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

What we really love about Italian cuisine is that it pleases everyone’s taste buds. But as much as it might seem like a safe choice, in Cairo it just doesn’t meet expectations of a authentic version of the cuisine – which was the case with our experience with Oliveto. 

Located inside Westown Hub, the interior of the spacious indoor area gives the restaurant a cosy and charming ambiance thanks to the touches of wood, red brick walling and the huge chalkboard on the wall with messages like “our pizza is made by Italian secret ingredients”. While the yellow and grey seats are overlooking the huge open kitchen which is mainly used for making pizza and drinks, there’s also an outdoor area overlooking the Westown Hub stage, which makes it a perfect spot for events. 

While checking the menu, the waiter came with a complimentary bread basket with three dips. Unfortunately, the bread wasn’t fresh and reheated to the point that it was very chewy.

Ignoring the bread basket, we opted for a Tutto Bianco Pizza (66LE); a white pizza topped with mascarpone, smoked ricotta, mozzarella, roasted chilli, sausage and salami, and served with a bowl of a chunky blue cheese dip. Although we loved how the dough was very thin and had a great texture, the toppings didn’t have as remarkable a flavour combination as you’d think; we didn’t feel the presence of the smoked ricotta, mascarpone or roasted chilli, leaving the sausage – which was actually hotdog – and salami the only sources of flavour.

Moving to the mains, we opted for Pollo Parmesan (72LE) and Herb Crusted Wild Salmon (129LE). Served with perfectly cooked spaghetti that was tossed in an unfortunately bland tomato sauce, the chicken parmesan was tender and topped with a lot of melted mozzarella that actually overshadowed the parmesan cheese. However, the dish was missing Italian herbs and seasoning which is the key to a good chicken parmesan dish. It just felt too much like a hearty homemade dish.

 
As for the salmon, it was topped with a crust that consisted of a mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and herbs. Unfortunately, the salmon was dry and, once again, lacked seasoning and flavours. Surprisingly, the salmon was served with well-seasoned and creamy mushroom risotto alongside a bowl of marinara sauce that left us very confused, so we just pretended it didn’t exist.

 We were hoping that dessert would save the day, but only the Cheesecake Jar was available at the time of our visit and it, too, disappointed. The dessert was overly sweet, the texture was similar to over-whipped cream and the consistency of the berry syrup was watery.  
 
To sum it all up, we had higher expectations for Oliveto; but the food lacked authentic Italian flavours and had one too many flaws, even though we were the only diners at the time of our visit. On the other hand, it’s a cool place for a casual hangout and the service is good and fast.