The best restaurants Cyprus

The wood and copper decor is a bit staggered, but it is very pleasant to "change" some of the other restaurants of the sea front. The map is simple: steaks, grilled meats, salads. But it's rich and pretty well done.

If this tiny tavern, facing the sea, grandfather Andreas resists the surrounding competition, it is undoubtedly thanks to his hospitality, his little prices and his simple and simple kitchen. A very friendly address and well-filled plates.

An excellent tavern just a few hundred metres from the sad restaurants of the tourist area. Famous for kleftiko and roasted sausages. Open in the afternoon and evening. Live music on Friday and Saturday evening. 10-16 € the main dish.

An excellent address where people from the neighbourhood come to pick up the evening meal, where couples or groups of friends come to eat before playing moths. On the terrace, but especially in two large rooms on the first floor of this large traditional house, you will not be given a menu. It's up to you to order among the local classics: brochettes, mezze, baked lamb, etc., accompanied by a simple but tasty salad. The quality of the ingredients and preparation makes all the difference with other establishments.

This is a welcoming tavern in the heart of Laiki Yitonia, close to the tourist office. The establishment is property of the municipality and presents the specialities expected to discover Cypriot cuisine: mezze, kleftiko, moussaka… everything on a sound background of sirtaki and zorba.

An unexpected Polynesian restaurant in the heart of Nicosia. Of course, tahitiens lagoons are far away. But the map allows you to discover some typical flavors of these regions, within the framework of the beautiful Castelli hotel.

Lovers of Italian cuisine will find their happiness here. Fresh products. The decor is also very pleasant at the Holiday Inn.

Excellent Indian cuisine in a decor and a pleasant atmosphere.

An Italian in a refined decor, in the very visible oven (hence the name). Italian cuisine right, without surprise, at very honest prices. And the recipe works since the place is often caught. Superb view of the pedestrian street. Do not forget a visit to the toilet, with a very successful decor.

A sympathique walk with a multitude of choices. Salty pancakes are as delicious and copious as sweet ones. On the edge of the old town, this place is also frequented by locals and tourists. The location is rather modern, and its terrace also makes it possible to enjoy the sun in summer. Affordable prices.

A little eccentric in the old town, here is a well-kept, modern Chinese restaurant with good service.

To offer you a rich meal in this excellent tavern, you will need to take a few kilometres to reach the village of Tseri in the south of the capital.

Under the name of Aegean, the one that gives his name to the sea in which he threw himself, believing that his son Ariadne was dead, defeated by the Minotaure. It is a popular and lively tavern in the evening, with a very nice courtyard.

A little away from the centre, but not far from the bus station, offers mezze, meat dishes that change a little (rabbit for example) from certain restaurants reserved for tourists. Authenticity guaranteed!

A kind of English pub-restaurant whose menu may delight those who already have enough grilled meats.

You will find this place in the "Port Street" (Liman Yolu), in front of the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque. Under the vaults of a vast medieval room decorated with care and parsimony, this restaurant-pub is rather chic and affordable. Ideal for an aperitif with a wide range of cocktails made with fresh fruit, including a mojito-raspberry to swallow its sombrero. Not bad also for a small or a big hunger with a real world food panegyric: grilled meats, tapas, fish, salads, burgers, pasta, fajitas, etc..

Right next to the courthouse, in the middle of the lawyers' and notaries' street, the "de la cuisine du marché" restaurant goes straight to the heart of the matter. Customers come here to discuss current affairs in a bistro setting. The quick-service menu includes yoghurt, salad and a choice of 15 local or Turkish recipes. We recommend the kıbrıs köftesi, well-flavored meat and potato dumplings, and the herse, a kind of wheat risotto with chicken.

Fish tavern located on the west side of the Polis municipal beach, just before the port of Latsi.

The restaurant is of little interest (international cuisine), but the garden and cocktail bar of the complex (The 74 Bar) are very pleasant. But we are in the middle of a buffer zone, between sandbags, barbed wire and abandoned houses riddled with bullet holes... The Chateau Status complex opened in 2007 at the check-point of the Ledra Palace, just next to the western walls of the old town and in front of the former hotel occupied by the Blue Helmets, where family celebrations, company seminars and drinking parties are organised.

A typical fish tavern, just like hundreds on the Greek islands. Here, it's almost unexpected presence in the middle of the city's bars, clubs and restaurants.

In the pleasant Arabahmet district, this vegan café-restaurant is housed in a bric-a-brac British colonial house, easy to spot with its... giant shoes. In the courtyard, in the shade of the palm tree, the tables are covered with appetizing plates: vegan breakfast, grilled vegetables, chickpea dumplings, quinoa salad, French fries, soy "cheeses"... All with gluten-free options. It's good, fresh and inexpensive. And the establishment also doubles as a bed & breakfast (Alashia Inn).

This tavern (Μαγειρείο Ταβερνάκι) is little frequented by tourists. In a no-frills setting, good traditional Cypriot cuisine is served here: lingot beans or chickpeas in sauce, stuffed zucchini flowers, roast chicken, lemon chicken, chicken with mushrooms or lingot beans, pork with kolokasi (taro root), afélia (pork with red wine and coriander), pastitsio (pasta gratin) with lamb... The menu changes according to the seasons and market arrivals. It's generally tasty and not very expensive.

Housed in a cubic steel and glass structure on a pier in the old port, this restaurant is best known for its sea views. It's also a good address for breakfast or brunch: French toast, scrambled eggs, croque-madame, poached egg with avocado... The rest of the menu is very international: sushi and Japanese specialties, bao buns, pasta and Italian dishes, etc. Next door, The Steak House restaurant also enjoys beautiful views and offers French oysters and American-style grills (€30-50/person).

This rather refined restaurant in the upper town is first and foremost worth a visit for its superb tree-lined courtyard. It's part of the charming Casa Mespilea hotel (see description). Good Spanish, Italian, South American and Cypriot-inspired cuisine: beet ravioli with hummus and parmesan, melt-in-your-mouth cuts of meat with not-too-strong chimichurri, lamb with gnocchi, sea bass with kolokasi (taro) purée... You'll also appreciate the eclectic brunch: bao buns, sausage-halloumi bruschetta, smoked salmon with avocado, etc. Professional service and wine list.

A few years ago, the best-known fish tavern on the island, the families from all over Cyprus to eat on the weekend. With success, the restaurant has grown, and it's fairly classic, quality has not been able to follow. It still remains very honourable with soft prices, professional and friendly service. Fish can still be chosen before it is cooked (which once was the norm throughout Cyprus and Greece). All with a view of the small port and the sea where the fish enjoyed the fish.

A pretty expensive restaurant in the heart of a tourist area. We eat very good fish dishes.

The place is magical, romantic, especially at sunset time. Family cooking (for once, we recommend moussaka) and fresh fish to eat on the beach, almost feet in the water. Not far away, you will find the other tavern in the village, simply named Potamos.

You will easily find this tavern which is well signposted. Anyway, it's easy, it's the old village school. This is also what makes it so charming. In the veranda surrounded by the forest, you can enjoy (yes, that's the word) stuffed tomatoes and peppers, olives, sheftalia (skinless sausages surrounded by crépinette) and bread. Note that all this is homemade... A real delight and a very good surprise, overall, on the island. And that's why you have to come to Gialia. Absolutely! Absolutely!

The "Beautiful Greece" taverna (Η Ωραία Ελλάς) is run by a Cypriot actress and director from Thessaloniki. It serves Greek salad and its variants from Crete and Santorini, fava (split-pea purée), bouyiourdi (feta cooked with tomato and chili), soutzoukakia (meatballs with tomato and mint), grilled meats and a hearty mezze menu (two-person minimum and a little pricey) with assorted Greek and Cypriot specialties. Pleasant courtyard and options for vegans.

Surrounded by forest and bougainvillea, the huge 500-cover terrace is especially designed for large family banquets. Grilled meats, kleftiko, farmed trout, grilled mushrooms, candied and seasonal fruits.

Located near the village of Kallepia/Καλλέπεια, this restaurant is renowned for its country setting and beautiful sea views. And, above all, for its brunches based on home-grown produce and organic vegetables from the garden. Kika Moudi and her daughter Marlen offer a unique but varied and tasty menu: all kinds of jams and breads, seasonal fruit (plain and freshly squeezed), cheeses (halloumi, anari and feta), a casserole of eggs, mushrooms, vegetables and bacon, then a little surprise dessert to finish. Reservations recommended.

Housed in an old listed house, this friendly tavern is popular with locals. Excellent cuisine based on fresh produce and traditional recipes: ftana (grilled pork), afelia (pork in red wine sauce), grilled mushrooms, mezze, etc. Try the rustic halloumi, made the day before, it's a unique occasion. Warm atmosphere.

Greek tavern. The owners hail from Epirus, on the Albanian border. They offer specialties from Tzoumerka, their home village: whole lamb cooked on a spit(ovelias), pork kebabs(frigadeli) and leek sausages(choriatiko loukaniko) served only on weekdays. Cypriot wines, large dining room and small terrace.

This restaurant, founded in 1975, is pretty good. It boasts a terrace with a beautiful view of the Lala-Mustafa-Pacha mosque. The set menu is copious: a wide assortment of mezzés, grilled meats, salad and dessert. But if you choose the à la carte menu (seafood, fish, wines, craft beers...), it's really more expensive. Efficient staff. Reservations recommended in high season. FYI, Aspava stands for Allah Sağlık Para Aşk Versin Amin ("May God give you health, money, love, Amen").

Restaurant with panoramic view of the Solea valley. Mezze menu and Cypriot cuisine.

Small, family-run tavern in the village center. On the menu: grilled mezze or mezze with sauce, souvlaki or moussaka.

This traditional tavern in the village of Vasa Kilaniou/Βάσα Κοιλανίου is well known in the region for its beautiful terrace and its grilled specialties. It serves very generous kebabs or veal liver accompanied by baked potatoes. The mezze option is inexpensive and hearty, with meatballs, stuffed vine leaves, small salads, hummus... The wines served come from the Argyrides estate. Just outside Vasa Kilaniou, in the direction of Omodos, the Ariadni tavern is also very good.

This restaurant (Εστιατόριο Μπέμπα/Estatorio Bemba) serves good Cypriot cuisine that's barely been revisited and beautifully presented, as well as beef cuts. The menu changes daily. If you stick to local classics (mezze, Greek salad, baked lamb, orzo...) or beef pappardelle, you'll get away with not too much. But if you opt for an American chateaubriand or an Australian wagyu entrecôte, then prices really take off. Terrace, retro decor, fine wine list and attentive service. Reservations recommended.

Housed in a neoclassical building on the corner of pedestrian Makariou-III and Agiou-Kenda, this fine restaurant boasts an uncluttered Scandinavian decor. Carefully prepared Mediterranean cuisine with hearty starters, main courses and desserts to share: mezzés, local cheeses, revithada from Sifnos (chickpea stew), oyster mushrooms with Metsovo cheese, Italian orzotto (barley-based risotto), spetsofai from Pelion (sausage and peppers) and fine cuts of meat, including melting pork with barbecue sauce and ouzo. Reservations recommended.

Opposite Akadimias Park, this warm, red-walled French brasserie is run by Gatienne Thibaut, a Ch'ti who has lived in Cyprus since 2003. In the dimly lit dining room, you'll find mussels marinière, homemade pâté, quiche, pork with maroilles, Charolais beef rib, baked camembert... The menu also occasionally features carbonnade, beef bourguignon, steak tartare or semi-cooked foie gras. For dessert: crème brûlée, cheesecake... All accompanied by local wines or Beaujolais.

The "Evroulla restaurant" (Εστιατόριο της Ευρούλλας/Estiatorio tis Evroullas) is located in the pleasant stoa Klokkari, a covered passageway between the two main pedestrian streets Ledra and Onasagorou. It serves well-executed Cypriot and Greek classics: mezzés, feta salad, halloumi with sausage or mushrooms, sieftalies (pork cracklings), souvlakis and grilled meats. The menu is short, the fries are crisp and the service is fast. You can continue in the stoa, at the Pieto bar, with a coffee, a cocktail..

A little off-center, the "Old Power Station" restaurant (Παλιά Ηλεκτρική/Palia Ilektriki) is part of the Nicosia Municipal Arts Center (MiMAC). It boasts a courtyard that's very pleasant in summer, and a room with a contemporary design. Mediterranean-inspired seasonal cuisine is served here, as well as traditional Cypriot meat dishes with a twist. Sunday morning brunch, interesting selection of Greek and Cypriot wines, cocktails with or without alcohol. Closed February-March.

It's a strange proposition to come to Nicosia-Nord for "paella", shrimp and squid "à la portugaise" or spaghetti "à la napolitaine". But this restaurant has a unique location: its terrace overlooks the chevet of the Selimiye mosque, allowing diners to admire the splendid Gothic buttresses of the ancient cathedral and the domes of the Mahmoud-II library. Tourist clientele, romantic evening atmosphere, small wine list and efficient service. Sometimes closed out of season.

This "authentic Armenian restaurant" (Άβο Αυθεντική Αρμένικη Κουζίνα/Avo Afthentiki Armeniki Kouzina, Avo's Armenian Food) is in fact a fast-food joint: here we serve lahmajoun, the oriental "pizza" rolled with lamb meat that's swallowed in three bites. For a complete meal, try the souvlaki with lightly spiced meat served in a thin pita with parsley and tomatoes. Souvlaki is available for one or two people. It's fresh, and really inexpensive!

Open since 1938, this very good "Cypriot taverna" (Ζανέττος Κυπριακή Ταβέρνα/Zanettos Kypriaki Taverna) is set in the Ömeriye district, a stone's throw from the mosque and hammam. Under the arches and in a décor with vintage photos, a unique menu of mezzés is served here. It's pantagruelic and the wine is included: snails, vine leaves, tahini, salads, pancetta, calf's liver, pork in wine, Cypriot bulgur, lingot beans... Twenty-three dishes in all! And very few customers manage to eat it all.

In Greek mythology, the "Champs Elysées" is first and foremost paradise. Vegans will find theirs here in this "plant-based bar-cuisine". Burgers with veggie pâté (mushrooms, tahini, lentils, etc.), buns with jaque apple and BBQ sauce, quinoa-strawberry or "Greek" salads with a soy paste to replace feta, pies with "fake cheeses", no-sugar-added cakes, pancakes, and more. Nice decor, small terrace and friendly staff.

We're not going to tell you it's the best place to eat, but this café-restaurant is one of the first in Nicosia to offer Filipino dishes. It's about time, since the neighborhood has been home to a large community from the Southeast Asian archipelago since the 1990s. The result is quite improbable, as this traditional Greek-style café serves Turkish-style coffee as well as Filipino staples such as adobo (pork with barbecue sauce), tuyo (fried fish) and ginataang manok (chicken curry).

Chicha, thé tea, and mezzé in this authentic Lebanese restaurant. After shisha, you can take a tabbouleh or a delicious fatoush salad with toasté bread or a taouk shish. Shawarma at 9,50 €. Shisha (apple and grape molasses) at 8 € and 12 € to the fresh apple. It is better not to be hurried because the service is a little long. Some evenings, belly dance show. For info, the hotel rents a few rooms and has a small annexe 100% shisha at the corner of Solonous and Sokratous streets.

La "Boussole" (Πυξίδα) is undoubtedly Nicosia's best psarotaverna (fish taverna). In an elegant but somewhat stuffy setting, seafood, grilled fish, octopus in vinegar, tuna tataki, oysters from Normandy and Charente, shrimps with feta or mustard, fish croquettes, stewed dishes such as cuttlefish cooked in its own ink, pasta with lobster or clams, etc., are served here. And good oregano fries too! Reservations recommended. Other address in Limassol.

The latest young and trendy address that people are talking about and that is part of the new culinary landscape of the capital. Maybe a little too much. The price of success: it was crowded and we couldn't get our hands on a menu when we passed by. But we get there. You can have a drink with a snack or eat. On the menu (for example): salad of peking duck with tamarind and roasted sweet potatoes, fried chicken bites with Korean gochujang sauce and sesame seeds, summer egg rolls with gambas and fresh mint, vermicelli and peanut sauce...