Restaurants

We have used the following symbols to give an idea of the per-person price for a three-course meal (or a mezé), excluding drinks:

€€€€ over 40 euros

€€€ 25–40 euros

€€ 15–25 euros

€ below 15 euros

Southern Cyprus

Nicosia

Kathodon €€ Lidras 62D, tel: 22 661656. Open daily from 10am until 2am. Just 100 metres/yds from the checkpoint, this place is enduringly popular with trendy Cypriots and discerning foreigners. The menu is Cypriot and mainland Greek fusion, either mezé format or à la carte, though wine choice is limited. Seating is on the ground floor, on a small loft or outside; satirical maxims and photos of film/music stars line the walls. There’s quality acoustic Greek music most nights, and you have to book at weekends; come for the buzz as much as for the grub.

Pantopoleio €€€ Metochiou 38, tel: 22 675151. Open Mon–Sat for lunch and dinner. Since 2010, this taverna has gained a loyal following for fare straddling metropolitan Greek and Cypriot in the best possible way. Heaping salads or starters like stuffed breaded mushrooms, ospriáda (bean salad) or stuffed red Florina peppers precede mains such as pork chops garnished with eggplant purée. Save room for decadent desserts like mousse with orange zest, or rose-petal jam in a crumble crust. Pavement tables are always packed during warm weather; the 1920s interior, recalling its past as a grocery (pandopolío), can get noisy.

Sawa €€ Klimentos 31, Agios Antonios district, new town, tel: 22 766777. Open daily 11am–late. One of two excellent Syrian restaurants in the capital, Sawa is popular with families who know good value when they see it. If the kitsch interior is too much, dine out in the garden (where a heated tent is erected in winter). It would be masochistic to have mains, when the mezé/salad platters are so rich – loaded with nakanek (sausage), fattoush (salad made with fried pita), tabbouli and sodat dajaj (chicken livers) among others. For dessert, try mahallebí or baklavás, neither overly sweet or gooey. For tipple, there’s arak or ouzo to any measure, cheaper than the still-competitive wine list. Private parking is a plus in this congested area.

Zanettos €€ Trikoúpi 65, old town, tel: 22 765501. Open daily 6.30pm–12am. A modest entrance leads to this arcaded warren, going since 1938, with wall photos of past illustrious patrons staring down at you (except in the inside summer patio). Despite its fame among foreigners, quality has been maintained, with a loyal local following. They tuck into a monstrously large set-price mezé, which may include snails, wine-marinated spare ribs, sliced liver, bean dishes, and pourgoúri (bulgur wheat) with noodles; dessert (if you’ve got room) comprises mahallebí, fruit and halvás. The Pafos bulk wine is decent.

Larnaka

Art Café 1900 €€ Stasinou 6, tel: 24 653027, www.artcafe1900.com.cy. Open Mon, Wed–Sat 6pm–2.15am, Sun 6pm–midnight. This charming bar-restaurant occupies a lovely early 20th-century townhouse near the Pierides Museum. Downstairs, among film posters on the walls, Marios offers the island’s largest selection of beers (especially Belgian) and whiskies, plus expertly segued classic rock (he’s a DJ by day). Upstairs, Maria presides over the Mediterranean-fusion restaurant, featuring dishes like chicken with orange juice, thyme and garlic; duck on special occasions; and vegetarian options. Wall décor consists of original canvases (Maria’s and other artists’), while there may be apple crumble à la mode for dessert.

Gevseis en Lefko €€ Piyale Paşa 8, tel: 99 435963. Open Tue–Sun for noon–11pm and dinner and Mon 6–11pm. The name means ‘tastes in white’, and indeed the interior is all-white save for film-star photos and blue-checked tablecloths. The place styles itself a mezedotavernío, falling somewhere between a traditional tavern and a Greece-style ouzeri. Salads are copious, starters like baby aubergine stuffed with cheese and mince are first rate, but meat dishes are apt to disappoint compared to seafood like grilled octopus. Drinks are reasonably priced.

Glykolemono € Zinonos Kitieos 105, tel: 24 623010. Open daily 8.30am–11pm. Larnaka’s favourite, and classiest, café, with Belle Epoque floor tiles but otherwise contemporary décor. Besides expertly brewed coffees, the stock in trade is speciality pastries like peïnirlí and sweet or savoury bougátsa (custard pie), a great breakfast. Expensive for what it is; takeaway is much cheaper.

Zephyros €€–€€€ Piale Paşa 37, tel: 24 657198. Open daily 11.30am–11pm. The most reliably performing of several fish tavernas along here, with a tellingly high level of local patronage. Scaly fish or cephalopods come with the traditional tsayíri garnish rather than a formal salad: in springtime, probably celery, kouloúmbra, raw artichokes, lettuce, parsley and rocket. An army of black-and-white-liveried waiters provides efficient service.

Agia Napa and Region

Demetrion €€–€€€ Limanaki, Potamos Liopetriou, tel: 99 323403. Open daily noon–11pm. The more seaward of the two tavernas here, the smell of fresh fish and hand-cut chips frying in fresh oil tells you you’ve come to the right place. Avoid the cheaper seafood ‘portions’, which tend to be farmed species; go for by-weight offerings, which are really likely to be landed at the adjacent anchorage. Seating inside or out on the terrace, by season; it’s a pleasantly breezy spot when the rest of the island is baking. Service is civil and fairly efficient despite habitual Cypriot crowds.

Markos €€–€€€ Limanaki harbourfront, officially Makariou 44, Agia Napa, tel: 23 721877. Open Mar–Nov daily for lunch and dinner. The best value – at this resort, anyway – for wild fish by the kilo, such as sorkós (bream), parpoúni (red mullet) and kourkoúna (leatherback). Accompanying chips are fresh-cut, while side salads come with an accent of caper sprigs – confirm that these are included in the quoted price. Outdoor seating overlooks the open sea, not the little port.

Ploumin €€ Ikosiogdois Oktovriou 3, Sotira, tel: 99 658333. Open daily 6–11pm, closed Mon Nov–May. Well-signed in the village centre, this listed building from 1938 features a double-arched interior with lithographs, old film stills, posters and pottery as décor, while old tools stand out in the summer patio. The mezé changes seasonally – interesting items like kolokássia (taro root) with lamb, zalatína (pork brawn) or fennel mushrooms may be ‘off’ – but rabbit is usually available. Bulk wine is from Statós village, or there’s a well-stocked cellar of bottled choices. Live music two nights weekly.

Taverna Kamasias €€€ Daidalou 23, Paralimni; from CYTA roundabout, take the road towards Cape Gkreko and make the first right, tel: 23 825144. Open daily 12.30–4pm, 6.30pm–midnight. This minimally signposted, Cypriot-favoured taverna is best in winter or spring, when seasonal delicacies like agrélia (asparagus) with eggs, wild mushrooms, fresh fish and game platters join usual offerings like lamb liver, mussel risotto and heaping salads. Both à la carte and mezé options are available, and there’s a well-stocked cellar of Greek and Cypriot micro-winery labels. The light stone-clad interior is more inspiring than the narrow terrace outside – another good reason to come off-season.

Limassol (Lemesos) and Region

Dino Bistro Café €€€ Taitoo Court, Gladstonos 137, old town, tel: 25 762030. www.dinobistro.com. Daily 7.30am–11.45pm. Spearheading the revival of the old town since opening in 2006, Dino’s vast fusion menu encompasses wakami salad, duck pâté, carpaccio, a full range of sushi, jerk chicken, cheese platters, various pasta dishes and decadent desserts. Drinks include freshly squeezed juices/smoothies, and pricey cocktails. The wall art, by local artists, is for sale and changes regularly.

Hill View Restaurant and Apartments €€€ Stadiou 60, Pissouri, tel: 25 221972. www.hillview.com.cy. Tue–Sun noon–2.30pm and 6.30–9.30pm. A family-run restaurant with a chic interior, breathtaking views and a lovely terrace. Great selection of authentic local food plus international cuisine. Booking in advance recommended.

Sykaminia € Eleftherias 26, old quarter, tel: 25 365280. www.sikaminia.com. Open Mon–Sat noon–6pm. A mid-2000s refurbishment hasn’t dented the charm of this much-loved maeirkó, where archival photos of old Limassol adorn the walls. The menu stresses a few meat stews, simple fish fries like marída, and óspria (legume dishes), for which every table has a few onions (the usual garnish) poised at the ready. Fresh goutsiá (broad beans) with greens and celery are very good indeed. Bulk wine is surprisingly pricey.

Syrian Arab Friendship Club €€–€€€ Iliados 3, opposite the Appolonia Beach Hotel, Potamos Germasogias tourist district, tel: 25 328838. www.syrianrestaurantlimassol.com.cy. Open daily noon–10.30pm. All the Syrian/Lebanese favourites are present and correct here: mouhamara (red pepper and walnut dip), nakanek sausages, kibbeh (bulgur wheat turnovers), moutabhal (aubergine dip). There’s an à la carte menu, but two diners or more should opt for the famous mezé of 15 to 38 platters, according to party size. There are also three grades of arak, zivanía, ouzo and wine to drink. Sit by preference in the lovely garden fronted by a kitsch rendition of the Palmyra ruins (your clue that you’ve found the place); the interior is rather dull, though there are shishas on offer, toked on by single Arabic males, and loud music at weekends. There’s another branch in Nicosia, Vassilisis Amalias 17, tel: 22 776246.

Troödos Mountains

Ariadne Taverna € Vasa, south of the village near bypass road, tel: 25 944064. Open daily for lunch and dinner, closed Tue in low season. Tucked away from the village this is a reliable, friendly outlet for home-style fare like koupépia with sheep-milk yoghurt, louviá (black-eyed peas) with celery, bourékia (turnovers) stuffed with soft anarí cheese, and a couple of daily surprises. Wine is either in bulk, slightly sweet, or bottled products of the local winery. Success has prompted the opening of a winter annexe downhill, but the original field-stoned premises are preferable.

Tziellari €€€ Old Kakopetria 72, tel: 22 922522. Open summer daily for lunch and dinner, winter Thur–Sun. ‘Tziellari’ is Cypriot dialect for ‘cellar’, and you’ll sit in a cosy one here during cooler months, but deserved success has prompted expansion to a front veranda and summer roof terrace. The fare is hybridised Argentine-Cypriot: ex-UN peacekeeper Victor mans the grill, whose products come topped with his secret green herbal sauce, but don’t overlook starters like empanadas and grilled mushrooms. Wife Georgia commands the front of house; the wine list is mixed Argentine, Greek and Cypriot, plus there’s Argentine Quilmez beer.

Pafos and Region

Imogen’s Inn €€ Kathikas village centre, tel: 26 633269, www.akinita.com. Open Thur–Tue for dinner and often lunch. The menu offered by Marina, her Greek husband Apostolos and Marina’s mum Eleni has Egyptian (for example foul madamas, mashed fava beans) and abundant mainland Greek influences (Cretan dákos salad, saganáki, stuffed cabbage, stuffed red Florina peppers), reflecting the family history and make-up. The mains – including Eleni’s daily special – are gut-busting; most diners will be happy with the mezé platters. Tables are in the rear patio, or the pastel-hued interior where a fire crackles in early spring.

Kouppas Stone Castle € Paraskeva 49 Neo Chorio (Neokhorió) village centre, tel: 26 322526. Open daily 9am–11pm, it doubles as village café. Your best option before or after a hike in the adjacent Akamas wilderness, for authentic, simple dishes. They offer reasonably priced fish soup, afélia, sheftaliá, kléftigo, rabbit stew or roast chicken served in a pleasant, stone-clad diner, with kataïfi or crème caramel for dessert. The owner Andreas has commendably resisted the blandishments of tour companies to provide low-quality meals for €5 a head to groups.

Laona € Votsi 6, Ktima (Upper Pafos), tel: 26 937121. Open Mon–Sat 10am–3pm plus Tue and Fri until 9pm. This classic, very friendly marketplace maeirkó, inside a 1900-vintage interior (plus outdoors in summer), purveys such favourites as bean dishes, baked fish, rabbit stew, kolokássia with pork, plus desserts like palouzé and kalopráma (yoghurt, semolina and citrus-zest pie). The quaffable bulk wine is from Statós village.

Sardegna di Gino €€ Apostolou Pavlou 70, Shops 5–7, Kato Pafos, tel: 26 933399. Open Wed–Mon 6–11pm, Sun also 12.30–3pm. The colour scheme announces you’re about to scoff the island’s best, wood-fired pizzas, courtesy of transplanted Sardinians Gino and Lisa. Be warned – on the menu ‘small’ means medium by most standards, ‘medium’ means large. There are giant salads, a short dessert list and Italian bulk or bottled wine. Eat indoors or out by season – or wherever there’s space (booking suggested).

7 St Georges €€€ Anthypolohagou Georgiou M Savva 37, west edge of Geroskipou, tel: 99 655824. Open Tue–Sun for noon–3pm and 7–11pm. George Demetriades, now assisted by his sons Ben and Damian, offers what could well be the widest-ranging mezé on the island. All the ingredients are either organically grown or gathered wild by George; seasonally variable platters might include flash-fried agrélia (wild asparagus), goat-and-cumin tavás, sautéed wild pángalos greens, tsamarélla (goat), fried or pickled mushrooms and kléftigo. The quality of the food, the service and the old-house atmosphere, helped along by carefully selected Greek music, are a world away from the anonymous kalamári-and-chips joints of Kato Pafos. Wine, dessert and coffee are charged separately, bumping it into the higher price category.

Ta Perix €€ Kioubilay 20, Moutallou district, Ktima (Upper Pafos), tel: 99 113218. Open Mon–Sat 6–11.30pm. The town’s best mezé house, where you tick off choices from a proffered order form: quail eggs, agrélia, tyrokafterí (Greek spicy cheese dip), grilled quail, chicken livers, boiled greens, mushrooms. You can even specify the size of platter (small or large). It’s justifiably popular, with a small interior, so weekend reservations are mandatory.

Northern Cyprus

Northern Nicosia (LefkoŞa)

Müze Dostlar € Lusignan chapter house, Selimiye Meydanı 35, tel: (392) 228 9345. Open Mon–Sat 8am–6pm. Anywhere else in Cyprus it would be a tourist trap, but this welcoming canteen – run by the Friends of the North Cyprus Museums – is the real deal. Tuck into home-style dishes like molohiya stew or chicken with kolokasa, washed down by beer, ayran or sodas. It’s okay to just stop by for a coffee; choose between a table out by the ex-cathedral’s flying buttresses, or inside the magnificent medieval interior.

Sabor Latino €€ Selimiye Meydanı 29, tel: 96389006, (392) 228 8322. Open daily from 9am until late. This sleek coffee bar/bistro is somewhat misnamed now that its menu includes various Asian specials like spicy prawn soup, noodles with spinach and mushrooms and beef-vegetable stir-fry, all in hefty portions, alongside the prior tapas and Italian platters. There’s a full list of decadent western desserts, alcoholic drinks despite the mosque opposite, and top-flight waiting service. This was the first place in the North to prepare decent espressos and cappuccinos, and continues to do so. Seating indoors or out, the latter with eyefuls of the Selimiye.

Keryneia (Girne) and Region

Archway €€ Dereboyu Sok 5, Templos (Zeytinlik) village centre, 3km (2 miles) from Kryenia, tel: (392) 816 0353. Open daily summer for lunch and dinner, winter dinner only. The best venue for carnivores in the area, served in tastefully mock-rustic surroundings. Choose between full kebab or various à la carte platters; mains should include side salad, yoghurt, chips and coffee, though not of course the French wine list (bulk wine is acceptable).

Lagoon €€€ Kordonboyu 11, tel: (392) 815 6555, www.niazis.com. Open most days for lunch and dinner. The best seafood tavern in town for some years now, and the upper-deck, bay-view tables with proper table linen are unbeatable. Choose between seafood mezé – a modest dozen platters – or wild-caught fish by the kilo, accompanied by rocket salad and grilled hellim. Products of the St Hilarion microwinery are featured.

Famagusta (Gazİmağusa)

Gingko €€ Medrese (Koranic academy) next to Lala Mustaf Paşa, tel: (542) 850 2535. Open daily 10.30am–midnight. The setting alone – under medieval domes and arches – would repay a visit, but the food quality, for salads and grills (and prices) very nearly matches that of Nicosia’s Sabor Latino. It’s fine to have just a coffee and a dessert.

Rouge 21 Restaurant and Café €€ Liman Yolu Suriçi 21, next to Lala Mustaf Paşa, tel: 533 833 2121, or 392 366 1400. www.rouge21cyprus.com. Daily 10am–midnight. A new, stylish modern restaurant in stunning vaulted setting. Serves up traditional Cypriot fare with a modern twist. Excellent, attentive service. Live music on weekends.

Karpasia (Karpaz)

Hemingway’s Restobar €€€ Karpaz Gate Marina, Aigaialousa (Yenierenköy), tel: (392) 229 2800, www.karpazbay.com. A vast, contemporary restaurant. On offer here are both international and traditional Cypriot cuisine with a wide selection of fish and meat dishes and an extensive wine list.

Manolyam €€ Rizokarpaso (Dipkarpaz), north neighbourhood, tel: (533) 845 5051. Daily 6–11pm. The peninsula’s only meyhane, with jolly, multi-ethnic, multilingual staff and five-platter mini-mezé included with any mains order (these tend to be stews), in premises with Cypriot (rather than Turkish) folkloric décor.