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

Located on the lively Road 9 in Maadi, Wienerwald has been franchised all the way from Germany. The newly opened restaurant boasts a large outdoor seating area, shaded by a traditional, green and white canopy. The interior décor is contemporary and fresh, with pale wood furniture and green accents reflecting the natural greenery of Germany.

Wienerwald specialises in rotisserie chicken dishes – a little confusing considering a ‘wiener’ is usually a type of German sausage. When the company was first founded in 1955, poultry dishes were regarded as a delicacy; to this day, they stress the importance of fresh, quality ingredients. We eyed the large, cooked, rotating chickens – all of which are Halal – in the ovens behind the colourful salad bar and picked up a menu to mull over our choices.

Along with whole and half rotisserie chickens, chicken wings, hendl drums – effectively rotisserie chicken drum sticks – burgers, wraps, a selection of Bavarian specialities and salads are also on offer. Like any fast food joint, their drinks menu is largely limited to sodas (5.45LE) and mineral (3.45LE) or sparkling water (7.95LE), but you can also grab a tea for just 6.45LE. A kids meal is also available for 19.95LE.

We decided on a rotisserie chicken meal – half a chicken with eight herbs and butter sauce (38.95LE) with our choice of one side: creamy potato salad. We also went for a Schnitzel, served with French fries (32.45LE). As the salads on the menu lacked descriptions we made our own using four ingredients (14.95LE); cabbage with vinaigrette, tomato and cucumber, potato salad and cold chicken with sweet chilli sauce. Once our order was complete, the cashier handed us a small machine that vibrates when the meal is ready to collect from the counter, which it did, within a few minutes.  

The most impressive and delectable dish, however, was the chicken. Roasted to golden-brown perfection, it oozed sweet, buttery yumminess with every bite. Although the potato salad side was tasty, we asked the waiter to heat it, just to satisfy our own personal preference.