Wenkie’s German Ice Cream & Iced Coffee Parlour

Wenkie's is the place to go in Luxor when the heat gets too much. Opened in 2014 by Ernst and Babette Wenk, a German couple who settled in the city, it is an ice cream parlour and café on El Gawazat Street on the East Bank, in the area of the big riverside hotels south of the town centre. It has become a fixture for visitors and residents alike, and it can get busy, especially in the afternoons.

What makes Wenkie's stand out is the ice cream itself. It is made with milk from local water buffalo, which gives a rich, creamy texture, and the flavours draw heavily on Egyptian ingredients. Expect choices such as hibiscus, guava, pomegranate and doum fruit, the fruit of the doum palm, alongside favourites like chocolate. Combining two complementary flavours is part of the fun, and staff are happy to suggest pairings.

The menu goes beyond scoops. Iced coffee is a speciality, as the name suggests, and there are milkshakes, sundaes, waffles and hot coffee for cooler winter days. The shop is bright and welcoming, and a wall map where visitors pin their home towns shows how far its fans have travelled.

Wenkie's suits families with children, couples and anyone in need of a cool break between sightseeing trips. It is a good spot to recover after a morning on the West Bank or before an evening visit to Luxor Temple. Vegans should note that the ice cream is made with dairy milk, though it is worth asking whether any sorbets are on offer.

The parlour is on El Gawazat Street, close to the hotels along Khaled Ibn El Walid Street, so it is easy to walk to from the Steigenberger Nile Palace and its neighbours, or a short taxi ride from the town centre. Opening times are not published online and may change with the season, so check locally before making a special trip. Bring cash in small notes, which is easiest for small purchases in Luxor.

If you are travelling with children, a promised stop at Wenkie's can be a useful reward after a long morning of temples and tombs.