Maro
There are six restaurant or cafes along the lower Corniche. Al
Soury is at the Iberotel (southern) end. The El Kababgy, Metropolitan
Bowling Club and Metropolitan Cafe are in the middle. Maro was the
northernmost one until the new Metropolitan Restaurant was built.
Maro's has open and
sheltered sitting areas and a nearby pier to which the small motor
boats bring customers in tour groups. Maro is also accessible from
the Corniche although it seems to concentrate on its tour group business
during the day.
As customers who were not part of a tour group we felt that service was
rather poor. After about 12 minutes we asked one of the several waiters
who were standing around, not doing anything, for a menu. After a
further 10 minutes trying to attract attention we gave up and began to walk
away. Only then was service offered.
On another visit we experienced similar
problems and collected our own menu. We had to approach staff before
we could place an order. After the meal we gave up trying to attract
attention and took the bill and payment to a cash point.
You may not suffer these problems as part of a tour group
and delays will not matter if you are whiling away
the afternoon. However, if you are on a short visit and
seeking quick refreshment during a busy day,
Maro's may be best avoided. |
Our View
Good if you want fish but a more expensive than nearby
competition and slow service.
Maro's concentrates on fish and local dishes. Most of the
fish courses are around LE40 but many local dishes are
less. With local beer at LE20, Nescafe at LE20, juices
at LE14 soft drinks LE8 and water LE7, prices
are not competitive. These prices were last checked in March 2007. We understand that since then they have now increased even further and that a small (330ml) beer is now LE25.
There is an open area where dishes are cooked so you can see
fish being grilled and make your menu choice. The variety
of dishes is good too, within the published
specialties of fish and local foods.
Like most of the other Nile-side restaurants, you do tend
to get pestered by people wanting to sell goods or trips
if you are close to one of the thoroughfares. Take this
into account when selecting your table if you don't want
to be bothered.
This is the place to try if you
want something a little different from the sameish menus
at the four nearest lower corniche restaurants and don't
mind paying a little extra, but the high prices and poor service will encourage most people to try one of the nearby alternatives. |
