Ali El-Haggar’s Alexandria Finale: Dinner and Café Guide
A major Alexandria concert night is set for 29 October
Veteran Egyptian singer Ali El-Haggar is scheduled to perform the closing concert of the 34th Arab Music Festival on Thursday, 29 October at Sayed Darwish Theatre, the Alexandria Opera House, according to Ahram Online’s report on his return to this year’s festival. The same report says the festival itself runs from 20 to 30 October in Cairo and Alexandria and that this edition is dedicated to the memory of Hany Shaker. For Alexandria audiences, that makes 29 October one of the city’s clearest culture-calendar dates of the month rather than just another gig on the schedule.
El-Haggar’s appearance also carries extra interest because it comes after a very public festival dispute earlier this month. Ahram Online reported that he first withdrew, then confirmed his return on 4 October 2026, thanking Cairo Opera House chairman Dr Reda El-Wakil after what he said was a response to the musicians’ demands. For fans, that turns the Alexandria finale into both a performance and a headline-making comeback moment inside one of Egypt’s most storied music venues.
Why Sayed Darwish Theatre makes the right setting
The venue matters here. The Cairo Opera House says the Alexandria Opera House, better known as Sayed Darwish Theatre, was constructed in 1918, opened in 1921 as the Mohamed Ali Theatre, renamed in 1962 in honour of composer Sayed Darwish, and restored before reopening in 2004. Today it hosts opera, ballet, orchestral concerts, Arab music ensembles and visiting productions, which is exactly why an Arab Music Festival finale feels so at home here.
Its location also helps. The theatre sits in central Alexandria’s historic downtown orbit, close to Fouad Street, Raml Station and the city’s long-established café-and-restaurant circuit. That means you can realistically build an evening around the concert without needing a long cross-city transfer before curtain time or after the encore.
How to plan the night
If you are treating this like a proper Alexandria outing, the easiest formula is simple: early dinner, short walk to the theatre, then coffee and dessert after the show. Because this is a festival closing night, give yourself more buffer than usual around Raml and Fouad Street. Aim to finish dinner at least 45 to 60 minutes before you expect to head inside.
- Best for a full evening: dinner on Fouad Street, concert, then dessert or coffee at Raml Station.
- Best for convenience: eat right next to the theatre.
- Best for heritage atmosphere: save room for one of downtown Alexandria’s old-school cafés after the performance.
Where to eat before the concert
1) Potasta for the closest practical pre-show meal
If your priority is location, Potasta is the easiest pick in this guide. Tripadvisor lists it at 22 Fouad Street, next to Al-Sayed Darwish Theater, which makes it the most convenient option for anyone who wants dinner without watching the clock too nervously. The listing describes the place as serving pasta, baked potatoes, salads and casual mains, with menu examples including Seafood Pasta, Shrimp Pasta, Fajita Mash Potato and Supreme Mash Potato. Listed sample prices currently include 330 for some shrimp and seafood pasta dishes and 190 for some loaded potato dishes. Because aggregator prices can change, treat those figures as a recent reference point rather than a guaranteed bill.
This is the best choice for groups, families, or anyone coming straight from work and wanting a straightforward meal close to the entrance.
2) Au Privé for a later, more lounge-style dinner
Also very close to the theatre, Au Privé is listed by Tripadvisor at 15 El-Horeya Road, Fouad Street, next to Sayed Darwish Theater, with opening hours shown daily until 1:00 am. The listing describes it as a restobar serving comfort food in an elegant setting, which makes it a useful option if your group wants a more social dinner before the concert or a bite and drink after it.
For concert night, Au Privé makes sense if you want a longer sit-down atmosphere but still need to stay within the theatre’s immediate area.
3) Chez Gaby Au Ritrovo for a classic downtown Alexandria dinner stop
If you want to stay on-theme with central Alexandria dining, Chez Gaby Au Ritrovo is another Fouad Street name worth considering. Tripadvisor places it at 22 El Horreya Road in Alexandria, close to the opera-house area. It is a familiar choice for diners looking for a more established restaurant setting rather than a quick café meal.
This is the sort of place to pick when the concert is the anchor of a proper night out rather than a quick in-and-out plan.
Where to go for coffee and dessert after the show
1) Délices (@delicesgroup on Instagram) for the most iconic post-concert stop
For many Alexandrians, the most satisfying way to end a music night downtown is with coffee and pastry somewhere that already feels part of the city’s memory. Délices (@delicesgroup on Instagram) fits that mood perfectly. On its official site, Délices says it has been in Alexandria since 1922, still run by the same Greek family, and that its flagship is at 46 Saad Zaghloul Street, Raml Station, open daily from 8:00 am to 1:00 am. The brand also notes its long royal-era history, including baking King Farouk’s coronation cake in 1937 and his wedding cake in 1938.
That makes Délices ideal after an Ali El-Haggar concert: you move from a heritage theatre into a heritage café-restaurant without losing the old-Alexandria feel. If you want dessert, coffee and a little post-show conversation, this is the strongest all-round recommendation in the area.
2) Brazilian Coffee Stores for old-school Alexandria coffee culture
Brazilian Coffee Stores is another strong downtown stop if coffee matters as much as dessert. Its official site says the Alexandria shop first opened in 1929 and describes it as the city’s first store for selling ground coffee. Third-party business listings also place the better-known branch at 44 Saad Zaghloul Street in Raml Station and reference the Instagram handle @brazilian.coffee.stores.1929; because that handle appears in search results tied to the business but was not independently visible in a directly opened official Instagram page here, it is better treated as a search-verified reference rather than a stronger official-site confirmation.
For readers planning the route, the appeal is obvious: after a formal concert, this is where you can shift into classic Alexandria coffee mode without leaving downtown.
3) Trianon for a polished café finish near Raml
Trianon remains one of the city’s best-known café names. Its official site says the brand dates to 1905, and its Le Salon branch is at 52 Saad Zaghloul Street, Raml Station, open daily from 7:00 am to midnight. That puts it firmly in the same practical post-show orbit as Délices and Brazilian Coffee.
If Délices feels best for dessert-led nostalgia and Brazilian Coffee feels best for a coffee-first stop, Trianon is the balanced option: central, established and easy to fold into a downtown Alexandria concert night.
Best full-night-out combinations
- Most convenient: Potasta before the show, then a short walk back for curtain time.
- Most classic Alexandria: dinner on Fouad Street, concert at Sayed Darwish Theatre, then coffee and mille-feuille or pastry at Délices.
- Best for coffee lovers: an early dinner near the theatre followed by late coffee at Brazilian Coffee Stores.
- Best for a slightly dressier evening: Au Privé or Chez Gaby before the show, then Trianon for dessert.
The takeaway for 29 October
Ali El-Haggar’s 29 October appearance is not just another live date. It is the closing concert of one of Egypt’s flagship music festivals, staged in a theatre whose own history is part of Alexandria’s cultural identity. Add the density of nearby dining and café landmarks around Fouad Street and Raml Station, and the evening practically plans itself.
If you are booking the night now, the smartest move is to choose your pre-show table according to distance and pace, then keep the second half of the outing for downtown coffee, cake and a slow post-concert walk through central Alexandria. That is how to do an Arab Music Festival finale properly in this city.