It could be china cups and cucumber sandwiches you are craving. Or is it croissant and a decent café au lait? Perhaps your taste buds are hankering after a big dish of ravioli con la zucca with creamy tiramisu to finish. Faced with these cravings, or even if you are looking to go beyond the most cliché dishes, there is a surprising amount of continental and Euro-fare to be discovered here. Put that fuul sandwich down (or have someone pry it out of your fingers) and head to one of these restaurants for a temporary step into a gastronomical world far beyond the nation’s borders.

In Cairo, it’s easy as several countries maintain social clubs with — the best part of the club phenomenon — restaurants dedicated to their local edible traditions. Be prepared to pay a bit extra to enter if you don’t have the good fortune to hail from your chosen’s club’s nation, but simultaneously prepare for a lovely experience.

The Italian Club is an escape, pure and simple. After walking down 26th of July Street with the roaring of the people, cars and buses packed in under the bridge, it comes as an auditory shock when the gates of the club close behind you and suddenly all is quiet. The menu is simple, with sometimes only two choices of entrée, but the pasta classics like ravioli and gnocchi are consistently tasty, if a bit on the traditional, read: uninspired, side. A bottle of wine and crème caramel makes one forget about the chaos raging outside the club walls and instead takes the mind to a state of mental Tuscany.

The Swiss Club is another oasis of calm, particularly remarkable when considering its neighborhood. Tucked into the midst of the Imbaba slum, the club has a lovely big garden restaurant with fans keeping everything cool even in the summer heat. High walls and deep green foliage create a sense of exclusivity. Try classic dishes from Switzerland and make sure to request a rösti (potato pancake) on the side. Have a bowl of gemüsemaissuppe (sweet corn soup) or kalbfleischschnitzel (veal schnitzel). Not only do they provide a tasty mouthful, they’re also a mouthful to pronounce.

The Greek Club near Midan Talaat Harb has a lovely terrace with big fans in the summertime and cheap drinks, despite unexciting food. Le Centre Francais de Culture et de Coopération (French Cultural Center), though not a club, which is a plus because it has no cover charge, is another beautiful little spot of European calm. Located in Garden City, here you can chatter at the waiters in French and eat galettes while sipping cappuccino.

Another option for great Italian food is La Trattoria in Zamalek. Perfect for a cozy gathering of family and friends, this restaurant really knows what pasta is all about.

There aren’t as many clubs in Alexandria, but that just means that one must look a bit further, although it’s not very hard to find well-prepared and interesting European or continental meals. If you’re looking for an upscale yet casual environment where you can indulge in a mocha and nibble a pain au chocolat, take a seat at the Fresca Café in the Four Seasons San Stefano. If you end up chatting at the café until suppertime, simply walk to Stefano’s, the hotel’s Southern Italian restaurant. Try the fettuccine with lamb fagoût, fava beans and aged Sardinian pecorino — it will wake up your palate in a whole new way. If you have a special person in whom you’d like to inspire a bit of romance, take them to the Greek Club in the evening. Try the white bait to begin. Don’t be put off by the idea of eating “bait”— it doesn’t look like anything you’d put on the end of a fishing line— it’s just crunchy, deep-fried, little fish that go far beyond the addictiveness of Chipsy. For your entrée, stay close to classic and have the moussaka. It is the most comforting, hot earthenware dish full of rich eggplant, white sauce and minced beef that one could possibly imagine. As you’re eating on the balcony overlooking the sea, the combination of salty cool breezes and hot mouthfuls of moussaka will make you tingle. Share the chocolate mousse for dessert. It is wicked in the best of ways.

Moving southward, food with ties to the European continent can still be found. The Lantern Restaurant in Luxor, owned by British expatriate Debbie El-Shobrakitty and her Egyptian husband Nasser, and hosts a British roast dinner every Sunday, with either roast beef and yorkshire pudding or roast lamb with mint sauce. What homesick Brit (or anyone else for that matter) could possibly resist? La Mamma Restaurant serves up, as one might guess, Italian food, and its pizza is a favorite in town. In Aswan, French dishes can be found at the Aswan Oberoi Hotel and Spa, located on Elephantine Island. The Old Cataract Hotel, a legendary establishment in the city, does an English high tea on the lawn complete with mini sandwiches and pastries — or will when it reopens after renovations.

Delicious taste experiences can be found along the Red Sea Coast as well, particularly in the tourist favorites, Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. In Hurghada, check out Bordiehn’s Restaurant, a cozily-decorated, German family-run spot with all kinds of good German traditional tastes and an exciting range of steaks from Texas sirloin to the restaurant’s own Bordiehn’s center-cut filet. This restaurant is also known for its camel dishes, even if they do stray away from the European theme. If you’re looking for something Italian, make your way to La Trattoria (not related to the Zamalek eatery), tucked into Le Meridien Makadi Bay. Built on its own island over a man-made lagoon, the antipasti come highly recommended.

In Sharm, Pomodoro, located in the center of Na’ama Bay, at the popular dive center Camel Hotel serves up tasty Italian fare including Italian grilled meat and fish in a laid-back atmosphere. Le Fleur is dedicated to satisfying those with a hankering for a taste of quelque chose un peu plus Francais. Located in Jolie Ville Resort and Casino, Le Fleur has to wrestle with another of the resort’s restaurants, Zigolini (delicious Italian) for the distinction as the hotel’s best. Views over the bay from both restaurants make a visit worthwhile, even before considering the chefs’ prowess.

After sampling fare from all over Europe, it’s probably time to re-embrace the cuisine of the country you’re in. Quick, where’s a good fuul cart? et

Swiss Club Villa Pax 90, El-Gihad St. Kit-Kat Square Imbaba, Cairo Tel: +2 (02) 3314-2811 open 8:30am – 9pm daily

Italian Club 24 El-Galaa St. Boulaq, Cairo Tel: +2 (02) 2773-0109

Greek Club 28 Mahmoud Bassyouni St. Downtown, Cairo Tel: +2 (02) 2575-0822

Centre Francais de Culture et de Coopération 1 Madrassat el-Huquq El-Frensiya Garden City, Cairo Tel: +2 (02) 2794-1012 open 9am – 9pm Saturday–Thurs

La Trattoria 13 A El Marashly St. Zamalek, Cairo Tel: +2 (02) 2735-0470

Fresca Cafe, Stefano’s Four Seasons San Stefano 399 El-Corniche Alexandria Tel: +2 (02) 3581-8000 café open 10am – 1am daily, Stefano’s open Monday–Saturday 7 pm – 1 am

The Lantern Al Roda, Al-Sharifa Street Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 570-7466 www.thelanternluxor.com

Aswan Oberoi Hotel and Spa Elephantine Island Aswan Tel: +2 (097) 2031-4666

La Mamma Restaurant Sheraton Luxor Resort Al Awameya, Luxor Tel: +2 (095) 2227-4544

Bordiehn’s Restaurant Arabia Beach Hotel El-Corniche Road, Hurghada Tel: +02 (065) 3545-9991

La Trattoria Le Meridien Makadi Bay Safaga Road, Hurghada +2 (065) 3359-0590

Pomodoro Camel Dive Club and Hotel Sharm El-Sheikh Tel: +2 (069) 3600-100 / (060) 6666-6666 www.cameldive.com

Le Fleur, Zigolini Sharm El-Sheikh Jolie Ville Resort and Casino Naama Bay, Sharm El-Sheikh Tel: +2 (060) 3360-0100