I went with local friends we had the mezza, which is an assortment of around eight dishes of dips, baba ganoush, tahnia, local salads, fried vegetable puffs, and more. Try the falafel and shish tawek (grilled chicken). Kebabs are a must. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! A must is the local "lemon" juice made fresh from local limes. Wow, you'll never want to drink anything else. The Egyptians have a special dish called Moulaheia, which is a slimy green vegetable, but don't let that put you off -- it is delicious and served with rice and shar-ay-ya, a thin, fried pasta that gives the rice a great look and taste. There are many desserts, too. Mala-bay-ya is the most refreshing-- t’s a type of tapioca, but creamy.

You'll just have to go and try it!! Behena-wa-shefa, or bon appetit!

The taamiyya is what you may know better as falafel, with meat and vegetarian options. I tried both and they are freshly prepared and really delicious. These are dirt-cheap when made by sidewalk vendors, but the prices at Felfela are reasonable considering that you are dining at a sit-down restaurant. The kushari struck me as an Egyptian version of chop suey, with a mishmash of ingredients. The vegetable casserole is like a thick, hearty vegetable soup. The lamb stew is pretty good too.

The favorite dessert amongst us was the bowl of ice cream, with a rainbow of several fruit flavors with a sprinkling of raisins. Cool and delicious! We had the ice cream time and time again. The "om aly" is like a bowl of granola with raisins, swishing in creamy milk. This was subtly sweet, but it did not quite measure up to the ice cream.

Felfela Cafe (Alexandria Desert Road in Giza) serves a similar quality of food, though this one is plagued (as is the rest of Giza) by the presence of annoying mosquitoes. I seemed to get several mosquito bites on my legs during my meal here, although I did enjoy the partial view of the Pyramids looming across the street. Do not confuse this place with Felfela Village, some amusement complex that features animals, dancers and whatnot.

One thing to note at Egyptian restaurants in general is that the service is very casual and relaxed. In other words, you will not get your food served quickly a la Bennigan's. This is not necessarily a fault of the restaurants, but more of a reflection of the Egyptian attitude towards enjoying a relaxing dinner out on the town. So if you are in a real hurry, do not go to Felfela but go for a fast food outlet or outdoor food stand. Otherwise, take a load off and enjoy a solid meal at Felfela.