In Terminal 3, Paul is the “less-bad” sit-down option.
Terminal 3 at CAI doesn’t have many proper cafés, and Paul stands out mostly because the croissants and coffee are actually decent compared with the KFC and McDonald’s nearby. It sits airside in T3, so you’re fine once you clear security and immigration for EgyptAir or other Star Alliance departures. Expect mid-range airport pricing: figure around the $$ bracket compared with Cairo city, with pastries and coffee easily running to Western Europe prices.
This is a French-style bakery café, so lean into what they’re good at: croissants, pastries, simple sandwiches, and espresso drinks. Travellers on TripAdvisor call out the plain croissant and a basic coffee as “probably the nicest food in the terminal,” which tells you more about CAI than about Paul, but still. Skip anything that looks like a heavy plated entrée; regulars say value drops fast once you move past light meals and breakfast-type items.
Reddit’s u/milesabroad summed it up bluntly: if you have to eat at CAI, Paul in T3 is at least acceptable compared to the fast food chains along the same concourse. That “acceptable” comes at a premium: several reviewers complain prices are significantly higher than in central Cairo, so don’t come here expecting local café value. On the upside, you can sit down at a proper table with cutlery instead of balancing a tray at a gate.
What regulars do: they time it for breakfast before EgyptAir morning departures and stick to one pastry plus a coffee, or at most a simple sandwich. That keeps the bill under control and avoids the weaker parts of the menu. Lines spike before banks of flights around 06:00–08:00, so add 15–20 minutes if your boarding time is close. One practical tip: pay in card rather than cash so you don’t burn through Egyptian pounds you might need after landing.