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

It's always interesting when successful restaurants on the eclectic Cairo dining scene branch out and expand into new areas of the city and Burger Factory have done just that, now offering their popular burgers in New Cairo's Downtown Katameya Mall. But this is no ordinary 'expansion'. A split between the founders has bred a split in the brand, meaning that this new branch and the Zamalek branch are essentially unrelated.

Concept-wise, the casual eatery have held on to their signature laid back ambiance with bright coloured metal chairs, street art wallpaper and a musically on-point Pink Floyd playlist in the background.

Our waiter greeted us at the semi-outdoor entrance and led us to an immaculate table with a handful of menus and cutlery already neatly placed atop it. Burger Factory’s menu is quite simple, with the restaurant offering a handful of tasty burgers, the most eye-catching of which were the Cowboy, the Frenchman, as well as the only vegetarian option, the Mushroom Veggie. Apart from burgers, Burger Factory offers a few salads and appetisers, alongside an array of delicious sounding desserts and shakes. Some items, however, including the Moroccan Burger that’s offered in the Zamalek branch, were not included  on the menu.

Readily waiting nearby, our waiter quickly jotted down our order, making a few suggestions to help us out in picking the best options, though the food then took about thirty minutes to arrive.

All the burgers arrived on tin trays instead of plates – a quirky trademark of the venue – and all boasted well-toasted buns that were a tad oversized for the comparatively smaller beef patties.  The Cowboy (41.99LE) – which consisted of a beef patty topped with smoked beef, cheese and fried onion rings drenched in BBQ sauce – was, to say the least, ridiculously decadent. The patty itself was cooked and well seasoned – praise that can applied to the second burger. The Burger Factory No Cheese (36.99LE) was quite delicious, with the signature Burger Factory sauce, made mainly of mayonnaise, garlic and pickles elevating its already lip-smacking taste. Both burgers came with a side of French fries which were, admittedly, quite inadequate in size, but were crisp and delicious nonetheless.

Wanting to end the meal on a sweet note, we opted for some dessert and ordered the Chocolate Fondant (29.99LE) and the Oreo Shake (24.99LE), both of which arrived quite swiftly. The former came in a smaller than expected size, yet the cake itself was filled with melted chocolate and tasted sinfully sumptuous, as did the scoop of vanilla ice cream that accompanied it; we contemplated ordering a second helping. The latter was creamy, sweet and filled with Oreo chunks, making for a flawless milkshake.

All in all, Burger Factory lived up to expectations in terms of food quality and service. A few tweaks, however, can be made in the proportion of the beef patty to the bread buns, and perhaps a few favourites from the original branch’s menu can be added.