Restaurants in Cyprus
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Seven St Georges' Tavern
If only everyone was as loving and meticulous about food production and preparation as George, the tavern's owner. Everything you eat and drink in this place is grown, dried or pickled organically by the owner. He has a herb garden at the back, and a meat-smoking cabin from where drool-provoking smells tickle the nostrils. Even the wine is produced here, from organic home-grown grapes.
Your meze, the house speciality, comes in the usual trickle of olives and capers, beetroot and carrot salads, cold meats, casseroles and smoked ham. Everything is season-dependent so you might get hand-picked wild asparagus, herbed wild mushrooms, aubergines in tomato, or fantastically…
reviewed
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Zanettos Taverna
This place has a great reputation in the city, as it is allegedly one of the oldest traditional taverns. The locals flock here in their dozens, and it's definitely worth joining them. A great place for meze, it's hidden away in a slightly shady part of town, where the painted ladies sit in their doorways, waiting for business.
reviewed
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A
Hondros
A fat Cypriot bloke in an undershirt gives you 'come hither' glances from the big board above Hondros. Below is a lovely terrace shaded by vines. Tables are covered in simple pink checked cloths, the service is good and the food traditional and delicious. The menu offers all the usual Cypriot dishes, with meaty stifado (rabbit or beef stew) and kleftiko, and a variation on the tasty Turkish dish Imam Bayildi, here known as Imam (aubergines and courgettes in a tomato and garlic sauce).
The children's menu ('Kids corner') looks as if it was lifted out of a McDonald's, with a choice of chicken nuggets, fishfingers and hamburgers.
reviewed
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B
Syrian Arab Friendship Club
Apart from being one of the best places to eat in Lefkosia, this is the ideal place for vegetarians. The meze is massive, so approach it with respect, and if you come for lunch, you won't be eating dinner. The large garden is laden with cooling fans and greenery, and children are welcome to play.
The service is superfriendly, and the wonderful food is an experience of its own: green beans, chick peas, tabouleh (bulgur-wheat and parsley salad) and plenty of meat too. Try the delicious mahalabia (a light, rice custard, served cold) dessert and, once you're so stuffed you can't move, puff on a nargileh.
reviewed
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Sabor
Right next to Selimiye Mosque, this is decidedly North Nicosia's trendiest restaurant. Stylish wooden tables inside are surrounded by leather sofas in the lounge area; colourful lamps swing low; fashion photos adorn the walls. The large terrace is on the square, and on Wednesdays and Fridays there is live jazz piano music.
Its excellent Italian and Spanish food is especially good for those days when you can't take another kebab, although there are oriental-style noodles too, and the prices are surprisingly low. The espresso and cappuccino are just right.
reviewed
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C
Antonaros Tavern
For a no-frills, genuinely Cypriot, local-style evening meal. Only mezedes are served here. Choose from a wide range of dishes such as snails and mussels as well as fish. The handwritten notes on the wall are Greek philosophical sayings.
reviewed
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Pasta Villa
A self-service pasta restaurant that also does some OK pizza.
reviewed
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Kyrenia Beach Restaurant
The closest thing to a deserted beach in this part of the island is Avdimou. As you park your car (which is the only means of getting here), a massive sign warns those inclined to nudism that there will be a heavy punishment if they even think of stripping here. As things go, this is a good indication that hardly anyone comes to this place, and that the beach is a peaceful and quiet one. Like most other beaches in Cyprus, it has no shade, and is a combination of small pebbles and sand.
The sea is not as choppy as at Kourion Beach and, with a good umbrella, this is the place for super-relaxation. Kyrenia Beach Restaurant is the only place to eat on the beach, with a wooden…
reviewed
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Tziellari
You won't have to look hard to find this place. All you have to do is open your ears as you get to the murky night-time Plateia Achiepiskopou Kyprianou, then follow the sound of the bouzouki down a dark alley and push the heavy doors into Tziellari. There is such a distinct atmosphere in this restaurant that you might feel as if you'd walked onto a film set from the 1930s: dark wooden walls, demure lighting, and often entire families dining and Greek dancing, arms outstretched.
The meze is as typical as you get, starring the Cypriot favourites such as olives, grilled haloumi, souvlaki and seftalia (grilled Cypriot sausage). There is house wine, zivania (local firewater)…
reviewed
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D
127
In a country of meze and meat-eaters, 127 is a place with a serious difference. Vintage furniture adorns the three rooms inside, with comfy old sofas and rugged leather armchairs, and bowling pins sit on the 'mantelpiece'. Exposed-brick walls provide the backdrop, and some are painted in mossy greens, raspberry pinks and melon yellows. There is a lovely large garden for lunch or dinner.
And the food is all about salads. But don't go expecting a bit of rocket or lettuce and a slice of tomato. The people in this place know how to make a salad (and how to make your mouth water): the seafood salad is swamped with succulent prawns, thin slices of salmon and bits of squid, all…
reviewed
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E
Da Paolo
A small Italian place with pizza that smells so divine you will throw caution to the wind and forget all about your low-carb diet. The interior (only used in winter) is a red-brick room, with high ceilings and tall, wooden-shuttered windows. Everything smells of the herbs and garlic that dangle above the ovens. Waiters risk their lives carrying your food across the street to the summer garden, which sits right on top of the Venetian walls.
Wood-fired brick ovens bake your pizza, and the pasta is always al dente.
reviewed
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F
Zaffron
Zaffron has caused a stir among Cypriot gastronomes, and the place is always full of people who want to be spotted in this most fashionable of restaurants. But being seen is not what it's all about: the food is truly delicious. The menu is Mediterranean, so try the rack of lamb with pesto or the homemade pâtés, and end your meal with a chocolate dessert you will remember for months. There is also a good cocktail lounge bar. Basically, in Pafos, this is where it's at.
reviewed
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G
1900 Art Cafe
A Montmartre restaurant-café in the middle of Larnaka: strange but true. A wonderfully atmospheric place on two floors, with art-exhibition posters and paintings covering the walls. If you like reading on the toilet, this place is definitely for you, as there are books on all sorts of subjects. The Art Café opens for breakfast, morning coffee and early lunch, and the doors of the old house are opened again for dinner, when vegetarian and meat dishes are served.
reviewed
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H
Fetta's Corner
A little old lady cooks and dishes things out through a low window on the side of the house; the grill's smoke is so thick it makes you think she might come running out with her apron on fire. Through the clouds of smoke, efficient waiters dodge the cars, crossing the little street between the lady's window and the tables sprawled on the pavement and in the little park. The food is simple, meze and grills, but it's cheap and tasty, and the service is great.
reviewed
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I
Bonsai
The best Japanese place in town. Sitting deep inside the Holiday Inn, Bonsai serves tasty sushi that goes around the counter, as you sit on high stools and get hypnotised by the moving choice. Nigiri sushi consisting of raw tuna, hamour, sword fish, omelette, salmon, mackerel, octopus, shrimp, squid and California rolls is a delicacy. An all-you-can eat sushi buffet is on offer every Monday and Thursday lunchtime, and Tuesday dinner time.
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J
Odos Othellou
This small Greek blue-and-white house is like an apparition on the dimly lit street. The little wooden tables outside are the perfect spot for a quiet dinner or drink, away from the traffic and the people. Like most traditional outfits, this place serves meze, but the emphasis is on the mainland Greek version, which is all about grilled meat. For a set price, you can eat, have one free drink and listen to bouzouki (inside the restaurant only).
reviewed
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K
1900 Paei Kairos
The only place in the tourist part worth going to. It's a pretty little Greek-style mezedopolio (a small restaurant specialising in mezedes). It serves mix-and-match mezedes such as stryftari (a pie made up of five cheeses), eggplant stuffed with cheese in filo pastry, and eggplant patties. Have a tipple of tsipouro (a clear, distilled spirit) or try a selection of the mainly Greek wines on offer.
reviewed
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Kamares Restaurant
Few tourists come this far out of town but it's worth the effort, as the quality of the food is excellent. It faces the impressive Kamares aqueduct, which is romantically floodlit at night. Try karaolia (land snails) or kouloumbra (kohlrabi cabbage) for a taste of something special. There is live music on Friday and Saturday. Take a cab to get there, and direct your driver towards the nearby K-Cineplex cinema complex.
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Syrian Arab Friendship Club
Sister of the Lefkosia restaurant and just as good, the SAFC is a delight to all lovers of Arab cuisine that's rich with chick peas, beans, herbs, spices, grilled and marinated meats and deliciously sweet desserts. And here the meze will absolutely blow your tastebuds. A nargileh (Middle Eastern water pipe) after eating is a superb treat, and, if you're lucky, you may even get to have a belly dancer flex her abdominals at you.
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Karatello
The tall ceilings of the old mill and the massive space inside gives Karatello a stylish, modern look that goes with the interesting cuisine. Dishes that stand out in tastiness are rabbit in yoghurt and lemon sauce, seasonal greens baked with feta cheese, and a delicious and neatly served kleftiko (oven-baked lamb or goat). The menu has little boxes where you tick off your order and hand it over to your waiter.
reviewed
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Mill Restaurant
The large terrace is shady and cool, and the little river trickles past, barely turning the once-functioning mill wheel below. In the winter, you eat by the fireplace, which is just as good. Trout is a big thing here, and it comes in two forms: grilled and 'special'. The chefs won't reveal the secret of the 'special' but its tastiness speaks for itself. As with the Linos Inn, it's good to reserve a table on weekends.
reviewed
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Double Six Coffee Bar
This great café is decked out in smooth ebony furniture, hauled all the way from Bali by Vassos, the owner. The atmosphere is relaxed, there are cushions to recline on and delicious fresh juices to boost your system. Try the sweet Cypriot prickly pear, hydrating watermelon, or delicious kiwi juice. Breakfast on haloumi, tomato and lountza (pork-loin sausage) sandwiches, and a delicious cappuccino.
reviewed
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Boghjalian
Housed in the former mansion of a wealthy Armenian, the Boghjalian is a quality restaurant and very popular in town. The set menu consists of either meze or mixed kebab. Food is served in a leafy courtyard. This place is almost always full for dinner and particularly for lunch, when visitors cross over from the South, especially as it's close to the Ledra Palace Hotel crossing point.
reviewed
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Limanaki
Down by the beach in Pissouri Bay, the best place to eat is Limanaki, which was once a taverna, and before that a carob mill. People from Pafos and Lemesos come here to eat. The restaurant is famous for its homemade curries, and more elaborate Middle Eastern dishes such as lamb cubes cooked in yoghurt sauce and garnished with dry mint and pine nuts, served with basmati rice.
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Mandra Taverna
This place sells itself as the 'genuine article' among the vast number of cheap, bad eateries and restaurants by virtue of having been there since 1979 and its name having originated from the word for barn. But it really does look like yet another mass-tourism place. The dozens of tables and chairs scream quantity over quality, but many guests swear by the fish meze.
reviewed