Café Riche, located at 17 Talaat Harb Street in downtown Cairo, is more than just a café; it's a landmark steeped in political and cultural history. Established in 1908, this renowned café has been a central meeting place for intellectuals, revolutionaries, writers, artists, and musicians, playing a significant role in Egypt's modern history.
Exterior of Café Riche
Origins and Early Years
The café has its origins in 1908, but it was not named Café Riche until 1914, when it was bought by Frenchman Henry Recine. Shortly after acquiring the café, Recine sold it to Michael Nicoapolits from Greece and returned to France. Nicoapolits added a theater to the café, bringing in such performers as Monira il-Mahdiyya and Umm Kulthum.
On November 4, 1942, Nicoapolits sold the café to George Basile Avayianos, who focused his efforts on adding a restaurant onto the café. In 1962, Avayianos gave the café to Abdel Malek Michael Salib, who became the first native Egyptian to own the café.
A Hub for Intellectuals and Revolutionaries
Café Riche has been a center of intellectual life in Cairo since its founding. It was a famous meeting spot for writers, reporters, intellectuals, and artists like Naguib Mahfouz, Youssef Idris, Amal Donqol, and Salah Jaheen. This is what makes the restaurant a place where important old events happened.
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The café was central to the intellectuals and cultural elite in forging a new national identity for Egypt. From the 50’s to through the 70’s, as political speech was suppressed, the café hosted much of the leading literary figures in Egypt, including Naguib Mahfouz, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist.
Revolutionaries would meet at the café to plan strategies during the 1919 revolution against the British rule of Egypt. Café Riche's political history includes being the center of the 1919 revolution against the British. Back then, revolutionaries clashing with the British sometimes sought shelter inside Riche, which became a regular target of police raids.
It is reputed that Gamal Abdel-Nasser and his fellow Free Officers partly planned the 1952 revolution in Riche. Later Nasser plotted the 1952 overthrow of King Farouk from a table in the Café Riche.
Insofar as it was a place where publications were written during the revolution, the Café played a national role in 1919 and this is evidenced by the "printing press" discovered years ago in the Café's basement.
Cairo Diaries 15 (nov 11)- Cafe Riche
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Decline and Revival
Riche, like downtown Cairo, entered a period of long decline. Hosni Mubarak’s tenure drove the last nail into the esteemed establishment’s coffin. In 1990, Cafe Riche closed under mysterious circumstances and was seriously damaged by the 1992 earthquake.
In the 1990s, a court case by the Egyptian government against the cafe about a public passage it occupied caused a temporary closure. Literary critic Amany Fouad appealed to authorities to have Cafe Riche included in the official list of antiquities. “This is a place where every part, every brick and every corner bespeak history,” Fouad said.
At the birth of the new millennium, Cafe Riche reopened a decade later, during an art festival designed to revive downtown’s downtrodden cultural scene. Once re-opened the café was less a cultural hangout than a cultural icon, and its patrons tended to be foreign tourists more than local intellectuals.
But with the removal of Mubarak and new freedoms, café culture has revived. The Café Riche has returned to its position as a forum of political culture. Nearly a century later, a different generation of revolutionaries, this time revolting against a native tyrant, also found refuge from the teargas-infused utopia of Tahrir Square.
Ambiance and Menu
Local artwork lines the walls in the narrow main corridor and the charming table arrangements are made up of the ever-so-common tiny wooden chairs, checked red and white tablecloths, and, as an added bonus, high-quality cloth napkins. Simple, glossy flower vases adorn the centers of the tables, each containing a single, fresh flower, adding a cozy, personal touch.
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About the menu, there's Eastern and Egyptian dishes and different hot/cold beverages; main dishes like chicken fattah, fried/grilled kofta and shish tawook; sidedishes like white rice cooked in the Egyptian style and negresco. Unlike many cafes in Cairo it has a full bar.
Cafe Riche interior
Recent Events and Legacy
With the death earlier this month of Cafe Riche’s proprietor, Magdy Abdel-Malak, downtown Cairo’s most famous intellectual salon has shut its doors once again - this time, possibly permanently. The Cafe recently reopened its doors after closing following the death of owner Magdi Abdel Malak in May.
Café Riche is a spot with a political and cultural history. It was a famous meeting spot for writers, reporters, intellectuals and artists. As one of Cairo’s most infamous spots, Café Riche was established in the early 20th century by a French national with a penchant for a good time and a better drink.
Even so, why should I be surprised that Cairo’s cafés-like all its public spaces-have been encircled by its culture wars? Some artists express a vague aversion to Café Riche, just as others avoid another famous spot. For my Coptic friend, however, these criticisms may not apply, or at least not in the same way. The place certainly does feel part-museum, part-shrine, and part-café.
Here's a summary table of key events and figures associated with Café Riche:
| Period/Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Early 20th Century | Founded as a coffee shop, later named Café Riche in 1914. |
| 1919 Revolution | Center for revolutionaries planning against British rule. |
| 1952 Revolution | Reputed planning location for Gamal Abdel-Nasser's Free Officers. |
| Mid-20th Century | Hosted leading literary figures, including Naguib Mahfouz. |
| 1990s | Closed due to a court case and damaged by the 1992 earthquake. |
| 2000s | Reopened and became a cultural icon, attracting tourists. |
| Recent years | Revival as a forum for political culture after Mubarak's removal. |
Despite its rich history, or because of it, Riche managed to pull in far more tourists than members of the young and re-energised intelligentsia, apart from briefly during the revolution. Unfortunate as it is in terms of Egypt’s cultural heritage, Riche’s closure will have only a marginal impact on downtown’s cultural scene. The young and creative have returned in droves in recent years, intent on reviving and reinventing Cairo’s heart.
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