Egyptian Eateries Go Regional: Meet the Local Food Spots Now Sizzling in the GCC
Across Egypt, food takes center stage with more and more spots and eateries opening up each day. Every now and then, the country has a food craving over everything from fried chicken to ice cream.
That’s what gave birth to dining spots like Bazooka, Heart Attack, and Dara’s Ice Cream. Knowing the major success of all these eateries, today, they’re heading out and venturing to the GCC. Let’s meet and celebrate each local food brand that successfully made it out to the Gulf.
Bazooka
Fried chicken galore is the best way to describe Bazooka, the fast food chain that has been generating a lot of buzz for more than 6 years. Taking fried chicken and injecting it with a dose of over-the-top craziness is Bazooka, the 40-branch fried chicken joint.
Even the name alone says it all—many of its dishes are truly out of the box. There’s also the massive fried chicken 5-tier tower for special occasions as well as their massive fried chicken bucket covered in cheese.
Garnering massive success, the local spot managed to venture out and open up a shop in Kuwait and, recently, Dubai at Deira.
Zööba
In Egypt, breakfast is a simple and adored family affair. Every morning, you’ll probably notice families gathering together and enjoying common staples of fresh cheese, bread, foul mudammes, and falafel. That very same homegrown spirit is embedded in Egypt’s most popular fast-food breakfast spot known as Zööba.
Attracting crowds from all across Egypt, everyone comes to get a taste of its extensive menu that includes foul, falafel, eggs, koshary, hawawshi, and sandwiches.
It has become so popular that beyond its 7 branches scattered across Cairo, the eatery has made its way to the GCC in countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Heart Attack
Egypt has many identifying monuments, whether it’s the giant Pyramids or the Salah El-Din Citadel. Along with them is the iconic fried chicken joint known as Heart Attack.
Ever since it opened its doors, an immediate craze was ignited. Regional influencers, international food bloggers, and the like posted on their social media accounts about their unique experiences in the fast food joint.
As with Bazooka, Heart Attack goes all out in serving up dishes that really do get your heart pumping. We’re talking about their log-shaped cheese tap to cover up their fried chicken pieces in cheesy goodness, as well as their pop cups, which are mini cups filled with chicken pops slathered in cheese.
Taking these same over-the-top creations, Heart Attack has set sail all the way to Dubai, opening up at JBR The Walk.
Koshary Abu Tarek
You can’t talk about Egyptian cuisine without mentioning what many describe as its national dish, the widely adored koshary. One of the oldest and most prized eateries that specialize in this dish is no other than Koshary Abu Tarek.
Its prime spot is in Downtown Cairo, especially at night when its multistory building is lit up with hundreds of neon-colored lights. Everyone flocks to it, from truck drivers and mechanics to lawyers and doctors.
What was once a small little cart on the corner of Downtown Cairo selling the traditional Egyptian dish of rice, pasta, lentils, onions, and spicy tomato sauce is today a mega-franchise with 7 branches across Cairo.
Along with that, it earned regional appeal by opening up 4 branches in Saudi Arabia and a small branch on Dubai’s Barsha Street.
Dara’s Ice Cream
Simple food businesses have a way of flourishing and growing exponentially in countries like Egypt. One such simple eatery is a typical ice cream joint. Along with Gelato Mio and Mandarine Koueider, one particular ice cream spot knew how to rise to the top.
Since opening its doors, Dara’s Ice Cream has always known how to attract lines and lines of customers.
Some come to snap Insta-worthy pics next to its neon ice cream cone sign, while others come to devour its ice cream flavors, including the famous honeycomb as well as its delicious cookies. Today, its founder and creator, Dara Ghosheh, is proud to announce that her 8-branch business is making its way to Riyadh.
B.Laban
Starting off as a simple local dessert shop that specializes in the widely beloved creamy rice pudding known as ‘roz bil laban,’ it has today become a major franchise.
B.Laban, tucked away in the bustling heart of Cairo is a haven for dessert enthusiasts that today went all out in its constantly evolving innovative menu. Beyond the simple desserts, they ventured out and included crazy renditions of the classic tres leches topped with everything from creamy pistachio to fresh slices of mango.
They even made a sweet version of the classic koshary, including their popular mango koshary. With such a growing and adored dessert collection, the eatery has gained enough traction to root out of Egypt and across to Saudi Arabia, where they recently just opened their second branch there. They also made it all the way to Dubai.
All these local eateries have managed to climb up the ranks and earn a spot on the global map. Here’s hoping that they’ll have the same fate as Zööba, which managed to open up all the way in the US.
