We are huge foodies. Wherever we travel, we try our best to eat out as much as our bodies allow. Despite being a small town, Dahab was surprisingly one of the best destinations we’ve been to for food. The restaurants in Dahab were affordable and perfect for seafood lovers like us. We discovered a lot about Egyptian food during our month in Dahab, but this town has a huge range of foreign foods to choose from as well, which is perfect for those days when you’re craving something different.

We spend around a month in Dahab as digital nomads, eating out at a different restaurant for essentially every meal. So, after some trial and error, here is our ultimate list of the 20 best restaurants in Dahab for foodies like us. We’ve separated the restaurants into three categories for easy browsing: local food, foreign food, and cafes.

Best Restaurants in Dahab for Local Food

1. Shabka and Senara

dahab restaurants

This was the first restaurant we tried in Dahab, and it really set the bar for our culinary adventures in this town. The first time we went, we made the mistake of ordering directly from the menu. You will definitely get amazing food this way, but for the best of the best, head inside the tiny restaurant and ask to see the fish. Pick the fish you want, and they’ll weigh it to cook it however you want (we recommend Samak Mashwi!). They even have squid and shrimp that you can pay for by the kilo as well. We tried a few different seafood restaurants in Dahab, and this one was by far the most affordable, but the quality was still top notch every time!

2. Princess Dahab

dahab restaurants

We discovered Princess Dahab near the end of our one-month stay in Dahab. You know what they say: Better late than never. This is one of the best budget-friendly restaurants in Dahab. This tiny but popular restaurant is run by the cutest family. They serve various local Egyptian dishes, but what really makes them stand out is that they’ve got so many vegetarian and vegan options. So, if you don’t eat meat or seafood, this is one of the best restaurants in Dahab for you to try.

3. Om Mahmoud

dahab restaurants

Another great local restaurant that serves delicious food is Om Mahmoud. It may not look like much when you first rock up to it, but this is THE place to try if you want to try some classic Egyptian dishes. We came here one evening for dinner and tried so many dishes, and there was not a single one that missed the mark. Some standouts we recommend include the lamb tagine and chicken. We specifically came here to try stuffed pigeon, but they were out when we went. Plus, the owner is super friendly and fun to talk to.

For vegetarians, this restaurant has some delicious veggie options on the menu, but we recommend asking the owner for help in choosing your dishes, as you may not know what is vegetarian just by looking at the menu.

4. MiAMi Seafood

dahab restaurants

While Shabka and Senara was one of our favorite seafood restaurants, MiAMi Seafood deserves a shoutout too. Since this restaurant is just down the road from Shabka and Senara, you can pop inside if the four tables at the first restaurant are full. The food is just as amazing and tasty.

Here, you pick your own seafood, so head to the fridge and start pointing at the things you want. They’ve got a wide range of fish and seafood for you to choose from. We highly recommend getting some seafood soup as a starter, too—it was delicious!

5. Zanooba Slow Cooking

If there’s one restaurant you try in Dahab, let it be Zanooba Slow Cooking, an Egyptian-Bulgarian fusion restaurant. This is easily one of the best meals we had in Dahab, and if we were to ever return to Dahab, this would be one of the first places we’d eat again. As you might be able to guess from the name of the restaurant, Zanooba is all about slow cooking. Slow, as in, you need to book for dinner before midday—ideally, the day before. While they do have a walk-in menu as well, you HAVE TO get their slow-cooked pots.

Best Restaurants in Dahab for Foreign Food

6.  Seaduction

dahab restaurants
dahab restaurants

We were recommended Seaduction by our landlord, and we are VERY glad we listened to his recommendation. If you’re craving something different from Egyptian food, this is the best Lebanese restaurant in Dahab. The food was absolutely delicious, and the presentation was top-notch. As a plus, this restaurant has good vibes and is very popular. We recommend getting a mezze or two to start (a big shoutout to the delicious tabbouleh salad). As for mains, we LOVED the chicken maqluba.

7. Pasta Mia

dahab restaurants
dahab restaurants

We were lucky enough to have this amazing restaurant just a minute’s walk away. That meant trying to avoid eating pasta every day, as Pasta Mia serves some of the best Italian food in Dahab. You can choose from a huge variety of options here, including plenty of seafood and vegetarian pastas. Of course, you can’t expect classic or traditional Italian pasta here, but they still have a lot of flavor. To drink with your pasta, we recommend getting one of their homemade ice teas.

8. Athanor

dahab restaurants
dahab restaurants
  • Prices: $-$$$
  • Location: Address
  • Hours: Daily from 8 AM to 6 PM

Keeping with the Italian theme, another great Italian-inspired restaurant you’ve got to try in Dahab is Athanor. Athanor is right by the Lighthouse in Dahab, so it’s very centrally located. It was one of our favorite spots after a day in the sun or in the water, snorkeling or diving. Athanor serves probably the best pizza in Dahab, with the pizzas coming in a wide range of toppings. But if you prefer pasta, don’t worry; their pasta is amazing too.

9. Lemongrass

Dahab surprisingly has a host of Asian restaurants to choose from, one of which is a Thai restaurant called Lemongrass. From the moment we stepped in, we could smell the aromas, which was a welcome change from the mostly Egyptian diet we had been eating up until this point. While this was by no means the best Thai food we’ve ever had, the curries and papaya salad were delicious. We would recommend staying away from the noodle dishes, however.

10. Kitchen Express

dahab restaurants
  • Prices: $
  • Location: Google Maps link
  • Hours: Unsure, but we never saw it closed

Sometimes, all you need is some Chinese food. Luckily, Dahab has a VERY good Chinese restaurant that we returned to as we loved it so much the first time around. They have a very extensive menu, and you really can’t go wrong. You choose a protein and a sauce to go with it. All mains come with rice. We absolutely LOVED the black pepper duck and kung pao chicken.

Hot tip: Want a beer with your meal? Grab a beer from the liquor store next door.

11. Tricycle Burger

One of the best late-night places where you can get a calorie-dense meal after a couple of drinks is Tricycle Burger. As you might be able to guess, this street food stall sells burgers—and they do them well. They’ve got both meat and veggie options, and their menu is pretty extensive. Keep in mind the serving sizes are HUGE. But this is great since there are quite a few stray dogs that hang around this area, so you can feed them if you happen to have any scraps left, which we definitely did.

12. El Fanar

dahab restaurants
dahab restaurants

There are many restaurants lining the sea on the Lighthouse end of Dahab. You honestly can’t go wrong with any of them, and they all serve basically the same types of food at a similar price point. These restaurants have al have a great view and sea access. However, of all of these restaurants, we’ll do a special shout-out to El Fanar, as we found it to be the most affordable option on this strip. And the quality of the food is the same. It’s quiet, clean, and the employees are friendly. We recommend getting the shrimp sandwich if you pop by this restaurant for lunch. The grill platter was delicious too. You can also order from the fried chicken place right next door and eat here, as they’ll give both menus when you come in, which is handy!

13. Eel Garden View Restaurant

dahab restaurants
dahab restaurants
  • Prices: $-$$
  • Location: Google Maps link
  • Hours: Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 12 AM; Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday from 12 PM to 12 AM

This restaurant is a very good all-rounder. You can’t go wrong with whatever you order here. From the Egyptian breakfast plate and sandwiches to beef stroganoff and apple musaka, we came to this restaurant several times during our one-month stay for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and never had a bad meal. This is a great restaurant for garlic lovers, as they are definitely not shy about how much they put into their dishes (a plus for us!). Since this restaurant is right in front of the famous Eel Garden dive and snorkel spot, you can pop in for a swim right before or after your meal. We highly recommend getting a hibiscus tea!

The Best Cafes in Dahab

14. 11:11 Avenue

dahab restaurants
dahab restaurants

We discovered 11:11 Avenue when we were on the hunt for a coworking space in Dahab. We loved it so much that we would return a few more times, not just to work, but also to have breakfast and enjoy their yummy specialty coffee. They have a few unique breakfast offerings that are more typical of your standard brunch food with a twist. We loved their Vietnamese-style eggs and pesto omelet. They have a separate lunch menu as well if you pop in after 12:45 PM.

15. Treats

Treats is yet another cafe-style restaurant in the Assala area of Dahab (like 11:11 Avenue) that offers coworking. However, Treats has a much smaller space, so it fills up quickly! Our advice? Come here early if you want to try this cafe. This cafe was our favorite for their cakes. We tried their carrot cake and cheesecake, and both were absolutely mouthwateringly delicious. Grab a coffee with your cake for a sweet and perfect breakfast.

16. Al Andalos Bakery

dahab restaurants

Al Andalos Bakery is not your standard cafe, but this bakery 100% deserves a spot on this list. You won’t be able to eat at this bakery, but just grab a few goodies to go to have at the beach or at your accommodation. They have a wide range of sweet goodies and extremely affordable prices, You may not be familiar with all of these sweets, but just try whatever you think looks good! You won’t regret it.

17. Shanti Garden

dahab restaurants

This might be a bit of a controversial statement, but the best coffee you can find in Dahab, you’ll find here. At Shanti, you can have some amazing espresso coffees (which is something not every cafe serves), plus a variety of delicious juices for non-coffee drinkers. This was one of our favorite places for brunch. We highly recommend getting their Egyptian breakfast.

18. Schoenemanns

dahab restaurants
  • Prices: $-$$
  • Location: Google Maps link
  • Hours: Saturday-Thursday from 9 AM to 4 PM

We stumbled upon Schoenemanns when we were walking down from our accommodation in Assala to the Lighthouse area of Dahab. This cafe is very aesthetic and adorable. But beyond the looks, the food is great. This is probably the best option out there for a healthy breakfast and lunch. We got a German breakfast that filled us without making us feel sick and got some morningsky tea, which we absolutely loved.

19. Ralph’s German Bakery

One of the most popular breakfast restaurants in Dahab is Ralph’s German Bakery. Here is the place you want to go for the best baked goods in Dahab. They have three different locations in this town, which is a testament to how popular they are with locals and tourists alike. Beyond their baked goods (which sell out very early), they sell huge breakfast plates that are absolutely delicious.

20. Tim’s Munch

dahab restaurants
  • Prices: $$
  • Location: Google Maps link
  • Hours: Saturday-Thursday from 8:30 AM to 4 PM; Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Craving an American breakfast? We’ve got just the place for you! Head over to Tim’s Munch, which is located on a rooftop. The sign is small, but the location on Google Maps is correct, so you shouldn’t miss it. We first came here because we were craving hashbrowns. They serve absolutely delicious breakfasts. And they’re pretty varied in their menu, serving American breakfast plates as well as Egyptian breakfast plates. Be warned that the serving sizes are American-sized, too!

Eat Your Way Around Dahab

With this list of the 20 best restaurants in Dahab for foodies, you are now ready to eat your way around Dahab—just like we did! Dahab surprisingly has some pretty top-notch restaurants, and we are so happy to recommend them to you so that you don’t spend hours on your phone, trying to find the right place. All of these restaurants are tried and tested and helped make our time in Dahab amazing.

Looking for more activities in this Red Sea town? Check out our list of the top things to do in Dahab!

About the Author

Mia

I am an avid world traveler from New Zealand. To date, I have visited 34 countries, 6 of which I’ve considered my home. I am forever searching for my home away from home as a full-time traveler. I love to eat good food, drink nice wine, get my nails done, and have a good yarn.

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