Seasonal & Lifestyle
Best Seafood Restaurants
Fresh Catches & Red Sea Views
You're sitting at a table by the water. The sun has just dipped below the horizon. A waiter places a platter in front of you — a whole grilled sea bream, charred at the edges, glistening with lemon and olive oil, surrounded by rice, salad, and warm baladi bread. The fish was swimming in the Red Sea this morning. This is what seafood in Sharm is supposed to be.
Sharm El Sheikh sits on one of the richest marine ecosystems on the planet, and its seafood restaurants reflect that. From no-frills fish markets where you point at your dinner and they grill it on the spot, to elegant waterfront terraces where the view costs as much as the meal — there's a seafood experience here for every budget and every mood. These are the places that do it best.
Where to Eat: The Top Spots
The real deal. A no-frills seafood joint where the fish is displayed on ice, you pick what you want, they weigh it and grill it. Red Sea snapper, sea bream, prawns, calamari — all impossibly fresh. Plastic chairs, paper tablecloths, and some of the best seafood you'll eat in Egypt. Prices are local. The grilled seabass with rice and tahini is the move.
Not strictly seafood-only — El Masrien is famous for its grilled meats too — but the fish here deserves its reputation. Grilled over charcoal, seasoned simply with salt, cumin, and lemon. The shrimp tagine is a standout. Bustling, loud, and beloved by locals. Come hungry. The mixed seafood platter feeds two easily.
A Sharm institution with a prime spot on Naama Bay's promenade. The seafood is reliable — grilled fish, seafood soup, fried calamari — and the people-watching is unbeatable. Sit on the terrace, order a cold drink, and watch the parade of tourists and locals drift past. Tourist prices, but the location justifies it.
Part of the Movenpick resort, the Fish Market offers a more refined seafood experience. Choose your fish from the ice display, and it's grilled or fried to order. The dining room is elegant, the service is attentive, and the seafood platter — lobster, prawns, calamari, and fish — is a special-occasion kind of meal. Reserve a table on the terrace for sea views.
Scattered through the Old Market area, small stalls and hole-in-the-wall joints serve fried fish sandwiches, shrimp plates, and seafood soup at prices that barely register. The quality varies — follow the crowd. If a stall is busy with Egyptian families, it's good. The fried shrimp sandwich with spicy tahini sauce is a revelation.
Several resorts along Shark's Bay and Nabq have excellent seafood restaurants open to non-guests. The setting — tables on the sand, waves in the background — elevates everything. Prices are resort-level, but the experience of eating grilled lobster with your feet in the sand is hard to beat. Call ahead to reserve.
"The Red Sea isn't just beautiful to look at — it's delicious. The fish here was swimming this morning. You can taste the difference."
What to Order: The Local Catch
Sea bream and sea bass are the staples — firm, white-fleshed fish that grill beautifully. Order them whole, charred over charcoal, dressed with nothing more than lemon, olive oil, and a dusting of cumin. Red Sea snapper is another local favorite, slightly sweeter and more delicate. If you see grouper on the menu, order it — it's one of the finest fish in the Red Sea, with meaty, succulent flesh.
For shellfish, prawns and calamari are ubiquitous and generally excellent. Grilled prawns, still in the shell, with a side of garlic sauce. Calamari rings, lightly fried and served with lemon. Lobster is available at the upscale restaurants — expensive by Egyptian standards, but a fraction of what you'd pay in Europe or North America. Seafood soup — a rich, tomato-based broth packed with fish, shrimp, and calamari — is the comfort food of the Red Sea coast.
The Local Way: Fish Market Dining
The most authentic seafood experience in Sharm happens at places like Fares and the smaller fish joints in the Old Market. Here's how it works: you walk up to the ice display, point at the fish you want, and they weigh it. You specify how you want it cooked — grilled is the default and best option for fresh whole fish, but fried is popular for smaller fish and calamari. You sit down. Twenty minutes later, a platter arrives with your fish, rice, salad, and bread. You eat with your hands. You pay a fraction of what a waterfront restaurant would charge.
This is how Egyptians eat seafood. It's not fancy. It's not romantic in the conventional sense. But it's honest, delicious, and deeply satisfying. If you only do one seafood meal in Sharm, do it this way.
Timing: The freshest fish arrives in the morning. Lunch and early dinner are the best times to eat.
Pricing: At local fish markets, you pay by weight. Confirm the price per kilo before they weigh your fish. At tourist restaurants, prices are on the menu and fixed.
Drinks: Local beer (Stella) pairs beautifully with grilled fish. Fresh lemon juice with mint is the non-alcoholic go-to.
Where locals go: Fares Seafood and El Masrien in the Old Market area. Follow the Egyptian families. They know.
Bring Your Appetite
The Red Sea is on your plate. From grilled snapper at a plastic table to lobster on the sand — Sharm's seafood is unforgettable.
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