Al-Sahaby Lane is a good, while touristy, Egyptian restaurant right in the middle of Luxor, very close to the Luxor tourist souk and within walking distance of the river cruise port and the Temple of Luxor. Al-Sahaby Lane is located on the roof of the Nefertiti Hotel (there are many steps and I did not see an elevator). Reservations are not required and the restaurant is most certainly casual.

Entrance to Al Sah-aby Lane from the street.

The rooftop of Al-Sahaby Lane is arranged with a series of low tables with comfy chairs and couches for sitting. It felt very much like a living room. The tables and chairs are decorated with with Egyptian style linens and the restaurant has views of Luxor. Go during the daytime for the best views of the Nile and the Temple of Luxor. The servers were all quite nice and spoke good English. An English menu was promptly brought to us, and to our surprise, it was a variety of options to suit different people – from Western-ish dishes to vegetarian dishes to traditional Egyptian foods. The dishes are also inexpensive, making this a good option for large groups.

The English menu.

We ate at Al-Sahaby Lane our second night in Egypt, so we were definitely ready to try some Egyptian food! And we ordered way too much! We started with a mezze sampler, which included 4 types of dips  – hummus, a spicy red paste, a green dish, and an eggplant spread, as well as a fried cheese fritter and two meat things (I’m not sure what they are called). This was all paired with the traditional Egyptian bread. This appetizer course did not disappoint and was totally awesome.

Mezze spread.

Another look because it was that good.

For Dan’s main dish, he ordered a traditional Egyptian food called a fateera. Fateera is apparently quite popular in Egypt (but we only saw it in Luxor) and is kind of like an Egyptian take on a pizza. Al Sahaby Lane served multiple types of fateera. Dan ordered the Fateera Lahma, which was Egyptian bread stuffed with minced beef, tomato, paprika, olive, onion, thyme, mozzarella, and Egyptian Roumy cheese and then topped with more Egyptian bread. It was then somehow cooked. The fateera was tasty and was, again, way too much for 1 person. Fateera at Al-Sahaby Lane would make a great appetizer to share amongst a group.

Fateera Lahma.

I went more boring than Dan and ordered the beef shwarma wrap. This dish was a pretty Westernized take on Egyptian food and consisted of beef with tomatoes, onions, and green peppers, with a side of fries. The quality was good and the taste nothing too crazy. This would be a good choice for picky eaters. Not surprising, this also could have been shared between multiple diners.

My beef shwarma wrap.

One more, because it was tasty!

We expected to get a dessert fateera after dinner, but we had too much dinner! Instead, I got a hibiscus tea and Dan ordered a Turkish coffee and we paired both with flavored shisha! If you’ve never been to Egypt, shisha is a really popular vice, and I found it to take the place of alcohol in certain social settings, such as cafes, bars, and evening outings. Most of the tables were smoking shisha at this hour. If you don’t know how to use it, our waiter set it up for us and showed us how to smoke it.  Definitely give it a go in Egypt!

A shisha Danny.

Hibiscus Rose Tea.

Turkish coffee.

All in, we had a lovely dinner at Al-Sahaby Lane and would return again. I would note that there is no alcohol served at this establishment (common in Egypt) and it got chilly on the rooftop at night. Bring a sweater.

STEAL OUR TRIP

Al Sah-aby Lane: Open daily 11 – 23. Reservations usually not required. No alcohol. Vegetarian options available.