fact part of the charm, is that it's tiny, yet super-popular. There are only two rickety wooden tables in the restaurant, and a few plastic tables and chairs out on the street, literally next to the parked cars. This is true street level dining! Because Pomodoro is so popular, you'll often have to wait to be seated, and your food can take ages to come (sometimes over an hour). It's far better to call in advance and place an order, and turn up when it's ready. You'll need a little Arabic to order, though.
The other quirk of Pomodoro is that they don't serve drinks at all! But there's a grocery store and a juice stall just next door, so you can grab something to drink from there.
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