Whenever we were looking for restaurant recommendations in Luxor, Sofra (90 Mohamed Farid Street Al Manshiya, Luxor) kept bubbling up to the top. One thing that will impress you about Sofra right away is its historic setting in a 1930’s era structure. When we arrived at lunchtime, the whole bottom floor was empty, but we climbed the stairs and we found a bustling dining area. Notably, Sofra has one of the most relaxing and tranquil restaurant settings we encountered in Egypt. The upper level was filled with historic wooden furniture and traditional copper tables, colorful lanterns and draperies. Even though it was open to the elements and the 95 degree heat, the shady dining room was not hot at all.
The menu was filled with elevated Egyptian classics. We started out with Baba ghanouj eggplant dip and Khiyar Bil Zabadi Salad (cucumber and mint in yogurt – 21 EGP) which were both cool and refreshing. We each ordered a hearty main: hamam mashi (grilled, stuffed pigeon 65 EGP) stuffed with spiced rice and lamb shank fattah with a yogurt sauce over rice and bread cubes (95 EGP). We had tried pigeon before in Egypt, and it did remind of Cornish game hen – a lot of bones with little meat. However, Sofra’s version blew us away – the bird was tender and juicy and the rice stuffing made the meal feel more substantial. The lamb shank was fall-off-the-bone tender, though we would have liked more yogurt sauce on our dish.
One of our favorite things in Egypt is the fresh juices, so we went with cantaloupe (18 EGP) and classic mango juices (22 EGP) to accompany our meal. For dessert we tried Sahlab (25 EGP), a warm rosewater pudding made with flour from orchid tubers. Everything at Sofra was outstanding, the portions were generous, and we left happy and full. We would recommend Sofra to anyone who is visiting Luxor – delicious food, at reasonable prices, in a luxurious setting – what could be better?
Eating The World 