Thursday March 28th, 2024
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New Zamalek Pub is Your Alibi When You Want to Disappear Mid-Week

Alibi is the lounge giving you an excuse to indulge in drinks and tapas mid-week.

Staff Writer

While Cairo has been excelling in ways of clubbing - mainly with overtly loud music playing in the background - we sometimes long for a good catch up session, in a quiet-ish setting with our friends. Wouldn't it be nice to just kick back a beer with background music as we discuss current events with our peers and/or colleagues. However, the DJ sometimes seems to miss the hint to turn down the music in most pubs. Enter Alibi, the restobar for all occasions.Alibi founder, Georges Reda, teamed up with talented concept creator, Ash, in a mission to bring Cairenes a bar that they can call home. "We got inspired to create Alibi in the liking of the stuff we’d seen abroad but that we don’t have here. That means a huge variety of appetizers, a chilled out sort of vibe and a selection of cocktails. Alibi is the bar or lounge that you can go to any day of the week, that’s affordable and not thumping with loud music,” says Reda of the inspiration behind the bar. “We want the place to be a sort of head quarters for Cairenes; somewhere they can can go to catch up with friends over good food and good music that's playing very lightly in the background so as not to obstruct their conversation.”Alibi - which isn’t confined to any specific theme - offers international tapas ranging from salmon tartar to Jalapeno poppers to Makanek. Their menu has a collection of French, Italian, American and Middle Eastern cuisines. That’s not what we’re most excited about, though. 

Located on the Imperial Boat in Zamalek, Alibi affords its clientele a gorgeous panoramic view of the Nile for those days when we just can't deal with life or we’re through with work and just need to unwind. Alongside the outdoor seating, Alibi presents its patrons with a range of unpretentious cocktails, and won’t be making us stand in queue for hours for a Pina Colada or a Marguerita. 

If you're not the outdoorsy type though, their indoor area is quite awesome, too and the view inside is just as good, with the walls adorned with a selection of art by local artists. Having had Studio 5 handle the design, elements of the eatery always refer back to its name, Alibi. With a deconstructed clock hanging behind the bar, this place is setting up to be our after work spot for drinks or our weekend chill. Alibi and chill anyone?“It’s the natural evolution of pubs in Cairo. And it's the place that has a little something for everyone without being obnoxious,” says a passionate Reda. 

Alibi is currently in its soft opening phase and officially opened for business on Saturday 14th April. Check them out on Instagram and Facebook.