Cap d'Or

The most atmospheric old bar in Alexandria, on Adib Ishak Street just off Saad Zaghloul Square. The space is small — a single high-ceilinged room with a long marble bar, mirrors behind, and just a few small tables. Old French songs and 1950s Egyptian hits play from a worn cassette recorder. The walls are crowded with photographs, signs, and small objects whose provenance the owner is happy to explain.

The food is good for a bar — fresh squid and calamari, grilled prawns, fried fish, Greek-style mezze. Cold Stella beer is the obvious accompaniment. Cap d'Or is busiest from late afternoon through evening; visit early to get one of the few tables, or stand at the bar for the most atmospheric experience. Closed Sundays.

bars and cafes bar
A story
The Cap d'Or has been open since the 1890s and is the last of a generation of European-style cafes-bars that defined cosmopolitan Alexandria. The marble bar, the coloured glass windows, the wooden cabinets full of mismatched glassware, and the old French songs playing from a tape player whose crackle has become part of the atmosphere — all are essentially unchanged in living memory.