In the commercial and ancient district of Ataba in downtown Cairo, the Khartoum Restaurant known for its colored walls opens from 10 am to 10 pm and is constantly teeming with Egyptian and Sudanese customers, despite its small size.

“It all started 28 years ago when I decided to flee the unrest and conflict in South Sudan,” says Salah Bashir, the founder of the restaurant.

In the commercial and ancient district of Ataba in downtown Cairo, the Khartoum Restaurant known for its colored walls opens from 10 am to 10 pm and is constantly teeming with Egyptian and Sudanese customers, despite its small size.

“It all started 28 years ago when I decided to flee the unrest and conflict in South Sudan,” says Salah Bashir, the founder of the restaurant.

 Bashir brought along a number of Sudanese girls who were good at preparing the famous Sudanese Kisra dish. He bought the needed ovens, and founded a factory to produce Kisra in 1987.

First Sudanese restaurant in Egypt

“Our factory continued successfully until 1989 when it was turned into the Khartoum Restaurant which has been since serving a variety of Sudanese dishes,” says Bashir. “It is the first restaurant offering Sudanese food in Egypt.”

Refugees’ ambassador

Batoul is Bashir’s wife and the real manger of the restaurant. She is also a Sudanese activist who has spared no effort to help and support Sudanese refugees, in addition to posting articles on many Sudanese websites.

“The Khartoum Restaurant serves not only Sudanese meals, but also as a meeting place for the and a center for Sudanese looking for jobs, accommodations and even relatives,” says Batoul. “Human rights activists, especially foreign employees of the UN and other agencies, come to our restaurant. They have become close friends and we introduce them to people who need help.”

Hotel

Upstairs, there is also a hotel which is an integral part of the restaurant and serves as a refuge for Sudanese needing a place to stay, whether they can afford the rent or not.

“When we established the factory and then the restaurant, the Sudanese community did not have well-established businesses in Egypt despite their large numbers,” remembers Batoul. “They were mere street vendors selling henna and some Sudanese spices to Egyptians. When we opened the restaurant, the Sudanese community gathered around us in large numbers, and later on, the entire street turned into a vibrant area full of Sudanese shops and cafés.”

Batoul and her husband encouraged other Sudanese to open shops in the area, and over time, their business community grew, offering a variety of Sudanese products.

“Our restaurant and hotel has largely helped Sudanese refugees and traders,” she says. “Sudanese here lend money to each other, and we provide housing for those fleeing the scourge of political disputes.”

Salon for poets and writers

The Khartoum Restaurant still maintains a distinctive standing in Cairo. “It is a popular embassy for Sudanese,” says Batoul. “The restaurant often organizes special literary events that bring together many intellectuals and celebrities like Azhari Mohammed Ali, Taji Mousa, Abu Qutati, Fateh Hamadto, Saraqdor, Qalea, Salah bin al-Badiya.”

During Sudanese national holidays, mainly Independence Day, the Khartoum Restaurant turns into a mini celebration square.

My restaurant, home and people

“I love to be here, not only because the food is cheap and fits our budget, but also because it reminds me of my country,” says Adel, a young man in his twenties who came from Sudan a year and a half ago. “Batoul and Bashir helped me when I first came to Egypt. They offered me work and a place to stay. I now work at a Sudanese café at Cairo’s Sudan Quarter. To me, they are like my family. The restaurant is a tremendous heritage that must be preserved. Here, I meet all those yearning for our country.”

It is not only homesickness that attracts Adel into the Khartoum Restaurant. He still holds pleasant memories of his relationship with his foreign wife whom he first met when she came to the restaurant with her Sudanese friend. “Serving food is one of a long list of other services this wonderful restaurant offers free of charge to the Sudanese community in Cairo,” he says.