Egyptian Night Life Review - El Gato Negro

El Gato Negro

El Gato Negro By
Juergen Stryjak

Even if some traveler guides want you to believe this: The nightlife scene in Cairo does not only consist of belly dance clubs and five-star hotel facilities. While it is true that belly dance performances are worth visiting, if only because of the opportunity to watch some of the most famous belly dancers in the Middle East. It is true, also, that nearly all five-star hotels offer their own discotheques, but nevertheless, there is, of course, a local nightlife out there, and how! The tourist definitely has the opportunity to mix with locals and expatriates, away from the somehow artificial environment of the tourist places.

El Gato Negro is a club that changes its atmosphere nightly. If you ask ten young people, which kind of place you can expect there, you will get at least five different answers. The club is many-sided like the city itself. On Thursday night, the high-school kid will argue, you find there the highest density of baseball caps and goatees allover Cairo. On Wednesday, the full beard will tell you, the place belongs to worn out Levis and bleached ZZ Top tour-shirts. On Sunday, the student advises, don't forget to bring your guitar with you, the drum or the harmonica it is Free Night and everybody is invited to make music. But be careful! This is not a set schedule! The events are subject to change, and its best to call the club in advance or have a look into an English-language weekly, the Cairo Times for example, which gives you a calendar of events, as accurately as possible in a fast-moving city like Cairo.

The club, formerly known as Fat Black Pussy Cat, has nightly "Theme Nights", currently every Thursday a Club Night with hip hop and dance floor, popular among students from the plethora of international schools in Cairo and among westernized Cairenes. On Tuesday and Saturday, Salsa parties follow Salsa dance classes, and on Wednesday is Rhythm'n'Blues Night. Monday night belongs to Nubian and Ra music and on Sunday, the Free Night, you will find the crowd singing and dancing like a boy scout meeting.

Stella, a local beer brand, sponsors the bar. The cheapest Stella goes for LE 12 per bottle ($ 3.40), a bottle of local wine for around LE 60 ($ 17). The ticket prices vary between LE 15 and LE 35 ($ 4.20$ 9.70), including two free drinks. On some days, the admission is free. The club offers food, too, but it is not the food for which the place is famous. The rooms are often crowded and therefore a great place to meet new people.

El Gato Negro. 32, Jeddah Street, Mohandessin, Cairo, west of the Shooting Club, right next to the restaurant Tia Maria. Telephone: 76 16 888. The club opens daily at around 7:00 pm.