Le Grillon

Cairo


Nominally a restaurant, this bizarre faux patio is all about beer, shisha and gossip about politics and the arts scene. The illusion of outdoors is created with wicker furniture, fake vines and lots of ceiling fans. The entrance is in the back of a courtyard between two buildings.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo attractions

1. Mashrabia Gallery

0.07 MILES

One of the first indepen­dent galleries, Mashrabia is bit cramped but represents the bigger names in painting, video and sculpture.

2. Cairo Atelier

0.08 MILES

Off Sharia Mahmoud Bassiouni, as much a clubhouse as an exhibition space, frequented by Cairo’s art-world new and old guard.

3. Groppi’s

0.09 MILES

Groppi’s high point was more than 50 years ago when it was one of the most celebrated patisseries this side of the Mediterranean. It has unfortunately…

4. Midan Talaat Harb

0.11 MILES

Downtown’s two main streets, Sharia Talaat Harb and Sharia Qasr El Nil, intersect at the roundabout of Midan Talaat Harb, where cars whizz around a statue…

5. Townhouse Gallery

0.13 MILES

Set amid car-repair shops, Townhouse is Cairo’s most cutting-edge space, with a regular program of temporary exhibitions, often with an emphasis on video…

6. Egyptian Museum

0.19 MILES

One of the world’s most important collections of ancient artefacts, the Egyptian Museum takes pride of place in Downtown Cairo, on the north side of Midan…

7. Midan Tahrir

0.21 MILES

Midan Tahrir (Liberation Sq) gained world renown in early 2011, when millions of Egyptians converged here to oust then-president Hosni Mubarak. On a…

8. Cairo Stock Exchange

0.27 MILES

The rather grand facade of the Cairo Stock Exchange was built in 1928 and merges neoclassical design with art nouveau.