10 Best Rooftop Bars in Cairo, Egypt

Who doesn’t love to sit outside with a drink when the weather is nice, especially when you’re high up enough above the city to catch a breeze?

Cairo may be congested and chaotic at ground level, but up on a rooftop it’s a completely different story.

You may also like: 7 Best Nile View Restaurants in Cairo

So in no particular order, we give you some of our favorite rooftop bars in Cairo.

Estro

Location: Maadi

Also known as the ‘Sicilian Rooftop’, this restobar is found on the 9th floor of the Royal Maadi Hotel. Opened by the same owners of Frank &Co, Maadi’s favorite tapas bar, Estro offers up Italian food with a view (especially if you go before sunset). Reservations needed.

Local tip: on especially clear days, you can see three different pyramid necropolises: the Pyramids of Giza, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, and the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur.

For more info and reservations: Estro

Crimson

Location: Zamalek

This chic rooftop restobar resides on top of the Riverside building on a quiet Nile-facing street on the upscale island of Zamalek. Its open terrace overlooks the Nile, with an impressive bar and beautiful interior design.

They have great food and creative cocktails, but we warn you -- this place is not cheap!

Reservations recommended for weekends.

For more info and reservations: Crimson Bar & Grill

Sachi Park St.

Location: Sheikh Zayed

Award-winning restaurant Sachi has been a staple of Cairo fine dining and nightlife for over a decade now, with its famous Mediterranean fusion, sushi menu and cocktail list (their original flagship restaurant is the Sachi in Heliopolis). However it's Sachi Park St. that has the added benefit of having a beautiful open-air rooftop alongside their indoor dining area.

For more info and reservations: Sachi

Mazeej Balad

Location: Downtown

Perched on top of the chic Mazeej Balad Boutique Hotel in the heart of Downtown Cairo is their equally charming rooftop restaurant and bar, serving upscale Egyptian and Mediterranean classics. While the rooftop is open to non-hotel guests, it's adult-only and breakfast, lunch and dinner service all needs a reservation.

For more info and reservations: Mazeej Balad

Kempinski Roof

Location: Garden City

On the Kempinski Nile Hotel's 11th floor roof is their pool, surrounded by a few tables that offer awesome panoramic views of the Nile. While only hotel guests can use the pool, anyone can have a drink, shisha or sandwiches and small plates off their rooftop menu.

Note: if you're not a guest at the hotel, the roof is only accessible after 6 pm.

For more of our favorite luxury hotels in Cairo, head here.

For more info and reservations: Kempinski Nile Hotel

Lucida

Location: Sheikh Zayed

If you're looking for upscale dinner and drinks on a rooftop surrounded by incredible decor, then Lucida is the place for you. On weekend nights it's more of a music and party spot, so make sure to book a weeknight if you want to enjoy your dinner and the rooftop weather.

For more info and reservations: Lucida

Carlton Hotel Rooftop

Location: Downtown

On top of the dated 3 star Carlton Hotel in Downtown Cairo is a surprisingly nice and breezy rooftop. The hotel has been open since 1935 and definitely hasn’t taken any steps into the 21st century (the interiors seem stuck somewhere in the 1980s), but the rooftop is simple and straightforward.

They serve local beer and wine and shisha, and at night you can see the High Court of Justice building lit up.

For more info: Carlton Roof Garden

Rooftop Zamalek

Location: Zamalek

Literally called Rooftop Zamalek, this bar sits on top of a shabby 1 star hotel in, you guessed it, Zamalek. This place is the absolute opposite of fancy, but has fantastic Nile views (although they recently put up some annoying netting on one side to apparently stop bottles from falling on the Russian consulate below, lol).

Try to go during the day or before sunset to nab one of the netting-free Nile view tables before it gets crowded.

For more info: Rooftop Zamalek

Miss Li Lee's

Location: Sheikh Zayed

On top of the Crowne Plaza Hotel (the one adjacent to Arkan Plaza) is their rooftop restaurant and bar, Miss Li Lee's. They have a large menu of pan-Asian dishes (everything from dim sum to Thai curries to tandoori grills to sushi), and a large drinks menu of both local and imported wine and spirits. They're open late and have live music on the weekend.

For more info and reservations: Miss Li Lee's

Odeon Palace Bar

Location: Downtown

The only 24/7 rooftop bar on this list, Odeon has been a Downtown Cairo staple for decades now. Popular with Cairo’s artistic and cinematic crowd, as well as foreigners, it’s always an interesting mix of people. The view may not be able to compete with the Nile or Pyramids, and it's much dingier than some of the other places on this list, but it has its own quirky charm.

They serve local alcohol and shisha, as well as a few dubious food offerings (stick to something safe, like fries).

For more info: Odeon Palace Hotel

Looking for more nightlife inspiration? Check out our favorite bars, pubs and clubs in Cairo.