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

When an international franchise lands in Egypt, there is always a justified sense of expectancy regarding quality and expertise. One of the latest additions to Cairo’s dining scene is the Cincinnati-based sports restaurant, Buffalo Wings & Rings, which has recently opened its first branch at Citystars.  

While the large corner venue has a relatively small outdoor area formed of a few tables, the indoor area is huge, comprising various booths and diner-style tables, in addition to the many TV screens that show, of course, sports events like football matches. There are also certain chairs for those who are willing to take the restaurant’s one billion challenge; eating 10 wings that are dipped in the place’s infamous one billion sauce in two minutes or less.

After taking our seats, we ordered the Sloppy Fries (60LE) and the Boneless Wings (80LE) as our appetisers.

Coming on a rectangle white plate, the sloppy fries were curly fries are topped with a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, as well as beef and bean chilli sauce. A delicious start to a meal, the cheese mix boasted a sharp taste from the cheddar that was tempered by the creamy mozzarella, which worked well with the rich beef and chilli sauce and, as a whole, the fries.

As for the wings, we were given the option to choose how spicy we’d like them to be; mild, hot or X-hot atomic. We played it safe and opted for the mild, with our choice of buffalo sauce.

Served in a small bowl with French fries and ranch sauce on the side, the wings weren’t topped by the sauce, but rather lying on it, resulting in the wings being dry on one side, while soggy on the other. Once we gave the whole thing a good mix, though, the sauce to get the full experience, but once we did it was pure bliss. The sharp, tangy sauce gave the wings tenderness and juicy, while the warm and crispy fries made for a good palate cleanser of sorts.

For our mains, we opted for the Junk Burger (95LE) and the Buffalo Ringer Burger (95LE). Both burgers came with a side of French fries and a small bowl of coleslaw that was similar to KFC coleslaw in that it had an overriding sweetness that worked will with the burgers.

With a juicy, well-cooked 200gm patty topped with BBQ sauce, bacon, American cheese and an onion ring, the Buffalo Ringer Burger boasted a great smoky aftertaste, while the buttery toasted bread added was the finishing touch on an excellent burger.

The Junk Burger, meanwhile, had a little bit of everything, including cheese, an onion ring, chilli and even some fries. Surprisingly, every bite of the sandwich did well to balance the flavours, without any single one overpowering the other.

While the concept of a ‘sports restaurant’ more than makes sense for a city like Cairo, where Buffalo Wings & Rings will really gain popularity is more as a home of comfort food; the flavours are big, the portions are filling and there’s nothing more en vogue in Cairo right now than burgers and wings.