Eating in Hurghada: beyond the buffet
2 h route4 stopsBest: The El Dahar fish market, in the morningUpdated July 2026
The resort buffet is fine for the first few days and then it tires: this is all-inclusive country. The good news: there’s freshly landed Red Sea fish here, Egyptian street food, and prices in the old quarter that are ridiculous.
Leaving the hotel to eat is what separates a trip from a wristbanded confinement, and there’s no mystery or risk to it if you pick places with people inside. The bottled-water rule is Egypt’s everywhere.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
The fish in El Dahar
In the old quarter the same system works as across half the Mediterranean: you pick your fish at the fishmonger, they weigh it, and the restaurant next door grills it with salad, bread and tahini.
It costs a fraction of the hotel strip. It’s same-day Red Sea fish: grouper, snapper, squid, prawns.
The quality is what it is when the sea is two kilometres away and the fisherman landed this morning.
- 02
Egyptian street food
The Egyptian repertoire turns up here just as in Cairo and costs the same, which is to say nothing: koshari (pasta, rice and lentils with fried onion), ful medames (fava bean stew), taameya (fava falafel) and freshly baked pita.
In El Dahar there are koshari places with the onion machine by the door, just like the capital.
It’s the country’s real food and probably the best thing you’ll eat here for what it costs.
- 03
The marina
The marina gathers the fish restaurants with terraces, the cafés and the bars. It’s expensive by Egyptian standards and cheap by European ones, and it’s where you eat well without leaving the comfort zone.
Alcohol is normal here, which outside the resorts and the marina is scarce across the country.
At sunset, with the yachts and the pink mountains, it’s a very good place to be.
- 04
The water, and the ice
As everywhere in Egypt: tap water isn’t drunk. Buy bottled and check the seal.
In the resorts the served water is safe, but outside, mind the ice and washed salads.
Hot, freshly cooked street food is safe and everyone eats it. What causes trouble is the raw, the cold and anything that’s been sitting around.
Frequently asked
Can you eat outside your hotel in Hurghada?
Yes, and it’s well worth it: in El Dahar, the old quarter, you pick Red Sea fish at the fishmonger and they grill it next door for a fraction of the hotel strip’s prices. Choose places with people inside and there’s no problem at all.
Is there alcohol in Hurghada?
Yes, as a matter of course in the resorts and the marina, where the bars are. Outside those areas it’s scarce, as in the rest of Egypt, which is a Muslim country.
Can you drink tap water in Hurghada?
No: as everywhere in Egypt, drink bottled water and check the seal is intact. In the resorts the served water is safe, outside, mind the ice and salads washed in tap water.