Heliopolis has long been known for its patisseries — a legacy of the French, Belgian, and Levantine communities that settled here in the early twentieth century. Several of these shops have been operating for decades and have a loyal following among Cairenes across the city. Egyptian sweets are well represented: umm ali (a warm bread pudding with cream and nuts), basbousa (semolina cake soaked in syrup), konafa (shredded wheat over sweetened cheese). But the European-style pastries — croissants, tarts, gateaux — are also good here in a way that can be hard to find elsewhere in Cairo. A pastry and a coffee in one of these shops is a small but genuine pleasure.