The best restaurants Cyprus

A good, popular and inexpensive family restaurant in Paphos? Yes, there is! We serve traditional oven-baked kleftiko here on Tuesdays and Saturdays. And plenty of local and Greek specialties: mezze, lountza (smoked pork), stuffed vine leaves and vegetables, sieftalias, fried feta with sesame seeds, grilled meats (including reasonably priced beef), fresh fish (or frozen, but that's specified)... Friendly welcome from the owners, small terrace above a street that's not too noisy.

This inn is an institution in Kakopetria. But it seems to have fallen asleep on its laurels in recent years. Not very well maintained, the hotel part is disappointing.

Located along the coastal road, opposite the Four Seasons complex and several small beaches, this taverna (Ταβέρνα Κισσός) enjoys a pleasant setting with its shaded courtyard and aquarium-decorated room. Greek-Cypriot seafood cuisine is served here: wild and farmed fish, grilled octopus, fried calamari, or the mezzés de la mer formula at €25 (two orders minimum). The rest of the menu includes grills, salads, soups, hamburgers, pizzas, pastas and even garlic snails.

Four Seasons Luxury Hotel offers 6 different places to dine. All are expensive or very expensive. Some are among the best tables in the island in their category. There is a very good Italian (Vivaldi, with terrace in summer), a Chinese (Oriental Seasons), a fusion fusion restaurant (Café Tropical), a restaurant of fish and seafood (Seafood Bar, with terrace in summer), a set of small bars for the beach and swimming pools (Pool & Beach Bars) and a panoramic bar-restaurant (Vista). The hotel offers elegant roboratifs snacks (sushi, little, grilled octopus) with a very pleasant sea view. The price is still pretty good, except for wine, since it starts at 50 € the bottle. But the most refined is the Oriental Seasons, held by a real Hong Kong. Please note that the French-Cypriot restaurant Mavromatis opened in 2012 is now closed.

Le "rendez-vous des petits cochons" (Πιάτσα Γουρουνάκι) is a restaurant easy to spot thanks to its sign adorned with a plump piglet. It serves all kinds of grills and souvlaki, mostly pork, but also chicken and lamb, not forgetting falafel for vegetarians. Side dishes include mezzés, fries, salads, mushrooms, Greek and Cypriot cheeses, beers, ouzo, wines, etc. The decor and terrace are really nice, but it's often very crowded in the evenings. And reservations are not possible.

Tucked away in the charmless Zakaki district, the "Crab Hole" (Καβουροτρυπα) lives up to its name. Admittedly, there's no sea view, but the sea is definitely there, in the plates. A simple decor, beautiful white tablecloths and a courteous welcome. You're invited to choose your fish in the kitchen. A few mezzés to tide you over (fresh salad, octopus in ink and oil...) and the fish arrives: grilled or fried, it's perfect, just served with a drizzle of lemon, greens and very good crispy fries.

Formerly a small café for hookah-loving Middle Eastern spies, this club has become the benchmark for Lebanese and Syrian cuisine in Cyprus. Frequented by English-speaking expatriates, a few tourists and Nicosian families, the place is huge, a little kitsch and very green. Efficient and friendly, the staff serve up an impressive mezze menu with tabbouleh, shish taouk, kebab, fattouche salad, hummus, cheese rolls, lamb chop, eggplant caviar and mahalepi for dessert, all at incredible speed.

Located in the south of the city, and 100 m from the sea, this tavern offers both Cypriot cuisine (the mezzes are generous) and some more international dishes. Careful decoration and Zen atmosphere with a fountain and lush vegetation at the entrance. It is one of the oldest restaurants in Paphos, housed in a building made of wood and stone from the region. On the walls are old photos from the end of the 19th century showing the town and the ancestors of this place belonging to this family of restorers. A real time traveler.

This restaurant in the centre of Kyrenia (opposite the Dome Hotel) is a busy address. Grilled meats are the main speciality of the place. There are delicious historical accompanied by salads.

Next to the Ledra Street checkpoint, this is the place where everyone goes, in front of the Ledras Street checkpoint. Live music and a (gently) politically incorrect menu. You'll want to try some Smyrna soutsoukakia ("for those who remember", from the time when Greeks lived in Turkey) or a German salad ("souvenir of 1940"). And for those who don't know, the menu includes a short speech about the life of the owner, a Greek emigrant. But, above all, apart from this amusing diversion, the food is good.

This tavern (Ταβέρνα Καμάρες) has a pleasant terrace and a stone-walled room. It serves good food that's both homey and inventive: cheese and tomato pita, fried halloumi with carob syrup, Santorini fava, spinach and cheese ravioli, pork in red wine, stewed lamb, etc. The establishment was awarded the Vakhis certificate by the national tourist board for its traditional cuisine. In the village, the same distinction was also awarded to the Agrovino tavern and guesthouse.

The "Platane" tavern (Πλάτανος) is the busiest in Pedoulas. Situated at the foot of a large plane tree and close to the prestigious Archangelos Mihail church, it serves sandwiches, pasta and omelettes as well as rather good Cypriot and Greek cuisine: grilled meats, beef stifado, moussaka, salads, mezzés, farmed trout, king prawns and fried calamari. Note that the owners also have four rather attractive and inexpensive apartments in a stone house to the north of the village.

Tucked away between the municipal market and the seafront, on the corner of Zinonos-Kitieos street, this restaurant (Στου Ρουσιά) is very pleasant with its tables set in an alleyway and its authentic Cypriot cuisine. On the menu: hearty, inexpensive daily specials and more classic fare like mezze, salads, sautéed mushrooms, kebabs served in pita bread, simmered dishes and beautiful grilled cuts of meat, but also artichokes with rice in lemon sauce or halloumi ravioli.

Located just above the site of the rock of Aphrodite, this fish tavern offers a magnificent sea view. It's the only restaurant in the corner, open all day. So we can stop there just to take a coffee. Otherwise, fish mezzé is at 16 €.

A good address in the centre of Nicosia, not far from the many shops in the pedestrian street Laiki Geitonia. In a beautiful setting and a beautiful atmosphere by the Cypriot musicians, you can taste local specialities and French cuisine. The hotel Rimi (1 star) offers a good value for money service.

Le poisson vivant" is one of Kyrenia's best fish restaurants. It has a beautiful terrace directly on the Old Port, with a view of the castle. Habib, the owner, knows how to take good care of his guests. But be sure to check the prices for whole fish, so as not to be surprised when you pay the bill. Among the less expensive options, sardines and mackerel are very good. And the menu also includes meat, mezze, soup and some vegetarian dishes.

The menu of this Mediterranean restaurant (Greek, Italian, Lebanese…) changes every week. The cuisine is of high quality and both the Cypriot and the Connaisseurs tourists are there. The place, with its small rooms, its patio, is also charming.

In the centre of Kato Paphos, on Agias Napas, a large tavern where you eat while listening to traditional Greek music: bouzouki and songs accompanied by dances. Its dimensions make it a «tourist factory», but you can enjoy it if you appreciate this atmosphere. Go above all for the show.

The restaurant at the Kinyras hotel in the city centre of Paphos offers Cretan and Cypriot cuisine made of dishes dishes in sauce (magerefta), honest and cheap. The choices on the map are quite limited, but it is a sign that it is home. You will choose to sit in the cool room with stone walls or open skies in the inner courtyard. The staff were friendly and helpful.

A romantic address. Traditional cuisine served in height, on the terrace on the ^first floor, with a breathtaking view of Saint Lazarus church. You can enjoy some of the best Cypriot wines. Fish and vegetarian mezzés. Good service. Not the best restaurant in the city, but one which has charm!