Koshari is Egypt's national dish: a layered bowl of rice, macaroni, lentils, fried onions, and tomato sauce spiked with cumin and vinegar. It sounds improbable but tastes magnificent, and Koshari El Tahrir is one of the most popular chains in the Greater Cairo area. Loud, busy, tiled, and utterly no-frills: you point at the size of bowl you want, it arrives in ninety seconds, and you eat standing or at a plastic counter.
A full portion costs almost nothing and will keep you going for hours. This is not a restaurant experience — it is a fuel stop — but it is authentic Cairo street food at its most satisfying. The Giza branches are scattered through the university area and along the major commercial streets. Look for the chain's red-and-yellow signage. Any visit to Egypt that does not include at least one bowl of koshari has missed something essential.