Groppi.

It's one of those Downtown institutions that act as living reminder of Cairo's grand past as one of the cosmopolitan centres of a globalized world circa 1920. Occupying a chunk of prime property on beautiful Talaat Harb Square, Café Groppi welcomes its guests with an ornate entrance of wrought iron and large glass-and-wood doors that lead into the main hall, a cavernous space with huge windows, high ceilings and a splendid stone floor. Well, and this is unfortunately where the splendour ends. The coffee that's served here is decent but nothing to write home about and the cake display is very basic with even their modest Danishes not available most of the time. Given Groppi's status as one of the oldest cafés in Cairo with a name that even today manages to conjure up images of dapper gents and ladies meeting over high tea, you wonder why the owners don't capitalize more on this unique heritage. Still, it's a great spot to sit for a while and watch the crazy world pass by outside in the street. Bring a book and a camera and pretend you're Agatha Christie on a voyage of the Middle East.