Sharm El Sheikh: Where To Eat
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Most hotel strips in Sharm el-Sheikh sell “international cuisine” at a markup that isn’t worth paying. The better meal, and usually the cheaper one, is a short walk away in the Old Market or along Sharks Bay, not on the resort buffet line.
Where to eat, at a glance
| Pick | Where | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| Fish cafes | Old Market / Sharm el-Maya | Grilled Red Sea catch of the day |
| Koshari, ful medames, ta’meya | Street stalls away from resorts | Egypt’s staple everyday dishes |
| Molokhia | Old Market eateries | Green jute-leaf soup, chicken or seafood broth |
| Seafood restaurants | Horus Mall and similar | Fares Seafood-style sit-down seafood |
| Om Ali | Old Market or resort menus | Warm bread-and-milk dessert |
| Bedouin tea | Desert safari stops | Sweet, strong, part of the safari experience |
| Resort buffets | Hotel-based | International spread, convenient not exciting |
Fish cafes in the Old Market beat the hotel buffet
Sharm’s Old Market has dedicated fish cafes serving grilled Red Sea seafood, genuinely fresher and cheaper than the fish on a resort buffet line, since most of what’s served locally comes straight off boats working the Gulf of Aqaba. Sayadiya, rice cooked with onion in tomato paste and served with fried fish, is a representative coastal dish worth ordering by name if you see it.
The everyday Egyptian staples, away from the resort corridor
Koshari, rice, macaroni and lentils under a spiced tomato-garlic-vinegar sauce with crispy fried onions, is widely considered Egypt’s national dish, and a street stall away from the hotels does it for a fraction of a resort menu’s price. Ful medames, stewed fava beans with olive oil and cumin, is the classic breakfast; ta’meya is Egypt’s fava-bean take on falafel, different from the chickpea version found elsewhere in the region, usually served in a pita with tahini and greens.
Molokhia, if you want something more filling
Molokhia is a green soup of finely chopped jute leaves in chicken, rabbit or seafood broth with garlic and coriander, often named alongside koshari and ful as one of the country’s national dishes. It’s a heartier order than the street-stall staples above and worth seeking out at a proper Old Market eatery rather than a hotel menu.
Sit-down seafood, if you want the full restaurant version
Fares Seafood, in Horus Mall, is a named example of the sit-down seafood restaurants that supplement the Old Market’s cafe scene, a step up in setting from the market stalls without going all the way to a resort buffet. Shawarma, shredded beef, lamb or chicken rolled in pita with tahini, is the ubiquitous street-food fallback if you want something quick between activities.
Finish with Om Ali and Bedouin tea
Om Ali, a warm bread-and-milk pudding with coconut and raisins, is the dessert to look for on both an Old Market menu and a resort dinner table. Bedouin tea, sweet and strong, is specifically called out as a highlight of desert-safari excursions, part of the experience rather than an afterthought, and Egyptian mint tea and shisha are standard features of Sharm’s coffee-shop culture generally.
One practical note before you order
Pork isn’t actually sold in Sharm even when a menu lists it, “pork” on a local menu is typically salted beef, worth knowing so you’re not surprised by what arrives. Resort international buffets remain the easy default if you’re tired after a dive day, but they’re the least interesting food option on this list, not the best one.
For the fuller trip plan around where you eat, see our Sharm el-Sheikh guide and where to stay , since Sharm el-Maya’s Old Town location puts these fish cafes closest to your door. Check rates near the Old Market on Booking.com if proximity to this food scene matters more than a Naama Bay address.
One concrete move: eat your first Old Market meal on day one rather than saving it for later in the trip. It resets your expectations for what the rest of the food here should cost and taste like.