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

Mall of
Arabia in 6th of October City has very quickly established itself as
a major player in Cairo’s obsession with shopping. Full of international
brands, cafés and restaurants, the mall attracts Cairenes from near and far.

On the left
side of the food court, Tako Hut’s dark red signage stands out. Its menu is a
bit limited, but includes everything you’d expect from Mexican fast food;
burritos, tacos, fajitas and nachos. Side dishes on offer include fries, mashed
potatoes, onion rings and the interesting chilli soup and taco salad.

The steak
options were not available at the time of our visit, so we had to settle for
the chicken versions of the taco and the burrito (21LE each). The first thing of note is that everything we
ate from Tako Hut was absurdly spicy, including the mashed potato (23LE), which
had chilli and pickled olives in it. Nonetheless, it was actually pretty good,
as was the chicken taco, although it’s a mess waiting to happen as you eat it
from the wrapper.

We thought
we could put out the fire with the taco salad (16LE) but found that it was also
very spicy with its combination of sour cream, pickled olives, green peppers and
chilli sauce. Apart from a slight excess of peppers, the salad was otherwise very
fresh and tasty.

Combo meals
are also offered, including the tex-mex sandwich with fries and a soft drink
for 28LE, as well as a kid’s meal for 13LE, which offers you the choice of a
chicken burger or chicken nuggets with fries and a soft drink. Also on offer is
the Tako Hut family meal: two chicken tacos, two chicken burritos, two macho nachos,
two large portions of fries and four soft drinks. That will set you back 87LE.
They also offer catering for events and parties should you want it.

The food at
Tako Hut is definitely not for the faint of heart; you need a bit of an iron
tongue to stomach it. The fact that the fast food chain has almost thirty
branches around Saudi Arabia means they’re doing something right. If you love
spicy food, then Tako Hut provides the perfect dose of Mexican fast food.