Food and drink

Food and drink (places to eat)

Eating out has become a local habit and is part of entertainment in Cyprus. There is a wide variety of restaurants, catering for all tastes. Along with taverns, which provide local and Greek dishes, there are restaurants that offer international cuisine such as French, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Lebanese, Japanese, Russian, Mexican and others.

The old staples of Greek cuisine – moussaka, stifado, kebab and Greek salad – will be much in evidence. The meze is perhaps a good way to get an insight into Cypriot food. Meze, or mezedhes, is a series of small different dishes that are provided throughout an evening, and may cover absolutely everything or pursue a fish or a meat theme. In a good restaurant the meze can contain up to 30 different dishes and it is important to pace yourself throughout the meal.

Kebab (souvlaki) appears in all menus and lamb is another common dish, either lamb chops or the more traditional kleftiko, which consists of large pieces of lamb baked slowly in traditional kleftiko ovens. Cypriots also have a taste for smoked meats, most notably the traditional loukanika sausage.

Fish is expensive, although kalamari – squid cooked in batter – is good value and widely available. Other fish options include swordfish, red mullet (Barbouni in Greek), whitebait and sea bass. Alternatively, fresh farmed trout is on the menu in some of the mountain villages.

Halloumi cheese is the main diary product distinctive to the island. It is made from goat’s milk and is often served grilled. The cheese is now available in most supermarkets.

Visitors should seek out some of the cake shops that attract local custom. The traditional Greek desserts such as baklava and cadefi may be too sweet for some tastes, but the wide range of custard bakes should appeal to us all, as will the biscuits, which can be bought by weight in these shops.

A similar range of food is available in the Turkish part of the island. Some dishes such as sis kebab and cacik (cucumber and yogurt salad) will already be familiar, but there are many other delights, among them elma dizmesi, a dish of apples and meat patties, and cuvecte yaz turlusu, a tasty summer stew.

Places to eat in Cyprus
Here is a selection of lovely places to eat in Cyprus:

Los Bandidos – Ayia Napa Square
A lovely, fresh and authentic Mexican restaurant with a lively yet romantic ambience. This child-friendly restaurant has outdoor seating. It’s recommended that you make reservations.

Limanaki – Ayia Napa Harbour
A waterside eatery specialising in fish. This restaurant offers Cypriot and International dishes and you can dine alfresco on the terrace.

Taverna Napa - 15 Democratias Street, Ayia Napa
This Taverna is perfect for a family dinner. North of the main action it offers a broad range of dishes at mid range prices. Open evenings only.

Hokkaido – 35 Odos Agias Mavris, Ayia Napa
Distinctly Traditional Japanese food of high standard, well designed interior with dishes such as Sushi, Tempura, Chicken Teriaki, Saki wine and other popular Japanese combinations. More importantly the personal contact between the customer, cooks and staff through the traditional Teppanyaki make the dinning at Hokkaido an unforgettable experience.

Limelight Taverna – Odos Liperti, Ayia Napa
Another taverna but not ideal for vegetarians! A high rep for Greek dishes and grills, steak, lobster, fish and chicken as well as succulent lamb and pork.

Zaffron – Ktima
The most fashionable of restaurants with delicious food. Zaffron has a Mediterranean menu, a good cocktail lounge and is open for lunch and dinner

Fetta’s Corner– Ktima
A little old lady cooks and dishes meals out through a little window on the side of a house while you sit at a table on the pavement in the park area over the road. The food is simple, meze and grills, but it’s cheap and tasty and the service is great. Open for lunch & dinner.

Kiniras Garden– Ktima
Oasis like restaurant in the leafy shaded garden of the Kiniras hotel. The owner buys ingredients fresh depending on number customers expected so you must book. Open for dinner only.

Koh-i-Noor– Kato Pathos
North Indian cuisine, lovely tandoori dishes and good wine list! Everyone recommends this place. Open for dinner only.

Almond Tree – Kato Pathos
One of Paphos’ better-kept culinary secrets. Almond Tree features Cypriot fusion cuisine – Thai-Cypriot tastes and stock Cypriot and international dishes. Open only for dinner.

Nikos Tyrimos Fish Taverna – Kato Pathos
The place to come for fish – caught daily by the owners own boats. You can choose from the fish on display or enjoy an enormous helping of a 22 dish fish meze.

Kings Aphrodite Restaurant  – Kato Pathos
Greek restaurant offering excellent souvlaki, suckling pig and the usual Greek offerings. Music played live several nights a week.

Cavallini – Kato Pathos
A fount of tasteful modern Italian cuisine with a stylishly rustic interior.

Bunch Of Grapes Inn – Pissouri
Located in the heart of the pretty hilltop village of Pissouri, in a small street of traditional Cypriot stone cottages, this small family-run restaurant offers its guests the chance to immerse themselves in village life. The restaurant Specialises in home-made local dishes.

Dionysos, Pissouri
A pleasant restaurant with a refined atmosphere. Inside the décor is elegant, while outside the terrace overlooks a long pool and the Mediterranean. Live music plays gently in the background and the menu is classic Cypriot with an international twist, accompanied by fine wines.

The Vineleaf Tavern
Caters for locals and tourists and features traditional Cyprus Night music and dancing with a self-service buffet on Friday evenings from May to October.

Sabuneri – Polis
Traditional village stone taverna, this sprawling restaurant in an extraordinary location, overlooking the Evretou Dam and a deserted village. Its menu consists mainly of mezes. Special themed evenings often held here.

Seafare Restaurant – Polis
The proprietor is charming and seafood second to none. The wonderful harbour setting is a bonus.

Arsinoe Fish Tavern – Polis
Atmospheric place on the south side of the pedestrian one, housed in an old stone building. Dining is alfresco, fish the specialty. Try the succulent octopus!

Old Town Restaurant – Polis
Discreet and relaxing place south of Arsinoe with a leafy, secluded garden. Specialties include wood-grilled chicken, chicken in spicy yogurt sauce and duck breast in black-cherry sauce. There is also a children’s menu.

Alekos Restaurant – Polis
Tucked away where almost no-one notices, this budget-minded local eatery serves filling dishes such as black-eyes beans or garden beans with tomatoes and meat. There’s also a complimentary litre of house wine for each pair of diners.

The Woodman, Limassol
More decorous and family orientated than some of its rivals, this pleasant pub-restaurant serves substantial meals.

Aliada, Limassol
This attractive garden behind an elegant mansion is a delightful place to dine on a summer evening, there are also four dining rooms inside. Much favoured by locals in the know, the food is some of the best in the region, especially the char grilled dishes.

Neon Phaliron, Limassol
Something of a local legend for its combination of traditional recipes with an up-to-date twist. Game features heavily in season, and the seafood is well worth trying also.

Xydas, Limassol
Make reservations well in advance if you want a table at Limassol’s best fish taverna # 25 72 83 36

Neromilos, Pera Pedi
A delightful village tavern beside a chuckling street, which formerly drove the watermill. Neromilos serves all the Cypriot favourites, prepared on the charcoal grill or in a traditional clay oven.

Porto Patchi, Latsi
Near the tiny fishing harbour at Latsi, this traditional fish tavern with outdoor tables has good seafood every day, as well as meze and charcoal-grilled meat dishes.

Akamas Fish Tavern, Agios Georgios
Perched above a tiny fishing harbour, this delightful restaurant serves fish, naturally as well as excellent meze and kebabs.

Kolossi Steak House, Kolossi
This friendly place is a favourite with the British armed forces families from the nearby bases as it serves English roasts.

Abu Faysal – Lefkosia
Sophisticated Lebanese cuisine served in an elegant villa setting.

Rodos – Lefkosia
In the old city by the Omeriye mosque, this is a reminder of an older Cyprus. There is Cypriot food and occasional Greek music.

Hippopotamus Grill – Lefkosia
International fare in an attractive modern interior.

Peri Orexeos– Lefkosia
The full Greek Cypriot experience, city style. Note the brown paper table coverings and unusual floor finish.

Xefoto– Lefkosia
This Laiki Geitonia café-restaurant sets itself apart from the rest of the traditional eateries in the area. The Cypriot and Mediterranean food complements its attitude by being more experimental.

John’s Restaurant – Trimiklini
Good value with some wonderful home-made food

Wine, brandy and beer
Cypriot wine is plentiful and inexpensive, and it is claimed that is has been made in Cyprus since 2000BC. The main wineries are at Limassol, but, increasingly, smaller producers are developing and some of the villages and monasteries now produce their own wines. It is an important business that is now worth €20 million a year in exports.

Commandaria sweet wine is one of Cyprus’s best known wines and it is said that is was drunk during the ancient festivals of Aphrodite. However its origins can only be definitively traced back to the estate of the Knights Hospitaller at Kolossi, 700 years ago.