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I spent two months living in Dahab (the first volunteering at a cat shelter and the second working remotely and scuba diving) during my solo trip to Egypt.
As a dedicated foodie whose life’s passion is sussing out all the best places to eat wherever I am in the world, I’ve worked hard to bring you the ultimate foodie guide to Dahab. Let’s get stuck in…
Read next – best things to do in Dahab
Places for a nice evening meal
When you’re at a loose end hunting for dinner, I suggest…
Happy Hour Restaurant
I avoid 70% of the touristic restaurants on the seafront with minimum spending requirements, but I make an exception for Happy Hour thanks to their huge wood-fired pizzas, my favourite topped with roasted vegetables and a whole ball of mozzarella!
In the daytime, it’s a good spot for beach access, while in the evenings, it’s a classic Italian restaurant.
Another place I’ve enjoyed pizza in Dahab is Sarda (more to come). Mama Mia is another decent spot for Italian food.
Nawaem Restaurant
Nawaem is a restaurant and art gallery that offers a pleasant evening dining experience and can host groups.
I’m not sure exactly what the cuisine type is, but you won’t have trouble finding something you like. The menu focuses on pots, filled with everything from rosemary chicken to okra, lamb and seafood. There’s also pasta, indulgent desserts and loads of kombucha flavours.
Seafood at Darwish or Miami
Seafood fans can eat at either of these two locations, just a few minutes’ walk apart. Both are no-frills restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating, focusing on quality seafood.
It’s best to dine with a group and share dishes such as fish, shrimps, calamari and crab. Expect to pay around €10 when sharing a bunch of dishes with a group.
Don’t visit when you’re already starving; there’s often an hour’s wait. I suggest ordering as soon as you arrive at either Darwish or Miami. I’ve eaten at both multiple times and can’t decide which I prefer.
Other places I’ve eaten tasty seafood in Dahab include Chef Regab and Blue Boat (though I didn’t love the heavy sauces at the latter).
Seaduction
For a nice sit-down restaurant in Dahab, you can try Seaduction. I went here for my birthday and had seafood pasta. It was nice, but I think the makloubeh (a Lebanese dish served upside down with rice, nuts, and meat, fish or veg) and fattah (an Egyptian dish with fried pita and yoghurt) are better.
Zanooba
This cosy restaurant is all about slow cooking, and the fiery dishes that come to your table are a sight to behold.
The slow-pot dishes must be ordered via WhatsApp by 1pm for the evening ahead, but they’re worth being organised for. There’s also a walk-in menu available, although I think the slow-pot dishes are the highlight.
We dined as a group so I tried a few of the dishes at Zanooba. The lamb and beef offer the most flavour when slow-cooked, but there are also squid, chicken and veggie options. I ordered a coconut milk veggie one but felt it needed a more generous serving of chickpeas to feel substantial.
It’s one of the pricier places to eat in Dahab with prices quoted in Euros and dishes costing up to €18.
Shanti Cafe
This cafe has one of the nicest seating areas (outdoor patio space and an indoor area for laptop workers) and a large menu of brunch and Italian dishes.
I’m always surprised at the affordability, with smoked salmon dishes starting at 220 EGP. If they had bakery-style bread, Shanti would probably be my favourite brunch spot in Dahab!
They’re open in the evenings, too. I had delicious shrimp ravioli, although I could have done with a slightly bigger portion.
Namaste (Indian)
As a Brit, my vice when abroad is a decent curry. At Namaste, you can’t beat the butter chicken with a side of dal makhani (black lentils) and a garlic naan.
They also offer delivery by WhatsApp. After getting back from a weekend of hiking, I was thrilled at how quickly it came.
Cheap eats / Egyptian food in Dahab
Generally, I don’t think there are great places for Egyptian food in Dahab, compared to the many restaurants I visited in Cairo and other cities. One option is the Thursday and Sunday Amanda Market where locals sell tasty homemade fare.
You can also try…
Falafel at Asala Square
Whenever I want a quick lunch (or any meal, as it’s open 24 hours), I head straight to Asala Square, where you’ll also find most of the grocery stores and fruit vendors. This stand is in the corner, a couple of doors down from Cafe 11:11.
Falafel sandwiches served with fried aubergine, salad, spicy sauce and fries cost just 25 EGP (around £0.30 / €0.40). One makes a decent snack, while two will suffice for a whole meal.
Once, after a big hike, a group of us dined in, ordering a range of plates from falafel to white cheese dip with tomatoes and cucumbers. We paid around 60 EGP per person for an absolute feast! But it’s not the most atmospheric place to eat in Dahab, so I usually get my sandwiches to-go.
At night, they play movies on a screen outside where locals congregate to smoke shisha and drink tea. Eating my falafel while watching King Kong was an experience I won’t forget!
Princess
I debated including Princess as I’m pretty sure I got food poisoning from the koshari. However, everyone else I know seems to have had positive experiences here.
It’s a cosy, family-run restaurant serving homemade, affordable Egyptian food like mahshi and lentil soup (plus a few veggie dishes like tempeh stir fry).
Give these dishes a try but, for koshari, it’s best to visit a dedicated restaurant where you know the ingredients haven’t been sitting around too long. Just a couple of metres away is Kosari Station on Asala Square where you can try the Egyptian national dish of pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, tomato sauce and crispy onions.
Brunch and coffee in Dahab
My vice…
Vallee
This is one of my favourite seafront cafes where you can relax beside the water on a colourful bean bag, usually accompanied by a resident pet.
I always order the smoked salmon toast with scrambled eggs, avocado, fried potatoes, halloumi, salad, olives and dates. At 350 EGP, it’s a bargain that will keep you full for hours. It’s just a shame they don’t use bakery-style bread.
The coffee is decent at Vallee, too. Follow their Instagram to see the schedule for their outdoor movie nights. Pay just 200 EGP to watch two back-to-back movies!
Sarda
At the end of town towards the footpath to the panoramic viewpoint, you’ll find one of my favourite cafes, Sarda.
The coffee is excellent, usually served with a side of dates. I’ve also eaten here a few times for Egyptian breakfast and wood-fired pizza. It’s all been great, and prices are reasonable.
All the seating faces the sea so it’s a lovely place to relax. You can even leave your stuff in the cafe and go for a dip. When the weather’s bad, it’s an excellent place to watch windsurfers.
Ralph’s German Bakery
I don’t often eat at Ralph’s because the food is a bit meaty for my liking, but they’re renowned for their hot and cold sandwiches and big breakfast dishes. However, I do make a regular pilgrimage to the Asala Square bakery for their almond croissants! The only ones I’ve found in Dahab.
Schonnemans
With huge portions of reasonably-priced food, this is my go-to. My favourite dishes are the avocado toast with scrambled eggs and beet hummus, and the ‘keto’ breakfast with brie and blue cheese, eggs, avocado and beet hummus (I add some bread, though).
Many of the packages let you upgrade to include a coffee for just 50 EGP. They also do European-inspired lunch dishes like savoury pancakes and tortillas.
Schonnemans is also probably the best place to work with a laptop in Dahab because the Wi-Fi is decent and the chairs have backs.
It’s also one of the few cafes to serve fresh bakery-style bread rather than the shop-bought variety.
The coffee is decent but I prefer Coffee Wheel just across the road, a chilled cafe with sea views, no minimum spend, no Wi-Fi and some of the best quality coffee in Dahab!
Coffee and Cotton
The only coffee shop in Dahab that would be at home in a global city with a modern, minimalist vibe and pro latte art. Probably the best matcha in Egypt.
I love the smoked salmon pancakes and the huge shakshuka platters.
Some people work at Coffee & Cotton with laptops, but they give you a voucher so you can just use it for an hour at a time.
Cafe del Sur
I think this is the hands-down best coffee in Dahab, where I buy ground beans to use at home. There are two cafes a few doors apart on the main road from Asala Square. One is simpler, while the other serves food and iced drinks.
Tim’s Munch
This rooftop cafe has huge portions and a relaxed vibe. The savoury French toast with omelette and fresh mushrooms only cost me 200 EGP and I was stuffed for hours!
Tim’s serves both Egyptian and international dishes. I’m keen to try the pancakes.
The Wi-Fi works but the chairs aren’t really suited to working, and it’s just too chill an environment to think about work, honestly!
Cafe 11:11 Avenue
This is a cute cafe that’s always busy, located beside Asala Square.
I love the ‘shrimps and scrambled’ egg dish with a side of dolma and hummus. However, I’ve tried a few other dishes and thought they were just ok. The pancake portions are small, and the healthy lunch and dinner bowls aren’t substantial enough to fill me up.
Still, the coffee is great at 11:11, and they have other fun drinks like matcha, kombucha and milkshakes. I like the avocado one. The sourdough also deserves a mention.
I see people working here, but I’ve never been able to get the Wi-Fi to connect.
Flat White
In terms of the coffee quality alone, this might be my second-favourite spot after Cafe del Sur. The original cafe is on Mashraba next to the popular Everyday Cafe (which has a great rooftop terrace but not great coffee compared to Flat White, in my opinion).
They recently opened a newer cafe towards Eel Garden with more space and sea access. You could easily spend half a day relaxing here, hence it has a minimum spend like many cafes in this area.
Thanks for reading!
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