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

Gigi Burger Bar was one of the pioneers of casual bar hangouts in Sheikh Zayed. Before all those nightlife bars, restaurants, and clubs, it has always been the place to be. The unique thing about Gigi Burger Bar is that it caters a different mood than the usual bar; it’s casual yet slightly chic. You could go there for a business outing, a date, a gathering, or even a night out – offering great food is a huge plus.

As we entered, we could feel the cosy yet lively vibe; people sitting at the bar, the high tables, the lounges, and even outside. The place was packed, even though it was Monday night – that alone is a good sign. It was cold, but the heaters kept us warm. We got the menus and began to skim through them. Even though Gigi Burger Bar is technically a burger bar, we decided to try other things that are available, to get a deeper taste of the menu. We started by getting two cocktails; they are not on the menu, so you need to ask the staff or the bartender for the selections – but the place almost has everything. First, we got a Mojito (200LE) – white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint; it was a great Mojito, but just a little bit heavy on the alcohol. That is usually a good thing, but it was so strong that we asked for more sugar syrup to balance it out. The second cocktail was a Sex on the Beach (200LE) – classically it’s vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice, but this one had syrup instead of cranberry juice. That didn’t affect the taste; it was fresh, yummy, and balanced.

We decided to get an appetiser to share, so we opted for the Potato Skins with Cheddar Sauce and Beef Bacon (75LE) – it was perfectly crispy, and creamy from the inside; the cheese sauce was simply delicious. Since it is a bar, we thought it was best to try a regular dish one would order at a bar, that’s why our first choice for a main course was the Quesadilla (110LE) – tortilla with chicken, peppers, cheddar, and a cream cheese dip. It was an overall successful dish; the chicken was tender, the seasoning was on point, the tortilla was toasted, and the cream cheese dip was of excellent quality. For our last dish, we opted for the Tuna Fillet (260LE) – grilled tuna fillet with hot pepper chutney, pickled ginger, bok choy, and a lemongrass beurre blanc, as per the menu. The tuna fillet was flawlessly cooked, but there were some issues with that dish. The hot pepper was a glaze, not chutney, there was no bok choy, and the beurre blanc sauce was more wasabi than lemongrass. The glaze was tasty, but the wasabi beurre blanc had a peculiar taste – it wasn’t bad, more out of place. On the bright side, the side salad was beautifully presented, tasted fresh, and had a delicious tangy dressing.

For our last round of cocktails, we got one Dirty Martini (200LE) – vodka, dry vermouth, olive brine, and olives. This is a mix only for olive lovers; however, this one came too heavy on the brine, and we couldn’t taste the alcohol. The second time around, it came perfectly balanced alongside one deliciously boozy Long Island Ice-tea (200LE) – vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola.

All in all, our experience at Gigi Burger Bar was amazing by all definitions. The food and service were great, and even the few tiny comments we had, the staff fixed that with two complimentary shots in the end – very courteous and helpful on their end. Gigi Burger Bar will remain the place to be because of its excellent quality control and unique atmosphere.