After putting in a hard day’s work, Ahmed Hashem, 29, an Egyptian businessman living in eastern Cairo, loves to have dinner with his friends at the Garemt Akl (Crime of Eating) restaurant on Makram Ebeid Street in Nasr city, a district in the eastern part of the capital.

The restaurant, which opened earlier this year, is designed to look like a prison. The menu lists “provisions” and the bill is called “bail.” A “release” sign is placed on top of the door, for customers to see on their way out. Part of the restaurant is decorated with chains and handcuffs, while another wall is filled with ironic quotes about life in prison.

Hashem told Al-Monitor that the restaurant’s name and slogan caught his attention when he drove past it with a friend. They stopped and went inside. They were very impressed with the idea and decor, and once they tried the food they knew they would be coming back. Hashem loved the jailhouse humor in the menu and the slogans on the walls.

“Other restaurants are not as interesting as this place. I prefer it here because the concept is original,” he said, adding that he is always on the lookout for new restaurants.