El Fishawy

El Fishawy is an Arab tea house smack in the middle of the bustling streets of Khan el-Khalili.

The owners are proud to mention that they have been in continuous business for over 200 years and have not been closed for a single day.

The place specialises in Chai and Sheesha (tea and waterpipe) but they serve soft drinks as well - No food.

Though obviously very male dominated, women are welcome too, and these days you can even see groups of local women lurking on a waterpipe here.

During Ramadan this place is closed during daylight hours and absolutely packed after sundown.

It is a great place to sit down and watch the world go by.

I like that El Fishawy's is somewhat hidden off behind some other shops from the entrance of Khan el Khalili market. It's a bit away from the major foot traffic, and still open air. I also like that you can still experience the bustle of the souq, as sellers still walk by you trying to sell their wares but it's not too aggressive.

When I was there I had the hibiscus lemonade which was refreshing though a bit sweet, and I had some good shisha. My friend Ann had some rich mango juice, very thick and pulpy, not watered down and fresh. Unfortunately, in her juice a bug had gotten into it. Okay, so this sort of thing happens, a little fruit insect got into the mix BUT the way the situation was rectified was not quite right.

When we tried to flag down a waiter, the first sped by ignoring us, the second sped by and called that he would be back. Finally, he did end up sending another waiter over. We explained the situation and was offered a new glass of juice. Ann had already lost her appetite by this time and declined, and the manager was called over and repeated the offer of a new juice. She refused firmly and asked that the juice be taken off the bill. The manager said she had drank it already and expected us to pay. We scoffed at that, and repeated that it should be taken off the bill. Finally the manager gave in, and then sent over another waiter to give us change for our bill, except he DID not take the juice off the bill and we had to state again that we were not paying for the juice.

Even though the ambiance, location, history, and what they offer is generally good, do be forewarned of silly, inattentive, inefficient, and possibly petty sort of service.