Abu Tarek, Cairo
Cairo's celebrated kushari counter, where one dish done impeccably (lentils, chickpeas, tomato, rice, noodles) makes every decision beautifully simple.
There is a strong argument that the smaller a restaurant’s menu, the better its food. Abu Tarek proves this argument correct with a menu of precisely one item.
Kushari is Egypt’s great communal dish: a naturally vegan combination of lentils, chickpeas, tomato sauce, caramelised onions, and a tangle of rice and noodles that is simultaneously humble and deeply satisfying. Abu Tarek’s version is among Cairo’s most celebrated, served fast and with the confidence of a kitchen that has spent decades perfecting a single production.
The decision required of each diner is admirably minimal: large or small. Nothing else needs consideration. The food arrives quickly, is consumed enthusiastically, and takes care of most of the nutritional requirements a traveller in Cairo might have from a single sitting. That the dish also happens to be entirely plant-based (by tradition rather than design) makes it a notable find for those eating carefully while travelling in Egypt.
The restaurant itself is direct and unpretentious: the kind of place that is famous not because it has worked at being famous, but because it is simply very good at the one thing it does. The queue outside at lunchtime tells the essential story.
Abu Tarek is a Cairo institution. Visit it not as a detour from the temples and markets, but as a destination of equivalent weight. Sometimes the most compelling thing in a great city is a single dish, executed daily, without variation.
