In a seafood restaurant on Alexandria’s Corniche, nobody hands you a menu. Instead, a waiter leads you to a long counter of crushed ice piled with sea bream, red mullet, sole, prawns and calamari. You point, he weighs, you choose how it should be cooked, and twenty minutes later the table fills with grilled fish, bowls of tahini, salads, bread and spiced rice.
Seafood in Alexandria, Egypt’s Mediterranean city, is ordered the local way: you choose fresh fish and shellfish by weight from a display, pick grilled, fried or baked, and it comes with a spread of dips, salads and sayadeya rice. The city’s best-known seafood restaurants line the Corniche, the old harbour in Bahary and the fishing district of Abu Qir.
This guide is for Egyptians, visitors from the Gulf and beyond, and anyone heading to Alexandria: how ordering works, the dishes and fish to know, where to eat, prices in 2026, and halal and safety notes.
How Ordering Works in an Alexandrian Seafood Restaurant
- Go to the display of fish and seafood on ice, usually near the entrance.
- Choose your fish; staff will tell you what came in that morning. Look for clear eyes, red gills and firm flesh.
- It is weighed, and you pay by the kilo, so ask the price per kilo before it is cooked.
- Choose the cooking: grilled (mashwi), fried (ma’li), baked in a clay pot (tagen) or with rice (sayadeya).
- Sides arrive while you wait: tahini, baba ghanoug, salads, pickles and bread, sometimes included, sometimes charged separately.
- Check the bill against the weights; most places include a service charge and tax.
Dishes and Fish to Know
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Samak mashwi | Whole fish grilled over charcoal, often rubbed with cumin, garlic and lemon, or coated in bran (radda) for a smoky crust |
| Samak ma’li | Fried fish, crisp outside and soft inside |
| Sayadeya | Fisherman’s rice: rice cooked brown with caramelised onions and spices, served with fish; an Alexandrian classic |
| Tagen gambari / calamari | Prawns or calamari baked in a clay pot with tomato, onion and peppers |
| Shorbet sea food | A seafood soup, often with tomato and prawns |
| Denees (sea bream) | A favourite whole fish for grilling |
| Barbouni (red mullet) | Small, sweet fish, usually fried |
| Moussa (sole) | Mild flat fish, usually fried |
| Gambari and kaboria | Prawns and crabs, popular and priced by weight |
Where to Eat Seafood in Alexandria
- Bahary and the old harbour: the historic fishing neighbourhood near the Qaitbay Citadel, with busy local seafood places such as Kadoura, famous for its pick-your-own display and value.
- Fish Market, overlooking the Eastern Harbour, popular for its views and long-standing reputation.
- Abu Qir: east of the city, a fishing town with seafront restaurants such as Zephyrion, one of Alexandria’s oldest seafood restaurants, by the sea.
- Along the Corniche: many seafood restaurants and cafés with Mediterranean views, from casual to smart.
Forum reviewers consistently praise the freshness and value at busy local places, while waterfront restaurants with views cost more. Weekends and summer evenings are crowded; go early or book.
Beyond Seafood: What Else Alexandria Is Famous For
- Fuul and ta’ameya: Egyptian broad beans and falafel, an Alexandrian breakfast institution.
- Liver sandwiches (kebda iskandarani): spicy fried beef liver in bread, a famous street snack.
- Sweets and ice cream: old patisseries and ice cream parlours on the Corniche date back generations.
- Koshari: Egypt’s national street food, also found everywhere here; read our koshari guide.
Safety Tips
- Choose busy restaurants with high turnover and visibly fresh fish on ice.
- Eat seafood cooked; raw shellfish is not a local tradition.
- Be careful with feseekh, the salted, fermented grey mullet eaten for the spring festival of Sham el-Nessim. Improperly prepared feseekh has caused botulism, and Egyptian health authorities warn each year to buy it only from trusted sources.
- Drink bottled water.
Halal and Dietary Notes
Halal note: Egypt is a Muslim-majority country, and Alexandria’s seafood restaurants generally serve no pork. Fish dishes suit every school of thought. Prawns, crab and calamari are permitted by most scholars; some Hanafi scholars permit only fish, so check with your own scholar. A few restaurants serve beer, so choose alcohol-free places if that matters to you. See our halal food travel guide.
Grilled fish with salads is naturally gluten-free; fried fish, bread and some rice dishes may contain wheat. Vegetarians can enjoy the dips, salads, rice and Egyptian street food.
What Seafood Costs in 2026
Prices in Egypt change quickly, so treat these as a rough guide and always ask the price per kilo.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Whole grilled fish per kilo at a local seafood restaurant | Roughly EGP 600–1,200, depending on the fish |
| Prawns per kilo | Often EGP 1,000–2,000 or more |
| Full seafood meal at a local place | Roughly USD 10–25 per person |
| Waterfront restaurant with views | Roughly USD 25–50 per person |
Plan your Egypt budget with our food budget calculator and check tipping in Egypt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the famous food in Alexandria?
Seafood above all, especially grilled fish with sayadeya rice, plus Alexandrian liver sandwiches, fuul and ta’ameya, and historic sweet shops.
What is the best seafood restaurant in Alexandria?
It depends on what you want: busy local places in Bahary such as Kadoura for value and freshness, Fish Market for harbour views, and Zephyrion in Abu Qir for history by the sea.
How do you order fish in Alexandria?
Choose from the display, have it weighed, agree the price per kilo, and pick grilled, fried, baked or with rice.
What is sayadeya?
Fisherman’s rice cooked with caramelised onions and spices until brown, served with fish. It is one of Alexandria’s signature dishes.
Is seafood in Alexandria expensive?
It is good value at local restaurants, especially for visitors with foreign currency, but prices depend on the fish and its weight. Always check the price per kilo.
Is seafood in Alexandria halal?
Generally yes: no pork is served, and fish is permitted by all schools. Views differ on shellfish within the Hanafi school, and a few restaurants serve alcohol.
What is feseekh?
Salted, fermented grey mullet eaten in spring for Sham el-Nessim. It can cause botulism if badly prepared, so buy only from trusted sellers or avoid it.
When is the best time to visit Alexandria for seafood?
Spring and autumn are pleasant. Summer is busy with Egyptian holidaymakers, and winter brings rougher seas but fewer crowds.
Is Alexandria seafood fresh?
At busy local restaurants, very: fishing boats land in the city every day. Check the eyes, gills and smell before you choose.
What do you eat with grilled fish in Egypt?
Tahini, baba ghanoug, green salad, pickles, bread and sayadeya rice.
Where is Abu Qir?
A fishing town on the eastern edge of Alexandria, about 30–40 minutes from the centre, known for seafront seafood restaurants.
More from Egypt and Africa: koshari in Cairo, Nubian food in Aswan and Tunisian harissa.
Sources
- Alexandria, Wikipedia (Bahary, Abu Qir, Corniche)
- Fesikh, Wikipedia (Sham el-Nessim, botulism risk)
