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Egyptian Food — What to Eat and What It Costs

Koshari, ful medames, and what a real Egyptian meal actually costs.

Egyptian food is hearty, cheap, and built around legumes, bread, and bold spicing — a full meal from a local spot runs $2–6, a sit-down restaurant $6–15, and a nice dinner out $15–30 per person. Don't miss koshari (the national dish — rice, lentils, macaroni, crispy onions, spiced tomato sauce), ful medames (stewed fava beans, usually breakfast), taameya (Egyptian-style falafel, made from fava beans not chickpeas), and molokhia (a garlicky green stew). Almost everything is naturally halal, and vegetarians eat very well.

Egyptian food doesn't get the international spotlight that, say, Thai or Lebanese cooking does, and that's honestly a shame — it's cheap, filling, and built on centuries of getting the most flavor out of lentils, beans, and bread. Here's what to actually order, roughly what it costs, and how to eat like a local.

Egyptian Food: What to Eat and What It Costs
Food

Egyptian Food: What to Eat and What It Costs

Hearty, cheap, and built on lentils, beans, and bold spicing.

Questions people actually ask

Is Egyptian street food safe to eat?
Generally yes at busy, high-turnover spots — look for a queue of locals and food cooked or reheated fresh in front of you. Stick to bottled water, and ease into unfamiliar street food gradually in your first day or two rather than going all-in on arrival.
What is koshari?
Egypt's national dish: a carb-heavy bowl of rice, lentils, and macaroni, topped with a spiced tomato sauce, crispy fried onions, and a garlic-vinegar or chili sauce on the side. It's vegetarian, vegan-friendly (double-check the sauce), cheap (around $1.50–3), and available everywhere from street carts to sit-down koshari chains.
Can vegetarians and vegans eat well in Egypt?
Yes — traditional Egyptian cuisine leans heavily on legumes and vegetables (koshari, ful medames, taameya, molokhia), so vegetarians do very well. Vegans should double-check for ghee/butter or dairy in some dishes and ask for taameya instead of the meat-based kofta or shawarma.