By night, the alleyway outside El Rifai doubles as the restaurant's main eating section.
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El Rifai waiter Ahmed Fahmy smiles while holding a tray of kabob, sausages and kofta, made from minced beef grilled on skewers. Fahmy, who makes just under $100 per month, says tips declined when the price of beef shot up.
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Cooks in El Rifai's "kitchen" prepare the meat for the skewers. On good nights, El Rifai sells around 100 kilograms of kabob, lamb chops and sausages.
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A worker in one of El Rifai's small meat lockers easily slices through a rack of ribs.
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Mohamed El Rifai, 66, owner and namesake of the El Rifai meat restaurant in Cairo's Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood. El Rifai started more than 40 years ago, selling kabobs on the street in a metal cart.
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Wahid Mohamed stands over his post in one of El Rifai's small meat lockers. Mohamed makes $6 per day preparing meat for the kitchen.
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