If we would have ordered nothing but the iced tea, it would have been totally worth the drive to go to Cairo Cafe. One sip of this black tea with cinnamon and other spices (clove? cardamom? both?) and we were goners. We were also struck by how pretty the place is inside. With spices wafting in the air, Egyptian music playing, and the exotic decor, we were transported far away from the Lafayette Rd. location. We sat at a traditional table by the buffet set-up but the back half of the restaurant has more unique furniture meant for lounging. We love buffet style for ethnic restaurants because we get to try small bites of lots of dishes. Most of the offerings weren't labeled so we just dug right in to discover the tastes for ourselves. You get a basket of pita bread served to your table and, at the buffet, you can dish up the delicious fava bean spread and chickpea dip to have on those. There was a tasty chicken dish, BBQ beef, really good green beans, meatballs, potatoes, and a couple of different kinds of rice. There were also mysterious squares wrapped in foil so we had to grab one to find out what they were. It turns out that they were cubes of baked pasta with slightly sweet seasoning- yummy! If you have any room after all of that, several dessert dishes are on the buffet too. We tried a milky bread pudding and a flan-like dessert. What a great meal in a gorgeous setting for only $10.99. And for goodness sakes, order the iced tea.
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2 comments:
This is another favorite of my family. The food is terrific (make sure you try the vegetable soup!), and the atmosphere is very friendly and welcoming.
The back part is the best. They provide free high-speed internet. Several times I've gone with my oldest sons to eat and surf the web on our laptops while enjoying the tranquil area in the back. We'll just hang out for a couple of hours.
On Saturday evenings the place is hopping with live belly dancing. We haven't done that, but we often come Sundays right after church. It is never too crowded. Also, they charge half-price for our 10 and 13 year old, and I think $3.99 for the 6 year old.
The only difficult part about coming here? When we pull into the parking lot we're always faced with that tough decision: Saigon Restaurant or Cairo Cafe? Two of the best restaurants in town, right next to each other.
Tom B.
It is an amazing culinary corner. We also need to get back to the area to try Guatelinda.
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