Cairo’s nightlife can be quite a confusing realm, from underage drinkers gulping down orange vodka in overly priced nightclubs to band members kicking up the atmosphere with some serious headbanging. It’s well known that every “type” of drinker manages to find his own place in the city which doesn’t look down so much upon the act of drinking.
If you’re one to enjoy a quick beer or a glass of wine with dinner, Leftbank is your place. The restaurant overlooks the glorious Nile, with candle-lit tables and a friendly staff. This is the ideal family night restaurant. However, it is immensely overpriced; not advisable for anyone on a budget.
On the other side of this dimension lies The Tap in the heart of Maadi, where nightlife seems to be dragging itself out of the Egyptian-made graveyard it used to be in. The Tap bedazzles you with its purely English decorations, fascinating rock ballads in the background, billiard tables and a wide selection of board games. It is the sanctuary for most of your local underground rock bands; the beer is pretty cheap too! You can safely argue that The Tap is where the usual music junkie resorts to for a night of binge drinking.
Going back to the aforementioned underage vodka-gulping drinkers, Amici seems to be it. This is where many of the hyped up Egyptians stumble out on New Year’s Eve. The place is somehow interesting if you want to let your hair down and not be judged, however, it is also overly priced.
While The Tap gives a fight club basement for all the rock music enthusiasts, Vent gives it to all the Electronic, Hip-Hop and Pop music enthusiasts. No matter what day of the week it is, Vent is always blasting with groovy music and a chain of perpetual dancing! Even if you don’t enjoy that specific genre, the place manages to get you in the mood for it and encourages you to “get your moves on”. They usually hold exhibitions for all kinds of hip-hop artists and DJ’s; they deserve an applause for their incredibly soothing lighting and sound systems.
Down in the heart of West El Balad, resides the vintage Estoril restaurant/bar. The place shrieks with authenticity with the 80 year-old whiskey bottles, the seemingly Indian waiter costumes and the Victorian chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. This is where you go to enjoy some quite downtime with yourself, your book, and your booze.
So there we have it, a guide for almost each type of drinker in Egypt and what has the potential to be their holy place of alcohol. Despite so many taboos, social and cultural restrictions, Egypt is still booming with a bevy of proper nightclubs and bars to feed the insatiable desire of alcohol driven by the masses.
