Cairo is a huge city and is bursting with life outside the expat areas. Below is a small, but growing collection of some of the best venues and services with websites.

Food

Otlob (Food delivery)
Lists almost all the restaurants that deliver, by district, and you can order online. You need to register to be able to order, but once you have, you can have multiple delivery addresses. Some restaurants have a minimum order charge which they state. Delivery usually takes under 45 mins and you pay in cash when the order arrives. there is online assistance if you have a problem with your order. There is a small delivery charge and this goes to Otlob. You still need to tip the delivery man - as usual.

Cairo Dining
Comprehensive restaurant guide in all districts of Cairo. There is an accompanying book that is easier to use and available by the checkout in Metro supermarkets.

Fun

Yallabina (Let’s Go! in Arabic)
This has full movie listings of all the cinemas, local music events and some restaurant reviews. I don’t personally recommend all of the restaurant reviews, but for checking out the cinema, it’s great!

Not all cinemas start at the time advertised. Some do, but others are an hour later. Downtown cinemas tend to be packed and almost always showing only Arabic movies. Not worth going to if you are female, particularly if you are alone. Rennaissance Nile City, Stars, Golden Stars, Bandar and Good News Grand Hyatt would be the ones to go to in that instance and if you want to watch the movie, rather than listen to people on the phone and chatting to each other - common place in most other cinemas.

Cairo Opera House
This site has a schedule listing the many concerts and performances on throughout the year and the Opera House and other venues (note that the Roman Amphitheatre and the Sayed Darwish theatre are both venues in Alexandria). Prices vary depending on the type of concert with foreign performers usually commanding higher prices. Expect roughly 100LE for best tickets in the stalls for an Egyptian performer and that can rise to 1000LE for international. As yet the site’s online ordering does not work so you do have to physically go to the opera house to buy the tickets. Tickets usually go on sale the beginning of the last week of the calendar month before the performance (tickets for 5th of June would go on sale end of May), but it’s best to phone and check because this is not a rule (or get someone to do it for you, the person answering the phone doesn’t always speak English).

Sawy Culture Wheel
Art exhibitions, all types of Arabic and Western music performances, a range of classes (mostly in Arabic though) and much more. Shows here can be a bit hit and miss, but some of the regular bands are good. No alcohol in this venue.

For specific expat activities, check out CSA.

Beauty

Nefretari
Great products without man made ingredients. 100% natural and ‘proudly handmade in Egypt’. I have used their products for over a year before visiting their factory in June 2008 and can vouch for it all being hand made. For more about the visit, click here (no point in me rewriting what is already available!). For integrity’s sake: I know the owner’s daughter. That piqued my curiosity to try the products initially (without my friend’s knowledge - just in case I didn’t like them!), but did not make me continue using and buying them  their fabness did that!