Best Eats in Dahab - Breakfast
10 Best Eats in Dahab – for Breakfast
Dahab is full of restaurants, and finding a decent breakfast place seems to be even more challenging. I love a good English breakfast, but the options seem to all include a ratatouille type mush of vegetables which I find oily and uninspiring. So what are the options for the best eats in Dahab for breakfast?
Your choices include the Egyptian breakfast, English breakfast, American breakfast with pancakes or French toast, and some other varieties.
So what is a typical Egyptian breakfast?
The basis is foul - pronounced fool - which is a dip of fava beans roughly mashed, loaded with garlic and other spices. If you are a westerner like me who shies off beans because they’re usually a boring ‘health’ option, let go of your reservations. This part of the world is gourmet with beans, chick peas, and lentils. You are in for a great range of foods to explore.
So besides foul for breakfast, what else are options in an Egyptian breakfast?
Foul - fava bean dip or filling for a sandwich (pocket bread)
Falafels - split peas mixed with herbs into a small ball and deepfried
Aubergines or eggplants - fried with spices
Cheese - typical of the region, a soft white cheese
Eggs - generally hard boiled, but could also be a scramble or an omelette
Pickles - mostly carrots, radish and chillies
Salad - typically lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers, in beautiful fresh colours, or sliced cabbage
bread - the lovely pocket bread of Egypt
Here is my list of the best eats in Dahab that have been recommended to me and I have tried. Can I say you would be a fool not to try foul and an Egyptian breakfast…
NB: As a rule, I post a blog when it is finished. But people are already asking me for recommendations, so I’m posting it up with continued updates until I have the list complete.
The Cairo Pharoah, theatre actor breakfasting in Dahab
My 10 Best Eats Dahab - Breakfast
1 The German Bakery – So far I’ve only tried a few, but I’m ready to put this right at the top of my list without question. You find it by taking the intersection past the taxis to El Fanar St. The German Bakery is on your left just past them. It has an amazing looking range of pastries for the continental breakfasters. There are a variety of sandwiches – I had an egg and bacon one which totally satisfied, with some chips and a small salad of peppers and lettuce. But I was already won over by the size of the cappuccino!
Ralph’s German Bakery
Egg and bacon sandwich with a great cappuccino of decent size. I ate the chips before I remembered to take the photo.
2 Athanor – This has often been recommended, and today I found out why. With a great range of breakfast options, not only good food, but good prices. There were a variety of egg breakfasts, as well as some without. From the Lighthouse intersection, head along the street which runs past Red Cat and the Chinese Kitchen and behind all the beach cafes. It is just past Red Cat on the other side of the street.
Athanor egg and bacon breakfast for 110 Egp at this point, about $1. Without the bacon, their egg breakfast is just 55 egp.
3 Fresh Fish – This one has a superb Egyptian breakfast. With brilliant green falafels from the herbs in them, humus, amazing Egyptian bread with black sesame seeds, a small salad with a splash of the fresh red tomatoes, and some scrambled egg with its lovely yellow contrast, the meal is a feast for the eyes, and even better with the eating. Take a dip in the crystal clear sea, dry off over an excellent breakfast. There are worse ways of starting your day. Fresh Fish is run by Jimmy. As with many of the places along the water, this one is attached to a dive school. It is just past Nirvana on the beach side, just before Red Sea Relax Resort.
The excellent Egyptian breakfast at Fresh Fish
4 Nirvana – A place I love to hang for any number of reasons. Their food is one of them. You can have a breakfast with a difference. They have Indian food, and it’s good food. Everything from an Indian breakfast through to a great range of Indian dishes, with bread or rice. I also really enjoy their Indian spiced chai. It is right on the water, just 2 shops along from the intersection.
5 Abu Ahmed – This is your classic Egyptian eatery, this time with the prices to match. It has your typical breakfast and snacks – foul (said fool, a course fava bean dip), eggs, salad, falafels – your choice of foods in a pocket. Not just a breakfast place, but open all day, also with a range of dips. This one is up El Fanar St. Go to your left – it is on your right just before the taxis.
Omelette, foul, tahina, falafels, salad and chips - the Egyptian breakfast of champions
2 champions from Cairo, bread as spoons you can eat
6 Tim’s munch – a recommendation, especially for a very elaborate and huge spread on its two specialities – the Egyptian breakfast, and the American breakfast. They are highly recommended, though be warned. They are huge breakfasts – you are doing well to finish them. But they will keep you going for the day. Other options include pancakes, French toast, and shakshuka. From the intersection head back towards the bridge along the beach road. It is just before the Shark Restaurant, on your right and upstairs above the dive shop. It has a nice terrace view looking over the sea.
Shakshuka at Tim’s Munch
7 Bayside – sought after by homesick Americans, this has a great range of familiar foods – pancakes, muesli and yoghurt bowls, Egyptian breakfasts. This one is just past Nirvana on your right, easy name and label.
8 Mahalawy – This is a great juice shop. I regularly get one of their juice cups – a mix of mango, yoghurt and strawberry, filled with pieces of fruit. They also have some very basic breakfasts of hard boiled eggs etc.
The Mahalawy fruit juice shop with an invitation that can’t be ignored
Three I haven’t yet tried but which get regularly recommended are:
Breakfast cafe
Every Day Café, and Flat White - just across the bridge on your left next to each other
Planet Divers - just past Fresh Fish, with a menu which looks very good.