The island of Zamalek has long been considered a playground for the affluent and leisured and though some may argue that this sentiment might not ring as true anymore, it certainly remains one of the most desirable areas in Cairo, even in the face of the capital’s suburban expansions.

Zamalek attracts Cairenes from far and wide for its dining and nightlife scene – scenes that, historically, have had  rather high turnover. But among those that have lasted the test of time, few have done so with as much grace – or for as long – as Don Quichotte.

As the first bar and restaurant of its kind in Zamalek, Don Quichotte was born of the mind of retired engineer, Mohamed Nabih El Sayed, in 1978 in the ground floor of a family-owned building on the hushed Ahmed Heshmat Street.

Sitting behind a shade of trees, Don Quichotte enjoys a soft, whispered existence; its exterior doesn’t give much away.

Still family-run, it was initially opened as a straight restaurant and quickly garnered a fiercely loyal following – one which exists today – but, over the years, it has adjusted to meet the evolving demands of Cairo.

“We have regulars that have been coming here for decades, but things have changed over time,” granddaughter of El Sayed and now co-owner, Dania Hafez, told us as we chatted about the contemporary rituals of ‘going out’ in Cairo.