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

We’ve all
been there: you’re taking a late night stroll down Road 9 in Maadi with
friends, enjoying the evening breeze and confident that within minutes,
someone is bound to suggest grabbing a bite to eat. All of the sudden, you find
your munchies level increasing and choosing between a greasy meal or overtly
sweet treat quickly becomes the inner battle.

Look no
further fellow late-night hedonists! Located next to Crumbs
on Road 9 is a little shawerma joint that not only serves up a mean sandwich
but waffles too. Yes, waffles and shawerma. Is your stomach growling or
hurting?

Designed
minimally, but cute none-the-less, Beit El Shawerma is a shack with modern
lighting and a wooden bar for eating on site. A patio is also located out front
with miniature yellow chairs and tables. Inside, the place is pristine and it’s
obvious from first glance that the guys behind the counter take their shawerma
and waffles seriously; preparing the food with utmost precision and care.

Appetisers include
hummus, metabel and French fries – all ranging between 4LE-5LE.
We’d recommend giving the hummus a shot but when we ordered, it was fresh out.

The
sandwich selection, however, is more extensive and includes some rather unique
options not typically found at a shawerma establishment. Your standard meat or
chicken (7LE-17LE) is available along with shawerma fajita, shawerma zaatar and
labna, and shawerma mushroom and cheddar: all costing 14LE for a medium. The
seafood shawerma includes shawerma, shrimp, crab legs, calamari and a special
sauce.  Each sandwich comes in small,
medium or large. The small being served on Kaiser bread while the remainder
come wrapped in that delicious Saj bread.

We settled
with shawerma three cheese, shawerma Moroccan sauce and Syrian falafel. Tightly
wrapped and stuffed full, the execution of each was impressive. The
three-cheese was beyond heavy with a thick layer of melted cheese. Delicious
and nicely spiced however, the shawerma Moroccan sauce was the winner. The
slight hint of curry gave it a kick and paired nicely with the pickles, tehina and
thick-cut shawerma. Equally as tasty was the Syrian falafel, fried just right
and paired with tomatoes, pickles and tehina (4LE for the medium).

Do we
really have to admit that when it was all said and done, we also ate a waffle?
Ranging between 15LE-20LE, the small but filling waffles come with various
sweet toppings including sauces and fruit. Our Nutella and kiwi combo (17LE)
was indeed delicious – the perfect ratio of sauce and waffle.

When it’s
all said and done, expect to be completely satiated. We recommend eating
on-site – it’s a relaxing and pleasant experience.