Aswan has a smaller restaurant scene than Cairo or Luxor, but the food is distinctive. Nubian cooking — slow-cooked stews, pigeon dishes, fresh river fish, and the tart hibiscus tea called karkade — gives the city its own culinary identity. The souq along Sharia el-Souq is the best place for fresh produce and spices. Most restaurants cluster along the corniche and around the market area on the east bank.