Sheraton Road and Sakkala
Sheraton Road is the main street of Sakkala, lined with restaurants, shops and hotels, and busy in the evening. Three restaurants on this list are here: a steak house, a fish restaurant and a 24-hour Egyptian canteen.
Moby Dick
Moby Dick, on Sheraton Road opposite the Regina Royal resort, has made its name on camel steak, served with pepper sauce or as a ribeye. The menu also has camel burger and camel pastrami, beef steaks, Egyptian dishes and vegetarian and gluten-free options. You eat on two floors, indoors or in a courtyard covered in flowers and climbing plants, or at the tables facing the street.
In high season the tables fill up in the evening, so book a day ahead by phone or through the restaurant's Facebook page. A second Moby Dick is on the Aldau Promenade, on Youssef Afifi Road.
- Area: Sheraton Road, Sakkala (second restaurant on the Aldau Promenade)
- Cuisine: steaks, camel meat, international and Egyptian dishes
- Opening hours: 2pm to 1am
- Good to know: book in high season
Star Fish
At Star Fish, on Saqala Square, the fish and seafood are on display: you pick what you want and say how it should be cooked. Reviewers single out the jumbo shrimp, the seafood soup and the calamari, and the shrimp tajine is on the menu too.
Star Fish also has a restaurant in Sahl Hasheesh and others inside several hotels. Those hotel branches don't take bookings directly: you book through the main restaurant on Sheraton Road, at least two hours ahead.
- Area: Saqala Square, Sheraton Road
- Cuisine: fish and seafood
- Opening hours: 11am to 1:30am
- Good to know: ask for the price of your fish before it is cooked
GAD
GAD is an Egyptian fast-food chain, and its restaurant on Sheraton Road is open 24 hours a day. It is the easiest place to try taameya, the Egyptian falafel made with fava beans, and koshari, a bowl of rice, pasta, lentils and chickpeas under tomato sauce and fried onions. Liver sandwiches and shawarma complete the menu. It is not a place to linger: come for a cheap Egyptian meal, at any hour.
- Area: Sheraton Road, Sakkala
- Cuisine: Egyptian fast food
- Opening hours: 24 hours a day
- Good to know: the cheapest meal on this list
El Mina and the fish market
El Halaka
El Halaka faces the city's fish market, next to El Mina Mosque. On the ground floor, fish, shrimp, calamari and crab lie on ice: you choose, they weigh it, and it goes to the grill, the fryer or the oven. Upstairs, two aquariums line the dining room. There is no alcohol, and the house lemonade with mint is the drink to order.
If you eat fish only once in Hurghada, make it here. Just agree the price by weight before it is cooked: a recent review describes a much larger grouper than the one on the menu, served without warning and billed at 985 EGP instead of 320.
- Area: El-Shohada Road, opposite the fish market, El Mina
- Cuisine: fish and seafood
- Opening hours: noon to midnight
- Good to know: no alcohol; takeaway available
Old Sheraton Road
Granada
Granada is on Old Sheraton Road, 200 metres past the Sunrise hotel, and its draw is the view: from the roof terrace you look over the Red Sea, the Marina and El Mina Mosque. The menu is international, with Italian dishes, fish, and Asian and Egyptian plates, and there is a full bar and shisha. It opens at 9am for breakfast and stays open until 4am.
Come for sunset, which reviewers single out, and ask for a table on the roof.
- Area: Old Sheraton Road, 200 metres past the Sunrise hotel
- Cuisine: international, Italian, fish
- Opening hours: 9am to 4am
- Good to know: full bar and shisha
Hurghada Marina
The Heaven
On the Marina Boulevard, The Heaven covers steaks, seafood and sushi, with a children's menu. Camel steak is one of its signature dishes, at 785 EGP, alongside salmon with honey and oregano at 639 EGP; the seafood soup costs 210 EGP. Cocktails are served, and the tables face the boats in the Marina.
The fish of the day is sold by weight and not always priced on the menu: one reviewer paid 2,500 EGP without being told, so ask first.
- Area: Marina Boulevard, Hurghada Marina
- Cuisine: steaks, seafood, sushi
- Opening hours: noon to midnight
- Good to know: children's menu; cocktails
The Aldau Promenade
White Elephant
White Elephant cooks Thai food on the Aldau Art Promenade, next to the Steigenberger ALDAU: tom yum soup, papaya salad, pad thai, red and green curries. Dishes come in medium or large portions, which helps if you want to try several, and recent reviews mention Indian dishes too.
It is a small restaurant, so book at weekends and in high season.
- Area: Aldau Art Promenade, El Mamsha
- Cuisine: Thai
- Good to know: medium or large portions; book at weekends
Practical information
- Egyptian food: El Dahar, the old town, for koshari, ful and taameya from small eateries and stalls; GAD on Sheraton Road at any hour.
- Fish: sold by weight at the counter; ask for the price before it is cooked.
- Alcohol: served in licensed hotels, bars and tourist restaurants, not in local eateries.
- The bill: tourist and mid-range restaurants often add about 12% service and 14% VAT; leave a small cash tip on top.
- Dishes to try: koshari, ful medames, taameya, sayadeya (fish with rice and caramelised onions).
Frequently asked questions
Where can you eat Egyptian (local) food in Hurghada?
Head to El Dahar, the old town, for koshari, ful and taameya in small eateries and street stalls, or to GAD on Sheraton Road, open 24 hours a day. For fish cooked the local way, with sayadeya rice, go to the restaurants by the fish market in El Mina, such as El Halaka.
Do restaurants in Hurghada serve alcohol?
Licensed hotels, bars and tourist restaurants do, including many venues on the Marina: Granada has a full bar, and The Heaven serves cocktails. Local Egyptian eateries and fish restaurants such as El Halaka don't. During Ramadan, licensed hotels and tourist venues can still serve foreign visitors, although some cut back.
How does ordering fish by weight work?
At fish restaurants such as El Halaka or Star Fish, you choose your fish or seafood from the display, it is weighed, and you say how you want it cooked: grilled, fried or baked. The price depends on the weight, so ask for the total before it goes into the kitchen.
Is tipping expected in Hurghada restaurants?
Yes. Check the bill first: tourist and mid-range restaurants often add a service charge of about 12% plus 14% VAT, and the service charge usually stays with the restaurant. Leave a small extra in cash for the waiter, or about 10% where no service is added. Street food stalls and koshari shops don't expect a tip.
