After Eight Night Pub and Restaurant

Feeling that Cairo lacks a bit of that “underground” flair? Looking for something more “alternative” than the Buddha Bar? Want to have plenty of fun with live music from some of the most entertaining bands in town? Well, the After Eight might well be what you are looking for.

To be clear from the outset, I have to say that this is not a place that will please everyone. Strictly speaking, the place resembles more a cellar than a club. Its entrance is in a shabby alley off Kasr El Nil Street, a place you would not even notice if it was not for the big After Eight sign above it. The venue is small, with windows permanently shut (I suspect they are only a decorative item). The light is so dim that you’ll have problem recognizing your partner, and the air is clouded by an ever increasing layer of fog created by the smoke of hundreds of cigarettes. The place is usually as packed as a Talaat Harb pavement at weekends, and when the music starts, it is time to practice your hand (and body) language as any form of verbal communication is virtually impossible.
Sounds like hell? Well, provided you are the right person for the place, it isn’t! The décor is basic but functional. The dim lights give a cosy feeling to the place (was about to say intimate, but it does not really apply here, unless you arrive at 9:00 PM when the place is virtually empty), the service is efficient and very friendly without being affected, the amplification system is of good quality, the crowd (overwhelmingly local) is young, energetic and very civilized (thanks probably to the “couples only” door policy). On the top of it the food and beverage menu will not blow a hole in your wallet (prices available on the website). The live bands performing at After Eight are of the highest quality (Salalem, Wust El Balad, Sahra and Bashir are regulars). Live concerts start around 11:30 PM and go usually on until 1:30 AM (with a break). Before, after, and in between, it is the DJ that keeps the ambiance warm. Closing time is 3:00 AM. There is a minimum charge of 100 LE at weekends and on Monday, and 60 LE the other days. You shall be 25 years of age to get access to the place (bring ID).

You will smell like a smoked herring, your ears will whistle, you'll lose your voice, and you’ll probably be dead tired the “morning after”, but you’ll have had a hell of an evening, guaranteed!

After Eight Night Pub and Restaurant - 6, Kasr El Nil St. (just a block before the “Arabesque” restaurant), Downtown Cairo. Tel: 010 3398000. Website: http://www.after8cairo.com