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

Image credit: Nour El Refai

A new mall in New Cairo, Garden 8, just opened up a few months ago, and they’ve brought all your favourite restaurants from 6^th of October City and Zamalek (you know, the ones you were too lazy to drive to) to New Cairo. One restaurant that caught our eye, which is new to the food scene, is Otto.

Otto is a refined Italian restaurant that serves both exquisite ambience and food. You know the saying, “You learn something new every day”? Well, the restaurant is Italian, so it makes sense that “Otto” translates to “8”, so there you go! The restaurant is edgy yet classy. Its location at Garden 8 is right behind Waterway 2, and it’s not hard to miss. You walk through to the other side of the mall, and there you’ll find it with all of its architectural designs and beautiful lights.

Image credit: Otto

Wherever you go, appetisers are a must, and the options were so good that we were indecisive as to what to pick, but we opted for the Carpaccio Di Manzo (210 LE); thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin with porcini mushrooms, garlic, and arugula sauce. The dish was presented beautifully, and the beef was perfectly fresh, but we weren’t a fan of the porcini garlic sauce. Other than that, it tasted great! They also provide a complimentary assortment of fresh, herby Italian bread for you to drizzle with olive oil or balsamic vinegar, with a side of Kalamata olives and pickled jalapeños.

Rigatoni Octopus. Image credit: Otto

Moving on to the main course, we had the Pollo Parmigiana (235 LE) and Rigatoni Octopus (185 LE). As for the beverages, we had a Pepsi (25 LE) and a cocktail called Lychee Fresco (45 LE). It’s a combination of lychee and passion fruit juice with lemon and mint, topped with the spritzy sensation of soda.

The Semifreddo Al Pistachio (125 LE), a famous summer Italian dessert, was recommended to us by the waiter. Maybe we’ll try it next time!

Overall, we left the restaurant full and happy. The ambience of the restaurant was very picturesque and grand with inviting food, and the service was splendid. As you can tell, the restaurant is a little expensive, but we guarantee that it is worth the price tag.

Follow Otto on Instagram.