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

Restaurants
Fatburger

Fatburger: American Fast-Food Chain at Citystars

reviewed by
Beki Taylor
your rating
review it
Fatburger: American Fast-Food Chain at Citystars

There seems to be an ongoing competition in Cairo of who can produce the most impressive hamburgers. Since 1952, international fast food chain, Fatburger has prided itself on making the biggest, freshest, juiciest, meat creations and has even been voted ‘best burger’ in several countries. Resembling a retro American diner, their branch on the fifth floor of Citystars certainly stands out; boasting bright reds and yellows with a black and white chequered floor, Cairo’s own outlet is difficult to miss.

Being a fast-food restaurant, table service is strictly off limits; instead, orders are taken by the copious amount of staff behind a long, till counter. Of course, the menu focuses on burgers and offers the choice of beef (39LE), chicken (35LE), veggie (45LE), turkey (40LE), a mushroom Swiss (47LE) or the BBQ burger (47LE). The iconic beef ‘Fatburger’ comes in different sizes; single (39LE), double (49LE), triple (59LE) and quadruple – also known as the ‘King Fatburger’. Eggs, beef bacon, cheese, chilli, jalapeno and mushrooms can be added as extras (5LE-7LE/each).

If you don’t fancy one of Fatburger’s famous meat patties – or even if you do – sides include Fat Fries (13LE), Skinny Fries (13LE), chicken nuggets (21LE), strips (25LE) and popcorn (21LE), hotdogs (21LE), chilli dogs (26LE), Fat Wings (25LE) and Fat Salad (26LE).

We went for one Double Fat Burger (49LE) with Fat Fries (13LE), a hotdog (21LE) with Skinny Fries (13LE) and some chicken strips (25LE). Much to our amusement, after ordering each item, the waiter barked it back at us, which was then followed by a loud echo from all the other workers. This happened with every item, without fail, so if you’re easily embarrassed, we’d get somebody else to do the ordering!

Predictably, drinks are limited to sodas (14LE) and lemonade (21LE), but, doubling as dessert, real ice-cream shakes (27LE) come in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours as well as strawberry and banana, and cookies and ice-cream combos. We went for a classic vanilla (27LE) and were served a large, delicious, albeit slightly sickly, thick and creamy milkshake.  

The Double Fat Burger was huge, with two thick, juicy patties sitting on top of each other, between a soft white bun and fresh salad bits. Although the burger was slightly greasy as expected, it was much more delectable than similar fast-food joints. The hotdog followed suit and was made of moist, good-quality meat, seasoned with subtle spices and encased in a soft, lightly toasted bun. Our chicken strips were crispy, succulent and generously sized whilst both the Fat (thick cut) and Skinny fries were deliciously golden, fried in cholesterol-free oil.

Fatburger has an element of fun and offers better quality meat than most, as well as some tasty sides. Ultimately, though, it is a fast-food restaurant, complete with that obligatory element of grease.

360 Tip

Fatburger Egypt's official Facebook page is rather amusing - if you're into burger facts.

Best Bit

The thick-cut Fat Fries were excellent.

Worst Bit

The burgers themselves are quite greasy.

Write your review

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

recommended