Mohamed's Cafe in Luxor

Whenever I travel to Egypt, I always make a point to visit Mohamed's Cafe. I've been going there since 2007, and although the cuisine in Egypt is generally delightful no matter where one is, at Mohamed's it is simply on another level. Located close by Medinet Habu, just outside of Luxor on the West Bank, the cafe features a cozy and tree-shaded alfresco dining area, large enough for dozens of people, and a roomy indoor dining room with air conditioning for the hot summer season as well. The alfresco area is gaily decorated with a humorous variety of artwork, including some taxidermy tomfoolery, but the real gem in this setting is Mohamed's sound system. A dedicated classic jazz and blues aficionado, Mohamed spends vinyl discs of the jazz greats through large hi-fi speakers inside the restaurant, and his recording collection is impressively broad-ranging. Mohamed is a quiet but genial host and a very capable restaurateur with many years of experience, acting as greeter, server, cook, and even bread maker at his outdoor wood-fired brick oven. The menu features a wide variety of dishes, fried eggplant cakes, roasted duck, vegetable or water buffalo stew, Nile perch fillets, wonderful fresh salads, fried rice, home-fried potatoes, and the usual Egyptian bread and dipping sauces, all served in bountiful portions from a seemingly inexhaustible kitchen. Beverages include colas, fresh squeezed local fruit juices, tea of course, coffee, and bottled Stella beer. Relaxing in the shaded courtyard and enjoying a sumptuous luncheon always puts us in the mood to slow our pace a bit and settle into the local style.