4 Best Restaurants in El Gouna, Sharm el-Sheikh and Red Sea Coast

What better place than a rustic waterfront shack to enjoy a lazy lunch or dinner? The weathered wooden deck of El Sayadin, overlooking the resort's main inlet, is the ideal place to take in the fantastic beaches and seascapes of El Gouna. The menu combines excellent seafood with Egyptian specialties. Start with a mezze plate and then tuck into the grilled catch of the day, salmon served three ways, or fritto misto (crispy fried seafood). The restaurant's about 10 minutes by foot from downtown.

A good option in the heart of El Gouna, this restaurant serves a wide range of seafood as well as steaks in the evening. During the day, you'll find light snacks and sandwiches like their delicious shawarma (thin-cut meat and salad wrapped in unleavened bread—like a gyro). There's a terrace overlooking the square, so you can watch the world stroll by or grab your sandwich to go and head to the water.

Not only is this a great Italian restaurant, serving arguably the best food in El Gouna, but it's also a hip hangout. Kiki's opens at 8 pm to serve great plates of pasta plus grilled meats and seafood, but it really comes alive around 11—and keeps kickin' through the night until the last person leaves.

While finding sushi and Japanese food isn't too terribly difficult around the Red Sea, finding Vietnamese food—and good Vietnamese food, at that—is a rarity. Saigon serves excellent roasted duck and noodle soups, and it has a good selection of vegetarian options.