El Masry Restaurant

El Masry Restaurant is a budget-friendly Egyptian eatery near the Old Market (Sharm El Maya) in Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. The name means the Egyptian, and the menu follows the everyday dishes that residents eat: filling, inexpensive and prepared quickly. It is a practical choice for travellers on a limited budget and for anyone who wants to try local street-food staples away from the resort strip.

Koshary is the listed specialty and the dish most closely associated with Egyptian cheap eats. It combines rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas with spiced tomato sauce, garlic vinegar and crisp fried onions, and it is eaten with a spoon from a deep bowl. Fuul, slow-cooked fava beans seasoned with oil, lemon and cumin, is the traditional breakfast dish, served with bread and often with falafel made from fava beans. Shawarma, thinly sliced marinated meat served in flatbread with garlic sauce and pickles, covers the quick-snack category. Prices are in the budget ($) bracket, making meals here among the cheapest in the city.

The dining room is simple, with basic tables, fast service and a local clientele. There is no dress code, and the atmosphere is functional rather than decorative. The restaurant is open daily from about 10:00 until 01:00, so it covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and late snacks. Alcohol is not typically part of this kind of eatery, and visitors should expect tea, soft drinks and juices.

Reservations are not taken and walk-in service is the rule. Seating can be limited at peak lunch and dinner hours, though turnover is quick. The Old Market location makes it easy to combine a meal with browsing the bazaar streets and waterfront, and a taxi from Naama Bay takes a short time.