Melons for dinner, and I want it deep fried... The Cairo restaurant was known in its past iteration as King Tut's hub, which is this gaudy joint located on the Steinway strip between Broadway and 30th avenue...which I praised many many moons ago for its khoshary and fateer. It changed hands at least three times since...to the point where I am not sure who the owner was, or what they are. So, did any of its formerly good bones make it to this reataurant? Eeeeh, not really. Me and the missus also made the mistake of showing up during Ramadan 2022. For those who are not familiar with how ramadan works in muslim 'hoods, it's a month-long fasting period from sunrise to sunset for those who are physically able, and it's a family/community thing. Either a feast at the local mosque after sundown prayers, or your local eatery will host a joyous meal. A large family will sit down at a restaurant with cups of water (or Vimto) and medjool dates before sundown, and once the timer goes off, you make dua (offer prayer), pass the dates and the drinks around, and then the apps arrive. Then you sit down for a massive meal (usually an all-you-can-eat buffet in most circumstances), and during that time, every seat in nearly every restaurant is filled to the brim with people. Is it rather telling that this place is not all that busy during ramadan, and the table leaving didn't seem to have finished that much food? Well, let's talk about the decor - When this place was Tut's hub it was known for the more "Indiana Jones" like interior, what with sphinxes, pharoah's chairs, waterfall window and all that. At some point the previous owners seemingly piled more stuff on the walls. On my table I have this bas-relief of the goddess Isis where her...bosom were shoved 18 inches onto my shoulder. "hey, free melons for dessert" - my wife was quite the riposte artist. While this is happening someone decided to run the "Egyptian pop" playlist on spotify, except it was so loud that it came out distorted. Ever heard of El Sawareekh's 2020 banger Ekwaty (my brothers)? Yeah, I got some interesting stuff on my Shazam / Apple Music playlist? Normally it sounds just fine in a car stereo or earbuds, but when it's played waaaaaay too loud in a restaurant, the repeated "Ek Qwaaadi" calls came out distorted sounding like "I want it deeeeeeeeeeep fried", and since it was the Zuksh & Shehta Karika remix, it went on waaaay too long - at some point it went from banger to dental drill. So okay, I got tacky concrete boobies taking up my space, and the music is annoying, was there any redeeming features? Well, there's a full service bar and lounge upstairs serving up latin flavors (eeh, during freaking Ramadan?), and they are supposed to serve the Egyptian classics. Let's see, there's khousary, beef tagine, and grilled seafood. It can't be that bad, right? Well, the Khousary was terrible. The chickpeas were undercooked, the pasta is overcooked, the rice was flavorless, the tomato sauce is purely heartburn with not much other flavors to speak of....and I had some good to great khousary in the past. The grilled shrimp with their spicy special sauce was overcooked shrimp with thousand island dressing on the side that had some hot sauce mixed in, and waaaay too much stale tasting fries. The beef tagine tastes like the same tomato sauce from the khousary mixed in with a few pieces of beef grabbed off their grill and barely simmered, served with some plain white rice on the side - it was like a Moroccan Shashouka, except like it came out of a jar. Eeeeh, and somehow that was nearly 100 bucks for this cornucopia of disappointment. Someone once said that it's diffcult to get a table at an Egyptian joint during Ramadan. In this case, I wish that it was impossible. Never again. read more

Great hookah deal in Astoria! Staff is knowledgeable and attentive. Go early to get a good seat, nice spot to start your night with friends.

Cairo Restaurant and Lounge exceeds industry standards. We liked where it's situated and had a fantastic meal. The menu items arrive as expected. Their warm welcome starts positive experiences. The restaurant impresses everyone. read more

The servers here understand what hospitality really means. Their staff makes dining more pleasant. Tasty menu items come with attentive staff interaction. The employees all maintain warm attitudes and offer guidance. This restaurant gets my full praise. read more

Absolutely a beauty everything everything i mean everything and one. Saturday night is a perfect big to come the Dj the waiter the security man i have no complaints and i came alone. I wish i stopped by b4 i been missing out read more

Cairo Restaurant and Lounge - a drink with a straw in it - Egyptian Near Me - Astoria, New York

First thing is that the decor is indeed so striking. I was a bit taken aback that this place is also a hookah bar, but you would never know if you are just on the 1st floor where we are. The place apparently has rotating chefs, and when I went, the 'Egyptian' chef wasn't there and so we couldn't order any of the items on the Egyptian specialties section. I would go back, but would call ahead of time to see if that chef is in. The place also has a lot of Latin dishes interestingly. The 3 of us ordered 3 dishes, but we had plenty of leftovers. Also, the place starts you off with a huge salad and pita bread. - Yuca Arepas appetizer ($14): 2 arepas come out with meat on top; I liked it and would potentially order it again - Mixed Grill ($30): It seems like it came with 3 kinds of meat, all were pretty good. The chicken and beef were both more tender than I expected, and the kofta(?) was good as well. It comes with some carrots and broccolis, as well as a smattering of rice with some sort of sauce on the bottom. There's also 4 additional sauces that they provided. I'd definitely recommend this if you want to try different meats. - Mixed Feteer $25: It's the size of a small pizza, but much more loaded - it was cut into 8 slices but we could almost eat half of it. This was good, but the cheese is so 'American' tasting, I think it was Monterrey Jack. I'd try another Feteer if I ever wanted something like a Calzone. read more

Cairo Restaurant and Lounge - Egyptian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Stopped by this restaurant for Iftar and it was amazing! Food: We got a variety of dishes including the mixed grill, mixed Feteer, hummus, baba ghanouj, lamb shank, sweet Feteer & more! I was so stuffed by the end of the dinner and I'm happy to say that every item was a HIT! I personally recommend trying the mixed Feteer which I thought was excellent and quite unique. Drinks: I tried the lime mint juice and O M G !!! Seriously one of the best drinks I've ever had! Super refreshing and complimented the food! Ambiance: Alright, this place is stunning. There are literally three floors which means that they can accommodate large groups and the third floor is specifically for hookah and the other two floors are family dining areas. I love that they separated the Hookah and the dining area which makes it easier for families to dine in and also accommodates people who want to smoke hookah. Service: The service here is really efficient! No complaints here Will definitely be returning to try more of the Feteer options and the Egyptian sausages! read more

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Came here expecting to catch a vibe...asked the dj for any arabic/Egyptian music, he said he didn't know any lol for a place called Cairo, please at least have one song (or take requests) available...decent hookah tho. read more

The ambiance is nice. The restaurant has really nice interior with Egyptian motifs. The staff is really nice and friendly. I hope they work better on their food though. The food seemed a day old. I tried these and this is how each plate review is: *Molokhia: best I've ever had! Warm fresh and thick as it is supposed to be. *mix Mahshi: Mombar and cabbage. It was good but was not fresh and a little dry. The mix inside was really good though. *Kawarii Fatah: i was really excited about this one until I got it. Traditionally this dish should be full of flavors: garlic, vinegar and rich soup on top of rice and bread mix. The soup was lemony instead and not that rich. So the Fatah tasted very foreign to me. *Sweet Feteer: this was the greatest disappointment I had. The pie was a day old and soggy and it seemed it was heated in the microwave. I was really excited about tasting this and was a HUGE disappointment. Overall the place is OK but I would not say a destination unless they change the food around. read more

Authentic Egyptian Food with an amazing vibe, great Egyptian decor and top notch service. Everything we tried was really good and the customer service was great. Even the hookah was really good. I will definitely be making this a regular spot. read more

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The decor is absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed their Koshery! The staff is very kind and they really help you decide on the dish you want and what you'd like to include. You can't miss it, outside has a beautiful waterfall. read more

Cairo Restaurant and Lounge - a statue of a pharaoh - Egyptian Near Me - Astoria, New York

So glad I came across this place while visiting, I am obsessed! It's not common to find authentic Egyptian food in the US and let me tell you this place just hits all the right spots. Coming from an Egyptian, the food there is authentic and delicious.Also, the decor and overall vibe of the place is pharaonic.It's like you went to Egypt for dinner and back. The portions are huge and the waiters are nice! Service is so quick, the food was out in roughly fifteen minutes. 100% recommend this restaurant! Check it out if you are visiting NY or just craving something new! read more

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Great atmosphere with authentic Egyptian food. All the food is super fresh and prepared daily. The staff are super friendly and hospitable. It's also great for a large group! Highly recommend going to check this place out! read more

Good food and Good vibes. Service is great and music is even better. Beautiful architecture, super great backgrounds for my instagram feed.

As authentic Egyptian food as can be. Staff go out of their way to take care of of us. The food is fresh and delicious. COVID precautions enforced. Highly recommend. Great for parties. read more

I am always hesitant to write negative reviews but this time I have to share absolutely disastrous experience we had in Luxor Feteer. The place just re-open under new name but same location. So we made our reservations and were reassured that all menu items are available. We walked in on time and were seated upstairs where most of the tables weren't cleaned, and had food left overs. We asked the server to wipe it. The place looked dusty and sticky as if not cleaned since opening day. They also serve food with plastic utensils and cups. Not what you'd expect from a restaurant that charges you top bucks for food. And speaking of which it was terrible. Green salad had a rubber band inside. When we called manager he apologized and said that stuff happens and it's a band used for veggies. Needless to say that our appetite was gone, plus one of the entries we ordered were not available, server notified us 30 later. Bottom line, cleanness, service and food were all poor quality. Not a place I'd come back and definitely not to recommend. read more

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First time coming here.. me and my friend were running late to a concert so we decided to do just a few apps .. we did the arepa , the shrimp canastas and the sushi skirt steak omgggggg amazing we also had strawberry mojitos also on the money!! I'm definitely coming back to try an entree.. not sure if he was the owner or manager but he came by our tables twice to make sure we were ok and to check if our food was good. Good vibe good food and service. read more

Cairo Restaurant and Lounge - Shrimp canastas - Egyptian Near Me - Astoria, New York

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Over priced empty appetizers Opens late so they don't have to have happy hour Over priced drinks $5 service fee plus tax on your receipt like they're Uber. My heart told me not to walk in. I'm so annoyed an disappointed I'm disputing this charge on my card because the entire restaurant is FRAUD!!!!!!!!!!! Gross. I truly want the owner to meet me in a boxing ring because I would like to fight for my money back lmao. The disrespect. This place is empty and gross. I'm so upset. Dear owner if you're reading this.... Do better. Your business karma is trash I'm sure. You're raping Astoria with bare garbage in your establishment. read more

We went with my husband and 2 kids. Place is very clean, food is delicious. We had mix of hot and cold Appetizers. For Entrees we had Kaware Fatta, Lamb Fatta as a traditional dish for Eid must have. Kids had lamb chop, and Beef Kofta Kebab. For dessert we had Custard Feteer with Nuts on top. That being said, everything we ate was delicious. Our waitress was very friendly. Recommended. Will go back! read more

i wish i could give zero stars. where do i even start????no free hookah liesss! 180 for a bottle of tito's to get a table minimum.... scam titos handle is thirty dollars. five dollar mandatory coat check. awful vibes! the whole place was a scam after scam.i'm calling the better business bureau on their asses. false advertisement. bitches going up in big ass coats after claiming it was a mandatory coat check. never go here. liars as fuck. read more

1 star for the lovely decor and good looking food they promote. I've never even been here but this is my whole experience with Cairo... I made a reservation over the phone here for my best friends bday brunch. I made it for 1:30pm, the person I spoke to over the phone reassured me my reservation was made. Now before I called, I texted to make the reservation at first. No reply, which is what lead me to call. The person through text stated brunch is open at 2pm, which confused me because the other person I spoke to said 1:30pm was okay??? Their instagram also shows that brunch is open 1-5pm but when you ask them it's 2pm? -_- I called Cairo to clarify the confusion. The person who answered told me that Brunch is over, there is no more brunch and that I don't even have a reservation for next month -_- I triple asked to make sure because it seems no one is on the same page. After that, I started looking for a new place to go to since Apparently brunch is nonexistent here but is being promoted all over instagram. && if brunch was no longer a thing why wasn't I notified?? So strange. I then received a call back from Cairo. The person apologized and stated that brunch is on for sundays and that I have my reservation. This really turned me off and my expectations for this restaurant. I had to wait til 9pm to speak to the manager. I spoke to the manager to only be even more disappointed! They gave me a pity apology, they said the staff is new and wasn't aware of brunch because of a situation that occurred a week ago. This really isn't my problem! I asked them what they can do for me for the inconvenience and they stated that "inflation is high and the business isn't doing well". I went ahead and cancelled my reservation. Just by the managers response I can tell the service will be poor here. This was very frustrating and I will never ever attempt to make another reservation here. No one is on the same page that works here. How does a new worker not know about their weekly brunch? Lol Please take management classes. Learn how to run a business with professionalism and organization! Such an annoying experience. *Reply to Ahmed* I already stated that I've never been here. My review is for the poorly unorganized way my reservation was handled. I gave a star for the decor and the pictures of the food lol So don't try and make yourself look good for the reviews. I cancelled the reservation due to the unapologetic apology I received and the excuses as to why this mixup happened. No one cares for the excuses we care about how will things be made right. I never asked for a discount! That's not how a manager should speak to a potential customer. I specifically asked how you can make the situation right and you weren't capable of doing so. I hope this experience leaves you with better management skills and better comprehension. I can see why business isn't doing so well for you. Have a great night Ahmed. read more

I had the lambs chops and they were amazing. Everything I ate was delicious. Our waitress was very kind and helpful. This place is very recommended and I will go back. read more

I'm only giving 4 stars because of Luis the bar back he was excellent despite the horrible service from the waitress who was the bartender/ waitress he checked on us and made sure we were good HE is the reason we stayed !!! He is the absolute best !!!! read more

the manager was extremely rude , cursing at me at the bathroom , pounding on the door after a few mins of being in there when she wasnt even there waiting when I went . when I got out i was like I wasn't even in there for two mins , she got in my face saying "bi*ch you don't know who I am , wanna fight!? , I'll throw your ass out" super unprofessional , she was sloppy drunk handling peoples money as well at the end of the night messing up on the bill multiple times. there's been multiple complaints about her and the owner refuses to do anything about it. read more

I would not recommend going to this spot!!!! Lemme just start off by saying I as an Egyptian was so disappointed especially when I came all the way from New Jersey to try their food but at the door I couldn't get in because the security guard told me I have to be 21 and also didn't let me in because I was wearing crocs..... what is this a joke?! Never heard of a restaurant requiring you to show I'd to be able to eat!? I would honestly just walk a block down the street and there's so many better Egyptian/Mediterranean food in Steinway... that will let you eat even if you're 10 years old. If you want customers don't kick them out because they're not old enough to eat maybe you guys should change the way you treat your young customers...... read more

Can't say enough good things about this place. The ambiance, the food, the hospitality. The food is delicious. The dessert...two words: nutella pie (my obsession). Take your wives, sisters, mamas, girlfriends... Just go there and have a great time, thank me later! Oh and don't forget to try the hookah :) read more