Studio Samara Hosts a Cairo Food Week 2026 Grand Finale in Five Acts

After ten days of takeovers, talks, and tables served with the very best of Egypt and the world, Cairo Food Week’s closing ceremony was always destined to be nothing short of glamorous. It had already succeeded in bringing the international chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants into Cairo’s kitchens, sat famed artists with the new storytellers of Egypt’s culinary heritage to weave new tales, and proved to itself and the world that Egypt’s spot on the global food map was already here and now. What was left, then, but to celebrate?

Of course, this grand finale had to be just as bold as everything that preceded it. Powered by M Squared at Studio Samara, it harkened back the glitziest of Cairo cabaret nights from back when Downtown Cairo was at the height of its 20th century glory and Hollywood-fuelled Egyptomania raged abroad. Guests dressed in their 1930s best, and for an evening it felt like the days of this golden Egyptian era had never gone.Like a Shakespearean play, the night unfolded across five acts meticulously crafted by M Squared to combine music, mixology, and a live performance which began once the red curtains were lifted and continued throughout the night. These acts mirrored not only the arc of a Cairene day, but the stages which Cairo Food Week itself traversed; there was first ‘The City Wakes’, then ‘The Home’, ‘The Table’, ‘The Modern Cairo’, and, finally, ‘After Dark’, a fiesta of music, song, and dance.

For each act, Athenian fine drinking hotspot The Bar in Front of the Bar – which ranks No. 2 on Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026 – demonstrated what makes their cocktail craftsmanship so sought after, while homegrown Gnk Hospitality catered an ambitious vision to match. In ‘The City Wakes’, for example, a besara croquette with sweet onion jam and grilled halloumi with tomato and figs was paired with The Bar in Front of the Bar’s Karavan, a bubbly drink of Tanqueray gin, fig leaves, bergamot, and chamomile, where the real highlight was the infused mastic.

Behind The Bar in Front of the Bar (no, it wasn’t confusing), co-founder Konstantinos Theodorakopoulos had brought with him fellow bartenders Panos and Periklis from Athens, and the trio never let the tempo slow. Between acts, they served any choice of cocktail. When the next act started, they churned out the best-paired cocktail by the dozens, never once letting the quality slip or the pace fall behind.Their cocktails were telling their own story, in a way. A Johnnie Walker Black Label with porcini, berries, miso, and lactose was dubbed the Ali Bomaye, after the infamous boxing chant used to cheer on Muhammad Ali in the 70s. By the time they got to the final act, The Bar in Front of the Bar was serving up a deadly-delicious potion of Zacapa 23 rum, passion fruit, chocolate, and coffee, rewinding the clock with another burst of energy.

But the food was just as willing to author its own narrative. The ‘Modern Cairo’ act revealed an admirable performance of koshary arancini and chicken shawarma cigar, while in ‘After Dark’ a spin on classic Egyptian dessert was offered instead: profiterole halawa first, then roz b laban spring roll with candied orange.

This mix of everything, set within a celebration of the present through a retelling of the past, was not just the spirit of the night but the spirit which prevailed throughout Cairo Food Week’s fourth edition.

There had been ‘Tables of Egypt’ at the Grand Egyptian Museum, turning Egypt’s landscapes into art and then into food, ‘Architecture of Taste’ at Tamara Haus which broke down the how and why of what we eat, and a second season of ‘CFW Conversations’ at KOOK Zamalek, a kind of temperature check on Egypt’s culinary industry which dove into the most pressing issues facing it today. Then came the international chefs from as far afield as Denmark, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Nicaragua who took over some of Cairo’s top kitchens, and for six nights let the food speak for itself.

For Flavor Republic Ventures, the brains behind Cairo Food Week, this edition was not just about how far Cairo’s annual culinary landmark has come, but about regrouping, reorienting, and setting the stage for all that they want to achieve in the coming years. But at Studio Samara, they finally got to bask in their success.