Egypt Khufu’s named best restaurant in the Mena region

Standing proud in the shadows of Giza’s pyramids is a love letter to Egypt, the country of pharos. The restaurant Khufu’s, which aims to showcase the country’s cuisine to the world, opened in 2022 and in three short years has fed its way to number one on the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 list. The line-up was revealed in Abu Dhabi on Feb 3.

(Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also regulars on this list. Read about which spots have must-eats here.)

The duo behind the hit eatery, restaurateur Giovanni Bolandrini and executive chef Mostafa Seif, are taking it all in.

Bolandrini is the founder and executive chairman of Pier 88 Group – the hospitality leader responsible for Pier88 in El Gouna, Cairo (Nile River/Zamalek), Pyramid Hills, and Almaza Bay.

Seif, meanwhile, has his own grip on gourmand taste buds in the city. He began his culinary journey on a ‘liver cart’ owned by his family as a 10-year-old. At 22, he took on the mantle of a chef. Since then, the now 30-something chef has earned his apron by becoming Top Chef Arabia in 2017 and earning two knives on The Best Chef Awards.

It wasn’t enough though, he then turned to what most food innovators do – he cooked some more.

After the win on Tuesday, when Bolandrini was asked to talk about the win, he said: "It means everything. We were forgotten in the land of the pharaohs [...] nobody knew that there was Egypt on the map."

Chef Seif, meanwhile, spoke about the main goal at Khufu's being to introduce Egyptian cuisine to those who don’t love it yet. "I wanted to do something that would please any foreigner or any visitor that doesn't know the Egyptian food," he said.

As for what you should tuck into when in the Egypt between considering life, the universe and everything — mu'ammar rice with smoked beef, koshari salad, and pharaonic duck, with dukkah-crusted meat, freekeh, orange and apricot purée and duck jus.