Koshary Kitchen: How Egypt’s Much-Loved Street Food Made it to London
The one dish that constantly fuels our country has finally arrived in the UK. Koshary, Egypt’s much-loved street food and national dish, just made a grand entrance in London, via Koshary Kitchen, a new street stall serving it up for lunch.
We Egyptians seemingly can’t get enough of that stuff – and thanks to Ramy Amir, Brits will be joining in on that koshary love. “My passion for Koshary started at an early age. In my dissertation, I wrote about events and the rise of the street food scene in the UK. I had one goal in mind, I wanted to get to know the market well in order to prepare myself for launching Koshary Kitchen in London,” Amir tells us how it all happened. “It was a concept that I have been developing for a few years and I saw a great potential in the market. I completed my dissertation, met all the requirements to obtain the UK entrepreneur visa and was then ready to take this delicious dish to the streets of London.”
But Amir soon found out that starting your own business, even a street food restaurant, wasn’t as easy as he thought. “It was really hard to find a kitchen in central London due to the high rental prices. I decided to look for an apartment with a kitchen big enough and was lucky to actually find one. I contacted the landlord immediately and explained to him that I was interested in renting the apartment as well as launching my street food business. I had no idea what to expect and I thought he would hang up the phone, however, he endorsed the idea and gave me the green light.”
Amir is an inspiration to every Arab millennial who wants to go off beaten path and give it a shot at the entrepreneur game. “My message to you would be to stay persistent and follow your passion. Obstacles will arise, but if there is a will there is a way! It is definitely worth it. This is only the beginning for Koshary Kitchen, we have great expansion plans in the immediate future.”
