Eating Well on the Promenade
Everything on the water looks the same from the outside. It is not.
The seafront in Masbat is a kilometre of cushions, and the menus are near enough identical: fish, pasta, pizza, shisha. The difference is in the kitchen, not the menu.
Fish
Ask what came in today rather than ordering from the photo. Good places will walk you to the ice and show you; the price is by the kilo and 400 to 600 EGP buys enough for two with salads and bread.
Breakfast
Egyptian breakfast — foul, falafel, eggs, bread and salads — is the best value meal in town and takes an hour to eat properly. Most cafés serve it until noon because nobody here is in a hurry.
Coffee and working
Several cafés on the water have real espresso machines and, more importantly, power sockets and a router that survives the evening. Ask before you settle in with a laptop; the ones that welcome it say so.
A word on tips
Ten percent is normal and usually not included. In the small places it goes to the person who cooked your fish.
