Egypt Authorities Order Removal of Popular Restaurant Complex in Upscale Zamalek District

Local security forces demolished the Club 33 restaurant complex in Cairo’s upscale Zamalek district on Monday, acting on orders from Egypt’s authorities.

According to reports, several of Zamalek’s residents had complained about the restaurant complex and investigations found that the complex was running illegally and without the proper licensing.

Amro Elfiky, owner of Wel3a, one of the cafés in Club 33, denied allegations that his café was unlicensed and told CairoScene that the security forces presented no warrants at the time of demolition and only said that they were acting on orders from the Governor of Cairo and the Minister of Irrigation.

The demolition was met with mixed reactions, with some hailing the authorities’ decision to remove the restaurant complex as a “blessing” and others decrying it as a “mess.”

Facebook page “Zamalek Community” claimed that Club 33 was polluting the Nile and that the shisha (hookah) provided by many of the cafés and restaurants in the complex was contributing to the area’s air pollution.

However, the page conceded that “although the decision for removing “Club 33″ was right, the way it was handled by the government was wrong,” saying that the owners should have received prior notification.

Elfiky, meanwhile, took to Facebook to post a video of the demolition, saying that the move will put 40 employees out of a job and waste “millions” in investments.

Local authorities previously cracked down on unlicensed cafés in Zamalek several years ago, leading to the temporary and permanent shuttering of several popular destinations.