Food in Luxor and Aswan is simple, generous and rooted in the Nile valley, and it is one of the pleasures of travelling in Upper Egypt. You will find hearty vegetable dishes, grilled meats, fresh bread and a wide range of sweets, along with a few regional specialities, especially in Aswan, where Nubian cooking adds spices and flavours you will not meet in Cairo. This guide covers what to try, how to eat well in the heat and how to enjoy the local drinks.
Start with breakfast
The classic Egyptian breakfast is ful medames, slow-cooked fava beans dressed with oil, lemon and cumin, served with warm baladi bread, with ta'amiya, the Egyptian version of falafel made from fava beans, on the side. Add eggs, white cheese, tomatoes and olives and you have a meal that carries you through a morning of temples. Most hotels serve a buffet with some of these dishes, but a small local cafe will give you the freshest version for very little.
Everyday dishes to look for
Koshari, a bowl of rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas topped with spiced tomato sauce and crisp onions, is the national comfort food and is vegetarian. Molokhia, a green soup made from jute leaves, is served with rice or bread and often with chicken. Tagines and stews arrive in clay pots, and grilled kebabs, kofta and chicken are on almost every menu. Pigeon stuffed with rice or freekeh is a regional treat, usually served in more traditional restaurants. Fiteer, a flaky layered pastry, can be sweet or savoury and makes a good late snack. Look for mezze such as baba ghanoush and tahini dips to share.
Nubian flavours in Aswan
Aswan's Nubian community has its own cooking, with dishes made from fish from the river, dates, peanuts, spices and slow-cooked meat. A visit to a Nubian village often includes tea or a simple meal in a family home, which is a good way to taste home cooking. Look for hibiscus tea, called karkade, which is served hot or chilled and is a refreshing and caffeine-free drink in the afternoon heat.
Drinks and sweets
Fresh juice stands sell sugarcane, mango, orange and pomegranate juice, and many tourists come to love the sweet, grassy sugarcane juice. Egyptian tea is strong and sweet, and coffee is served Turkish style, so say how sweet you want it when you order. Desserts include basbousa, a semolina cake soaked in syrup, kunafa, um ali, a warm bread pudding with nuts and milk, and rice pudding. Alcohol is available in most hotels and in some licensed restaurants and bars, but it is not served everywhere, so ask before you assume.
Eating well and staying well
Drink bottled or filtered water and check that bottles are sealed. Eat where the food is hot and busy, because turnover keeps things fresh, and be cautious with raw salads and unpeeled fruit if your stomach is sensitive. Take plenty of fluids on temple days, and carry a small snack for early starts, as many tours leave before breakfast. If you are on a Nile cruise or staying in a resort, ask about picnic breakfast boxes for balloon and tour mornings.
Where to eat
Luxor's East Bank has rooftop restaurants with temple views, family-run places around the souk and Corniche terraces that serve grilled fish and kebabs. The West Bank has quieter garden restaurants, many of them near the ferry landing or on the road to the Valley of the Kings. In Aswan, restaurants line the Corniche and the Nile-front, with floating restaurants and terraces for sunset meals. Look at the menu before you sit, confirm prices, and ask whether service is included. A small tip is customary where it is not.
A simple tasting plan
On your first day, try ful and ta'amiya for breakfast, koshari for a cheap lunch and grilled chicken or kofta with mezze for dinner. On the second, add molokhia and a tagine, finish with um ali and ask for mint tea. In Aswan, look for fish from the river, Nubian-style dishes and a glass of cold karkade on a Corniche terrace at sunset. Sharing several dishes at the table is normal and lets you taste more, and portions are usually generous enough for two people to split a main course. If you are unsure what something is, ask the waiter, who will usually be happy to explain and suggest.
Manners and timing
Eating with the right hand is polite, and bread is often used to scoop up food. Lunch is the main meal and is often late, with dinner after sunset, so restaurants fill in the evening. During Ramadan, many cafes close or open late in the day and drinks are rarely served in public during daylight, though hotels continue to serve guests, so plan for that if you travel in that month.
