The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

When in Alexandria, taking a walk down the many
tranquil streets of the Kafr Abdou neighbourhood is always a pleasure. The
Portuguese Club is possibly the neighbourhood’s only and longest living
bar/terrace/pub to date. Nestled inside one of the area’s nicest villas, the Portuguese
Club is a great spot for a drink and lunch either in the bar inside or on the
terrace outside.

The club’s terrace is surrounded by lush
ferns, trees and a kids’ play area strategically located far away from the
tables, in addition to couches, a simple round bar with a flat-screen TV and a few
cheesy-looking marine ornaments.

The inside area is actually huge: there’s a
second bar with high chairs for seats on the left, billiard and ping-pong
tables on the right for those who fancy a bit of movement, and old wooden
stairs that take you up to another private room on the second floor with
another billiard table.

The interior bar area is very simple with only
some random Portuguese flags and Union Jack towels adorn the white-washed walls.
The music playlist has a very interesting mix of different genres, most likely
to leave you singing along, if not bobbing your head.

The Portuguese Club’s menu is varied and
affordable: soups and mezzas range between 10LE to 50LE such as the to-die-for
chicken wings with the special dip, their extra-thin sambousak, their juicy
buffalo wings, crispy fries and much more;. They also have a limited but simple
menu of pizzas, which have the right texture and range between 20LE and 25LE.
Their main dishes include spaghetti bolognaise, burgers, and chicken and fish
dishes that go up to 60LE.

The drinks menu at The Portuguese Club has your
basic staples: a Heineken or Stella will cost you between 25LE and 30LE, a
glass of Omar Khayyam stands at 20LE, while a bottle can cost 70LE.

The unorthodox yet smart payment method at the
bar is the food check, which you pay for separately, while drinks are charged
to a ‘card’. You need to buy this card first before ordering your drinks; there
is one for 75LE that usually buys three drinks and one for 40LE. The cards are valid for one month; so you can keep
using them till they’re finished, if you haven’t already during your stay. It might sound complicated, but once you go
there once or twice it should be fine.

The
Portuguese Club also offers shisha in a variety of flavours, at the open-air
area.   However, the club’s clientele can sometimes
get a bit sketchy; every now and then you can spot a few ladies accompanying patrons,
along with a few other odd clients on the side. That being said, the Portuguese
Club is still worth the visit for its chilled ambience and its conveniently
central location in Alexandria.