10 best eats in Dahab – Restaurants

Dahab is so full of restaurants, where to find the best eats in Dahab becomes daunting. The street along the beach – the Lighthouse area – is all restaurants and cafes, breakfast, lunch... How to choose one?

It is usually a reliable strategy to choose the busiest. That, of course, assumes that all the customers have worked out which are the best eats in Dahab. However, there is not much difference between most of the restaurants along the water. They very quickly become a blur of sameness.

There are of course, lists such as with Tripadvisor. But I found all the lists had the same restaurants. I like to look at a few different sites, then pull out the names which are repeated, a consensus of places which are thought the best by different people.

The OzzyHopper list of best eats in Dahab is designed to contrast with the other lists. There are too many to try them all, and there are so many good ones. I also love food, and I have maybe been spoilt. Some of the recommended ones I haven’t found amazing.

So these are the ones I’ve come across, the ones which have been recommended to me, and the ones that call me back.

NB: As a rule I post a blog when it is finished. But I’m finding people already asking me for recommendations, so I’m posting it up with continued updates until I have the list complete.

My 10 Best Eats in Dahab – Restaurants

1 Red Sea Relax – Actually, Churchill’s, but it’s through the front gate of Red Sea Relax Resort, and above Red Sea Relax Resort dive shop. Red Sea Relax Resort makes it easy to find. It’s close to the intersecting street, on your right on the way towards the bridge. A bar with open terrace drinking. A good place for the evening.

2 Lemongrass – This is an amazing little Thai restaurant which is very popular. I apologise here - I love Asian food. But this one is seriously delicious. The owners and chefs are 3 brothers. They have made an agreement that each of them gets 3 months of the year for a working holiday, which means exploring food in SE Asia and learning new recipes from the original chefs. Whatever their secret, I have no arguments. Their food is excellent. They also have vegetarian and vegan options. You find them just past Athanor, just a little further up the same street on your right.

3 Nirvana – a place I love to hang for any number of reasons. Their food is one of them. 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.

I think it is only fair at this point to add the restaurant Namaste. I haven’t yet tried it, but I find the opinion divided - either swearing by Nirvana, or swearing by Namaste. This suggests to me that both are good and worth the try. To find Namaste, turn into El Fanar St, but go left past the taxis. It isn’t far, on your right, just past the Mexican.

4 Fresh Fish – run by Jimmy. As with many of the places along the water, this one is attached to a dive school. Like Nirvana, easy access to the water, chill while drying off. They have a pretty decent club sandwich, an excellent Mexican salad, and I love their sahban. It is just past Nirvana on the beach side, just before Red Sea Relax Resort.

5 Athanor – This one is in the Lighthouse area. Go up the street which runs off the beach road, past the Chinese Kitchen and Red Cat Russian. There are quite a few restaurants and eat places in this area, and they’re a little cheaper than along the water. Athanor would be one of the better ones, with great pasta and burgers. I have had some excellent breakfasts, and can recommend the pasta and pizza.

6 Darwish Seafood – For amazing seafood, there is also Darwish Seafood. It is a good walk, or a taxi ride past Asalah (Arse-a-la), but well worth the trek. With a backdrop of a mosque at the edge of town and below the desert hills, it has seating on the street, and great food. You go and choose your fish and how you want it cooked.

Darwish has been so successful that their prices have gone up significantly. I have been told there is another excellent seafood restaurant - some think even better - called Miami. It is on the same street just before you get to Darwish, on the right next to a Sina market and opposite a gmart.

7 Seaweed – This is also up the street off the beach street – El Fanar St. At the split in the road, go to your left. It backs onto Fanar, where the taxis are. It’s a little Japanese one. I’ve found the sushi quite ok, and I’ve been told the noodles are also good.

8 Eel Garden – Walk along the beach road away from the bridge and past El Fanar St, maybe 10 minutes. If you’ve been diving, you will already know about it. A bit past Mirage, it has 2 parts – an Italian pasta part, and Eel Garden View. I’ve been told the pasta is good at the first part, also called Happy Hour, and had the pizza highly recommended by a Sardinian Italian. I had some pasta at the View part, the second half, as well as some grilled chicken in lemon, and found it quite decent.

9 Mexican – on the way to Namaste on El Fanar St. This little spot was very cosy, and the food was good. Especially loved the enchiladas. But be ready for slow service.

10 King Chicken – For a classic Egyptian meal, this one is hard to beat. Head across the bridge, take the fork in front of the big supermarket and you will find it along there, on your right, before you hit the tarred road. BBQ chicken, the Egyptian style rice, beans, maqlouba (the green herb sauce that is uniquely local in these areas), potatoes in tomato, great humus, salad, soups, Egyptian bread… King Chicken is a nearby cheapie that your stomach will love!

10 Red Dragon Kitchen -

Some other places I have been recommended which I am looking forward to try include:

El Primo – I am reliably told that it is owned by 2 brothers, the food is good, but if the younger one is cooking it’s excellent. The chicken fettucine and pastas, and slow cooked BBQ were recommended. It’s just across from Nirnava and Fresh Fish.

Red Cat – Russian, in Lighthouse across from Athanor.

Ali baba – along the beach road towards the bridge, next to Green Valley

Namaste – another Indian restaurant. Views seem to be divided between the Namaste fans and the Nirvana fans. That just tells me I need to try it.

There is also a Lebanese restaurant at Mirage which I need to try

Others mentioned, but not yet tried:

Blue house

Shark

Isfahan tajines

Pescatori Italian

Coral coast burgers

All input welcomed. Do you have a favourite which I haven’t mentioned?

Best Eats in Dahab - Restaurants

Rivoli

Food

Travel

Best Eats in Dahab - Restaurants

Best Eats in Dahab - Breakfast

Rivoli

Food

Travel