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

Simply Potatoes is a new little addition the Cairo restaurant scene with plenty to offer – as long as it’s potatoes. Tucked away in a corner off Brazil Street in Zamalek, the venue is small but elegantly furnished with simple white stools and a bench, along with a jolly, colourful staircase. The menu, laid out behind the counter, is a tasteful example of graphic design; clear and conservative in its use of colours which tends to be a rarity in Cairo.

At the time of our visit, a keen staff member advised us on what to order from the spectacular choices. We were guided into filling mandatory baked potatoes with chilli con carne (28LE), a cheese burger (30LE), sour cream and bacon mix (26LE) and even Buffalo wings (28LE). Aside from the restaurants signature dishes, the option of create your own is also available.

Before the potatoes arrived, we indulged in a serving of homemade chips (15LE); crunchy, thinly cut potatoes, sprinkled with flavourful Asian spices and served with a creamy harissa dip. While tasting great, the dip was squeezed into a small plastic tub which made it difficult to dip the generously sized chips.

The kitchen at Simply Potatoes is impressively fast and before we’d managed to consume the share of chips, our baked potatoes were served steaming in cardboard boxes.

Despite the barbeque sauce being too sweet and tasting like ketchup, the Buffalo wings and starchy potato proved to be an excellent combination. The chilli con carne was a magnificent mix of ground beef, sour cream, herbs and Tabasco sauce, though the sour cream and bacon combination was decidedly average as the bacon lacked a strong flavour. The one that topped the roster, however, was the cheese burger. The soft potato was filled with five small patties, covered in a spatter of sour cream and a delectable ‘special sauce.’ The beef had an intense smoky flavour and its texture with the potato was delightful.

From their sweet selection, we were unable to resist a sweet potato with Nutella spread, walnuts and Häagen-Dazs ice cream (57LE). Hot, and lined with a thick layer of Nutella, the sweet potato was a pleasant contrast to the cold vanilla ice cream that melted almost instantly. 

Simply Potatoes offer fantastic variations of the traditional baked potato; however, with small portion sizes the restaurant is likely to give your pocket a bit of a squeeze.