Sherry Street runs off the main Sheraton road in Hurghada, and it is where the city eats when it is not at work. Locals, long-stay residents and returning visitors all end up here, which is the most reliable indicator you will get that a street is worth walking down.

What it actually is

A long strip of restaurants, cafes, juice bars, shisha places and small shops, busiest from early evening until well past midnight. It is not a tourist attraction and it has not been arranged for anyone's benefit — it is simply a working street that happens to have very good food on it.

The food

The range runs from Egyptian street food to Syrian and Lebanese restaurants to seafood grills. A few things worth seeking out:

  • Shawarma carved off the vertical spit, wrapped with tahina and pickles.
  • Ta'ameya sandwiches — Egyptian falafel in fresh baladi bread, one of the cheapest good meals anywhere.
  • Grilled seafood at the fish restaurants, priced by weight.
  • Fresh juice — mango and guava in season, sugarcane year round.
  • Oriental sweets — basbousa, konafa and baklava from the pastry shops, sold by weight.

Shisha and cafes

Egyptian cafe culture is a real thing and Sherry Street is a good place to see it: men and families sitting for hours over tea, coffee, shisha and backgammon. Visitors are welcome. Order a shai (tea) or a Turkish coffee — specify mazbout for medium sweet — and nobody will hurry you.

Shopping

This is everyday shopping rather than souvenirs: clothes, phone shops, pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets. Prices are what Egyptians pay, which is a noticeable difference from the tourist bazaars. Some smaller shops will still negotiate.

Practical advice

  • Go in the evening. Before about seven it is fairly quiet; by nine it is at its best.
  • Take cash. Many of the smaller places do not take cards, and ATMs are available on the main road.
  • Dress modestly. This is a residential area rather than a resort strip — covered shoulders and knees will make you more comfortable, not less.
  • Traffic is busy and pedestrian crossings are theoretical. Cross with a group and move predictably.
  • Getting there: a short taxi from most hotels. Agree the fare before you get in, or ask your hotel what it should be.

Sherry Street will not appear on a list of Hurghada's top attractions, and that is rather the point. It is where you go to eat well, spend little and see the city as it is when nobody is performing for visitors.