Khufu’s Wins Global ‘Resy One to Watch’ Award

In an exclusive interview with SceneEats in 2022, Giovanni Bolandrini, founder of the Pier 88 Group – the pioneering hospitality powerhouse that brought Khufu’s to life – said, “My dream is to have Khufu’s and the ‘Egyptian Kitchen’ recognised around the world.”

In the intervening years, what once seemed like an outlandish dream has become a reality. Perched at the edge of the Giza Plateau, with one of the most monumental views in the world, Khufu’s has been awarded the 2025 Resy One To Watch Award — a prestigious honour from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants that signals the rise of a future heavyweight on the global fine dining stage. It marks the first time an Egyptian restaurant — homegrown and proudly Egyptian in both concept and cuisine — has claimed this international distinction.

Beyond the ranking, this is a recognition that Egyptian food — in all its history and heart — can hold its own among the world’s most elite kitchens, and do so on its own terms, in its own city, against the skyline of its own past.

“When we opened Khufu’s beneath the Great Pyramid, it was more than a restaurant — it was a tribute to Egyptian soul, a celebration of heritage through world-class hospitality,” Bolandrini told us this morning, hours after the news broke. “This award isn’t just a recognition of our journey; it’s a sign that Egyptian cuisine and storytelling belong on the global stage. I hope this moment inspires a new generation to believe that excellence can begin at home — and reach the world.”

At the helm of Khufu’s kitchen is Mostafa Seif, one of the most significant culinary figures to emerge from the region in the last decade. A Top Chef Middle East winner and a key voice in what is now being dubbed New Egyptian Cuisine, Seif’s culinary imaginings have seen him reinterpret Egyptian favourites in myriad unexpected and wonderful ways — from his signature koshari with delicate, layered umami to smoked beef mu’ammar rice that’s as technical as it is soulful. His work fuses precision with memory.

“Khufu’s is proof that Egypt can deliver fine dining with vision, discipline and authenticity,” Seif told us, the emotion audible in his voice. “We are not serving food under the pyramids — we are serving history, emotion and pride on a plate.”

The award comes shortly after Khufu’s was named the Best Restaurant in Egypt and placed No. 4 on MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants list — an ascent that speaks to both the restaurant’s artistic ambition and the growing appetite for contemporary local culinary narratives.

But perhaps what’s most compelling is that the Resy One To Watch acts as a kind of forecast — a nod to what’s coming. And what’s coming — if Khufu’s has anything to do with it — is a new chapter for Egyptian dining: one that honours where we’ve been, and finally invites the world to the table.