Every visit to Habayeb El Sayeda and El Hussein’s Mesmat in Faiyum was a journey into the heart of Egyptian culinary tradition. Accompanied by a fellow food enthusiast, our monthly pilgrimages to this esteemed restaurant were a highlight of my time in Egypt.
This restaurant is one of the oldest and most famous in its category, presenting a wide array of meat dishes at affordable prices. They serve various grilled meats, casseroles, and fattah. The restaurant operates 24/7.
Their menu is diverse, featuring a range of meat dishes like mixed plates, liver, spleen, and tongue, priced between 65 to 100 Egyptian pounds. They also offer roasted dishes, including a special mixed kilo plate, cow head meat, spleen, liver, and heart, with prices ranging from 160 to 300 pounds.
For those with a taste for traditional Egyptian fare, they offer kaware’ (cow trotters) both in soup form and as a main dish, as well as a variety of casseroles and fattah dishes featuring beef and cow trotters, priced from 55 to 85 pounds.
Additionally, the restaurant offers a selection of sandwiches, including a special “Habayeb El Sayeda” sandwich, and a variety of hawawshi (a traditional Egyptian meat-stuffed bread), with prices ranging from 15 to 35 pounds.
The menu at Habayeb El Sayeda and El Hussein’s Mesmat is a cornucopia of traditional Egyptian delights. The fattah, a sumptuous layering of tender meat, crispy bread, and rice, bathed in a garlic and vinegar sauce, is a masterclass in balancing flavors and textures. The liver, marinated and cooked to succulent perfection, offers a rich, iron-infused, bold, and satisfying taste.
They also have a section dedicated to grilled meats, including kebabs, minced meat, and stuffed pigeons, with prices up to 450 pounds. The restaurant has multiple branches and offers delivery services in various areas.
Their soups are a revelation – each spoonful rich with the flavors of lovingly simmered broth, herbs, and spices. But the pièce de résistance is undoubtedly the cow trotters – kaware’. These are slow-cooked to an incredible tenderness, the meat falling off the bone, imbued with a depth of flavor that is truly unparalleled.
Not to be overlooked are their other offerings: mixed meat plates, roasted dishes including cow head meat and spleen, and a variety of grilled meats that celebrate the diversity and richness of Egyptian cuisine.
Despite the high quality of the dishes, the prices at Habayeb El Sayeda and El Hussein’s Mesmat remain remarkably reasonable, making every meal here a feast for the senses and a testament to the value they offer.