Sailboats, Seafood & Spirits: The Storied Legacy of Sachi Marassi

"We started a movement," Ayman Baky, founder of Baky Hospitality, tells Scene Eats. "We opened the door for a wave of satellite restaurants to flourish in neighbourhoods."

Just over a decade ago, Egypt's F&B industry was a stark contrast to what it is today. The dining scene was largely defined by a dichotomy: home-grown fast food options on one end and opulent experiences confined to a handful of well-known hotel chains on the other. Dining out was almost a high-stakes game, with many people flocking to book their tables weeks, if not months, in advance. 

Back then, Ayman Baky - who would later go on to found Baky Hospitality Group - was deeply immersed in navigating Egypt's emerging nightlife scene. Meanwhile, Mohamed Fares, now the Chief Designer at Alchemy and Founder of MF Associates, was establishing his architectural career through a series of large-scale projects. Sachi, at that time, was just an idea on the horizon.

By 2014, Baky's vision had crystallised into a dream: a restaurant that would serve his community. He imagined a hidden gem, tucked beneath the lush greenery of Heliopolis, inviting locals into a space shielded from the outside world.

"Sachi Heliopolis is the foundation," Mohamed Fares tells Scene Eats. "It laid down the ingredients that would later become the Sachi Bible."

A decade later, Sachi has blossomed into an emblem of Egyptian success. The Park St. branch has become one of Cairo’s most popular rooftop dining destinations, while Sachi by the Sea, an extension of the brand in Almaza Bay, has pioneered new avenues for seasonal restaurants. Sachi’s multiple locations quickly earned a place among MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, firmly placing the Egyptian dining scene on the global food tourism map. 

By 2024, Sachi's vision had evolved, adapting to the surge of international recognition while preserving the brand’s core essence. In short, Baky knew he needed to go BIGGER. 

"I called Mostafa ElKady [CEO of Emaar] and told him I wanted to do something crazy," Baky reveals. "I said I’d give him the Sachi brand - on one condition: he had to give me an island. And we made it happen."

Within minutes of securing the new Marina Marassi (North Coast) location, Baky was on the phone with Fares to share the exciting news. Fares, well-acquainted with Baky’s ambitious approach to expansion, immediately began envisioning the "Sachi Island." He ultimately conceived a sailboat-inspired design that effortlessly weaves in Sachi’s signature design elements.

"A week after presenting the initial design, I changed everything," Fares reveals. "Sachi evolves with its surroundings. The light structures and translucent materials create a seamless connection between the indoor kitchen and the outdoor dining area, allowing guests to fully appreciate the stunning marina views."

The design, characterised by its lightweight and airy aesthetic, perfectly captures the essence of a coastal setting. As natural light filters through, it casts overlapping shadows across the tables, enhancing the ambiance. The design harmoniously integrates with Marassi Marina’s understated elegance while retaining the distinctive elements that define the Sachi brand. It’s sleek without being overly simplified, raw yet refined.

"The elements that define the Sachi experience are all there," Fares continues. "The wooden textures, the red accents, the tree, and the golden hues that line the periphery."

As Fares sketches the contours of Sachi’s landscape, Baky, ever the alchemist, fine-tunes the essence of its dishes, “Sachi is the Chateaubriand,” he explains. “Our menu items are our bread and butter. We measure our positioning through the balance we’re able to strike between our food and beverage sales.”

The Marassi location ushers in a new era for Sachi, but nothing here feels hurried or contrived. Ayman and Fares have long relinquished the need for reinvention. Instead, they let the currents carry them, trusting in the ebb and flow of their instincts. The future doesn’t demand definition; it sprawls out before them, a limitless expanse of open skies and boundless horizons. Their partnership, weathered and honed over a decade of wandering the world, is a repository of experiences - each journey, a fresh infusion of creative energy that continues to shape the Sachi legacy.