In short. Hurghada eats well in four corners of town: around the El Mina fish market for grilled fish, in the cheap and cheerful spots of Sakkala and El Dahar for Egyptian food, at the Marina for dinner on a terrace, and at Abu Tig Marina when you spend the evening in El Gouna. To taste everything and keep your stomach happy: sealed bottled water, drinks without ice, fruit you peel yourself, dishes cooked to order and served piping hot, and places that are packed with people.
Eating well in Hurghada is easy once you know three or four habits. This guide covers exactly that: where to go, what to order, and how to enjoy Egyptian food without a worry.
Where to eat in Hurghada: the areas to know
Hurghada stretches along the coast, and each district eats its own way. To find your bearings, remember these areas.
El Dahar and El Mina, in the north, are the old town. The fish market, small rotisseries, bakeries selling baladi bread still warm. Prices are the ones locals pay.
Sakkala and Sheraton Road, in the centre, mix tourist restaurants, cafés and Egyptian chains that stay open late. That's where you find koshari at any hour.
The Marina is the district for dinner on a terrace: quays, moored boats, food from all over the world. Pricier, livelier, and very handy when you want a drink afterwards.
El Mamsha, the long pedestrian promenade in the south, lines up restaurants and bars facing the sea.
And about twenty kilometres north, El Gouna has a life of its own, especially around Abu Tig Marina.
Fish and seafood: around El Mina market
If you only have one "local" meal, make it this one. The idea at El Mina market is simple: you pick your fish, prawns or squid from the stall, and a neighbouring restaurant cooks them for you.
Two well-known addresses in the area:
- El Halaka Fish Restaurant, near the fish market, serves fish soups, grilled fillets, prawns and crab (Tripadvisor listing).
- Star Fish, opposite the fish market, near El Mina Mosque, displays its fish on ice on the ground floor and cooks it on site (hurghada.com listing).
Freshness here is visible to the naked eye. Look at the stall before you order: fish laid on ice, bright eyes, nothing but a clean smell of the sea. Ask for it grilled or fried, cooked right through. For shellfish, TravelHealthPro, the UK's travel health service, suggests going easy when you're abroad (food and water hygiene factsheet): prawns and squid cooked through are the easy order.
Cheap Egyptian food: koshari, ful and ta'ameya
Egyptian street food costs very little and keeps you going all day. Three dishes to order at least once.
Koshari: rice, pasta, lentils and chickpeas, topped with crispy fried onions and a spicy tomato sauce. It's the national dish, vegetarian without making a fuss about it, and it always leaves the kitchen scalding hot (which, hygiene-wise, works in your favour).
Ful medames: fava beans simmered for hours, with garlic, lemon, olive oil and cumin. Egypt's breakfast.
Ta'ameya: Egyptian falafel, made with fava beans rather than chickpeas. Fried to order, served in bread.
To try the lot without hunting around, GAD is an Egyptian chain with branches in Hurghada, including on Sheraton Road in Sakkala and in El Dahar, serving koshari, ta'ameya and grills (Tripadvisor listing, elmenus menu). It isn't fine dining. It's fast, hot, and full of local families, which is often the best sign of all.
For something sweet, look out for om ali, a sort of bread-and-butter pudding made with milk and puff pastry, served warm. Dessert, or a midnight snack.
Dinner at the Marina
The Marina is where you eat outside, practically on the quays. You'll find a bit of everything: grills, Italian, fish, Lebanese. Prices are closer to a European resort than to El Dahar, but the setting counts for something on holiday.
One address you'll hear about: Che Guevara, at the far end of the Marina (gate 3), known for its meat flambéed at the table (Tripadvisor listing). Not the most low-key choice. More the one you tell everyone about back home.
At the Marina, the good habit fits in one question: is the place full? A restaurant where tables turn over renews its produce every day. Follow the 9pm crowd. It knows where to go.
And in El Gouna: Abu Tig Marina
El Gouna, the lagoon town north of Hurghada, comes alive in the evening around Abu Tig Marina, where restaurants and bars follow one another along the quays. The town's official site mentions, for instance, Breeze, on the marina, for a dinner that rolls into drinks, and Pier 88, on the same marina, for music later on (elgouna.com, August 2026).
It's calmer than Hurghada, and you go there for a change of scene. Entry works on a permit requested the day before: see our guide to the El Gouna entry permit. And if you're having dinner there, book your ride back before the meal: more on that in our guide to Hurghada nightlife.
Eating well without a worry: the easy habits
Keeping your stomach calm on holiday, in Egypt as anywhere, comes down to three things: the water, whatever has been washed in it, and food served fresh and hot. TravelHealthPro's food and water hygiene factsheet (updated 23 October 2025) boils down to a handful of habits.
Water. Drink bottled water with the seal intact, or canned drinks. TravelHealthPro talks about unopened, factory-produced cans and bottles. Brush your teeth with bottled water for the first few days if your stomach is sensitive. And tea or coffee made with boiling water and served steaming hot is fine.
Ice. This is the number one habit, because nobody thinks about it. Ice is made from tap water unless stated otherwise. So order your fresh juice from the kiosk without ice ("min gheir talg", or just "no ice"), and it tastes just as good. Some bars make their ice with filtered water: if the menu doesn't say so, stick with "no ice".
Raw veg. Salads, fresh herbs and pre-cut fruit are rinsed in tap water. Go for fruit you peel yourself, with clean hands: bananas, oranges, mangoes.
Cooking. Meat, eggs and fish cooked through and served hot. Grills cooked to order are the best, and at a buffet, help yourself from the dishes that have just come out of the kitchen.
Hands. A small bottle of hand gel in your bag, used before eating, especially after the boat or the quads.
A bit of tummy trouble? Drink plenty of bottled water and rehydration drinks, rest, and see a doctor if it lasts, if you have a fever (TravelHealthPro flags 38°C or above) or at any unusual symptom. Before you go, ask your pharmacist or a travel clinic what to pack in your first aid kit.
Everything else is there to enjoy without a second thought: the scalding koshari at 11pm, the grilled fish you chose on the stall, the mint tea served boiling hot.
Meals on our trips
Several trips run by our local partner Hurghada Habibi include food, which takes care of lunch or dinner on those days. Going by the partner's flyer, as of 23 September 2026, with prices confirmed on WhatsApp:
- the Orange Bay boat, from €25 per person, with lunch and unlimited drinks on board;
- the Paradise Island boat, from €25, with the same lunch on board;
- the quad and buggy safari, from €25, with dinner at the Bedouin village;
- Mahmya, from €80, with an all-you-can-eat meal on the island;
- the Luxor day trip, from €55 by bus, with lunch.
The rest of the time, you choose. A mix that works nicely: breakfast where you're staying, one or two dinners at the fish market, one evening at the Marina.
FAQ
Can you drink the tap water in Hurghada?
For drinking, stick to bottled water: TravelHealthPro recommends unopened, factory-sealed bottles and cans. Tap water is for the shower. Remember ice cubes too, which are made from the same water.
Where can I eat fresh fish in Hurghada?
Around the El Mina fish market, in the El Dahar district. You choose your fish on the stall, then a neighbouring restaurant grills it, such as El Halaka or Star Fish. Ask for it cooked right through, and keep shellfish to cooked prawns and squid.
How do I avoid an upset stomach in Egypt?
Sealed bottled water, drinks without ice, fruit you peel yourself, food cooked through and served hot, and clean hands before eating. Pick busy restaurants: their produce turns over fast.
Do Hurghada excursions include meals?
Some do. Going by the Hurghada Habibi flyer, the Orange Bay and Paradise Island boats include lunch on board, the desert safari includes dinner, Mahmya an all-you-can-eat meal on the island, and the Luxor day trip lunch.