We spent the day on a bespoke culture and food tour with Bellies En-Route in Cairo, Egypt
Getting closer to the heart of the city.
For many of us when we travel, we’re looking to step into a different world and explore what daily life looks like in our destination. But it can often be hard, as a tourist, to find truly authentic experiences, given how easily tourist traps present themselves. Thankfully, if you’re Cairo-bound, the fantastic team at Bellies En-Route have you covered with their range of food tours, cooking experiences, and opportunities to meet local business owners including a diverse range of women that call the capital home.
Keep reading to discover a unique discount code available to our readers who want to do their own tour with the team.
While this experience was complimentary, all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Bellies En-Route food tour
The food
It’s about 14:30 in Cairo, and I’m standing behind the counter of a small falafel shop as a beautiful granite machine crushes a vibrant green mix over and over in a circular motion. “Our falafel, we call it ta’amiya, is different to how it’s made elsewhere. The main ingredient isn’t chickpeas, it’s fava beans, but that strong green pigment you’re seeing in the mixture actually comes from the cilantro and dill used to flavour it,” explains our guide, Laila.
Laila, whose background is in graphic design, is one of the Founders of Bellies En-Route along with her long-time university friend Mariam. The women had seen a huge gap in the market when it came to getting travellers up-close-and-personal with the local vendors who make up the beating heart of the buzzing city, and launched their business to fill that void.
As we follow the falafel-making process back out to the street, a man shapes the mix into circles and fills them with a spicy paste (optional) before dropping them into a vat of hot oil. I’ve got to say that I’m a HUGE falafel fan, I can confidently say that this is the best I’ve ever tried. I highly doubt we would have found this spot if exploring on our own, let alone been able to tailor the sandwich to our own specifications, and this is just the start of our excursion.
The tours
On offer at Bellies are a range of walking tours that allow you to meet with the people of the city who make some of the most delicious and traditional dishes in town. Ours was a bit of a mash-up and included some stops from the popular Downtown Cairo Food Tour. Thankfully, because we wanted to try a few different things, the team provides a bespoke option where they can really tailor the experience to your interests.
From the newly launched Women of Egypt Food and Shopping Tour, we stopped off at a stunning seafood restaurant that was started by a lady a number of years ago. While sitting down to eat in a vibrant interior filled with friendly cats, we learned that neighbouring businesses hadn’t initially been so keen on the idea of a female entrepreneur on their patch, but it’s obvious when you’re sitting inside the bright and friendly restaurant that it’s been a resounding success, and the food! The fish dish that we tried was out of this world, and a bonus came when the owner arrived at the shop and we were able to meet her.
We heard a story about the molokhia (aka Queen of the Kitchen), a type of viscose soup, that we tried and how you have to gasp at just the right time when making it to ensure it doesn’t split. Laila told us more about this old wives’ tale and what it was like when she heard her own Grandma doing this as she made the dish. It’s these personal stories that make these tours so worthwhile; it’s like being with friends and the vibe is so positive and welcoming.
The people
When you join the team at Bellies En-Route, you’re not simply going to eat, though you will, and sublimely. More than that, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with local Egyptians who make a living through their creations. We met a family of brothers who, while not all blood related, were nursed by the same women, ensuring a lifelong bond.
We passed by a mural of a young man who had lost his life during the Arab Spring and Laila gave us more insight on what it was like during that time and the impact it had on the city. This is what travelling is meant to be about, the sharing of stories and the opportunity to experience new things.
Cooking up a storm
The final spot on our tour was to a tiny local dairy where we got to try a selection of exquisite fresh cheeses. Here, we purchased some just-made clotted cream for the final part of our experience: learning how to make a traditional Egyptian dessert.
While dishes like baklava and knafeh are of heavily debated Middle Eastern origin, Om Ali is a very sweet treat that resembles something of a spiced bread pudding, and which is unequivocally Egyptian. The team at Bellies has recently moved into a wonderful new space downtown inside a gorgeous heritage building, with an open kitchen for running a range of cooking classes.
Here, we created the dessert together, blending pastry, with pistachios, coconut, and a sweet milky mixture before topping with our fresh clotted cream. Of course a tasting session complete with fresh mint tea was the perfect way to end our day of exploration.
The verdict
If you can’t already tell, this tour has left a lasting impression. Sampling a flight of fresh local juices and trying to guess the ingredients, eating divine and authentic Koshari in a three-storey restaurant with kitsch decor, meeting vendors with colourful stories, and being able to ask all those questions that come up when you’re exploring a new place but you don’t have a local around to clarify things.
On top of this, the company gives away any excess food collected over the tour or not eaten during the cooking classes to those in need, which relieves the burden of not being able to fit it all in. Plus they have a wonderful blog with a selection of restaurant recommendations and off-the-beaten path Cairo tips, which I used a lot to plan our time in the capital.
I often think back fondly to our time in Cairo. I even whipped up an Om Ali at home the other night to share with family and friends and to reflect on the wonderful day we had with the team at Bellies En-Route – such sweet memories.
Learn more about Bellies En-Route
Claim your discount: Use code THJ24 to get 15% off the Downtown Cairo Food Tour, cooking classes, and the Women of Egypt Food & Shopping Tour. Code is valid until 31 May 2025.
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