Top Fish Restaurants in Alexandria: Where Locals Eat Seafood and How to Order

The top fish restaurants in Alexandria are Fish Market on the Corniche, Samakmak in Anfushi, Kadoura, the Greek Club beside Qaitbay Citadel and Zephyrion in Abu Qir. At all of them you choose your fish and seafood from the day's catch on ice, it is weighed and priced by the kilo, and the kitchen grills or fries it while the salads and dips arrive at the table.

Alexandria is the city Egyptians drive to for seafood, and a long fish lunch by the sea is part of every day trip our guides lead there. This guide gives our shortlist, how the system works so you are not surprised by the bill, the Alexandrian dishes to order and where each restaurant fits in a day of sightseeing. We last checked the listings on 4 November 2026; opening hours and prices change, so confirm on the day.

Fish Market

Fish Market sits on the upper floor of a building on the Corniche, beside the Scout Club, with wide windows over the Eastern Harbour. The day's catch is laid out on ice near the door: you point at the fish, prawns or squid you want, staff weigh it, and you return to your table while it is cooked. Rice and salads come with the meal. Guidebooks have recommended it for years as the most comfortable fish restaurant for a first visit, and it is a good choice for families and for travellers who want a calm room with a view. Ask for the price of your selection before it goes to the kitchen.

Samakmak

In Anfushi, the old fishing quarter between the Corniche and Ras El Tin, Samakmak is a step up from the simple fish restaurants around it. Guides praise its calamari, clams and crab, cooked in more inventive ways than the usual grill or fry, and the seafood travels only a few hundred metres from the boats to the kitchen. Guidebooks note that it is owned by an Alexandrian former belly dancer, and the room has more character than most. Combine it with a visit to Qaitbay Citadel, ten minutes away.

Kadoura

Kadoura is one of the best-known fish names in Egypt, a busy, no-frills place where Alexandrians take their families. The house style is grilled fish covered with a fresh tomato, garlic and herb purée, and the calamari is lightly fried. Expect noise, plastic tablecloths and very fresh fish. Guidebooks list it on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street in El Mandara, in the east of the city near Montaza; check the branch on a map before you go. If you are staying in Alexandria, our private half day along the seafront also starts at Montaza.

Greek Club (White and Blue)

The restaurant of the Greek Club, known as White and Blue, sits on the water beside Qaitbay Citadel, with an outdoor terrace over the Eastern Harbour. The menu mixes Alexandrian and Greek seafood: grilled fish, shrimp, calamari and octopus. Come before sunset, when the light on the harbour and the citadel is at its best.

Zephyrion

Zephyrion was founded in 1929 by a Greek family in Abu Qir, a fishing town at the eastern tip of Alexandria, and it still sits beside the beach. It is relaxed, with classic Egyptian music in the background. Allow time for the drive from the centre: Abu Qir is far from downtown and traffic on the coast road can be slow, so it suits a lunch on the way to or from Montaza or Rosetta. Our Rosetta day trip from Cairo visits the Ottoman houses of Rashid and Fort Qaitbay, with lunch included.

1. Choose from the ice. Fish, prawns, calamari, crab and clams are displayed by the entrance. There is often no fish menu at all.
2. It is weighed. Prices are per kilo and vary by species and season. Ask for the total before the order goes to the kitchen; this avoids almost every bad-bill story you will read online.
3. Choose the cooking. Usually grilled (mashwi), fried (ma'li), or baked Alexandrian style with tomato, garlic and peppers. Ask the waiter what suits each fish.
4. The sides arrive. Tahini, baba ghanoush, green salad, pickles and bread usually come to the table; some places include them, others charge separately, so ask.
5. Rice. Order sayadeya rice, cooked brown with caramelised onions, the classic Alexandrian side.
6. Pay. A service charge and taxes are normally added to the bill. A small extra tip for the waiter is customary.

Our tip: one kilo of fish and half a kilo of prawns or calamari, with the sides, feeds three or four people comfortably. Many traditional fish restaurants in Alexandria do not serve alcohol, so ask when you book if it matters to you.

• Sea bream (denis) and sea bass (karus): the safest choices, best grilled.
• Grey mullet (bouri): a local favourite, grilled or baked.
• Sole (moussa): fried whole, thin and crisp.
• Sayadeya: fish cooked with onion-browned rice in a clay pot; order it if you see it.
• Calamari and prawns: fried or grilled; prawns are also served in a spicy tomato tagine.
• Fish soup: often brought at the start, with seafood and tomato.
• Crab and clams: Samakmak is the place for these.

Want to know more about what Egyptians eat away from the coast? Read our guide to the most common foods in Egypt.

• Timing: Egyptians eat lunch late, from about 14:00 to 17:00. If you arrive at 13:00 you will have the pick of the catch and an easy table.
• Weekends: on Fridays and in summer, when Cairo families come to the coast, the popular places fill up. Book or arrive early.
• Freshness: look at the eyes and gills of the fish on display: clear eyes and red gills mean today's catch.
• Allergies: say it clearly; the same oil is often used for fish and shellfish.
• Summer heat: choose a place with air conditioning or a sea breeze; Fish Market and the Greek Club have both.

Most of our guests visit Alexandria on a day trip from Cairo, about three hours each way by road. A typical day runs: the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa in the morning, then the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a seafood lunch on the Corniche or in Anfushi, and Qaitbay Citadel in the late afternoon light. Fish Market, Samakmak and the Greek Club are all within ten minutes of the citadel, so lunch costs no extra driving.

• See our guide to Qaitbay Citadel, a short walk from the Anfushi restaurants.
• Walk off lunch along the Alexandria Corniche.
• For the full day plan, read what to see in one day in Alexandria.

Our Alexandria archaeological day tour from Cairo includes a private guide and driver, and we will book the fish lunch at the restaurant you choose. More options are in our Alexandria day tours.

What is the best fish restaurant in Alexandria?

For a first visit, Fish Market on the Corniche: harbour views, a clear choose-and-weigh system and a calm room. For a more local meal, Samakmak in Anfushi or Kadoura.

How do fish restaurants in Alexandria charge?

By the kilo. You choose your seafood from the display, it is weighed and priced, then cooked the way you ask. Ask for the total before it goes to the kitchen.

What is sayadeya?

The classic Alexandrian fish dish: fish with rice cooked brown with caramelised onions, often baked in a clay pot.