Ashraf Abdelbaky's Tante is Now Open in Zamalek

Actor Ashraf Abdelbaky’s wildly loved Egyptian eatery, Tante, has finally unpacked its pots and pans in Zamalek - and if you’ve ever had a tant insist on feeding you until you physically surrender, you already understand the concept. It’s a homage to home-cooked food with the full-bodied, oil-kissed, garlic-heavy reality of it.

This particular Egyptian tante has her ladle in every pot, serving up dishes textbook comfort dishes from bamya to creamy ma’amar rice, and pigeons stuffed to maternal generousity.

Abdelbaky, who’s long been one of Egypt’s funniest exports, seems to be in on the joke: we don’t go to Tante for minimalism or mystery. We go because we secretly crave the drama of a home kitchen - the unsolicited refills, the soft-boiled guilt, the taste of something that could never be measured in grams.

Zamalek, consider yourself officially adopted.