Gourmet products local specialties and wines Cyprus

Founded in 1976, this patisserie is an institution. It offers a huge selection of loukoums and baklavas and plenty of other sweet specialties, Turkish-style like burma kadayıf (pistachio angel hair) or French-style like milföy (mille-feuille). Among the ice creams, we recommend the famous Maraş dondurması (with mastic, milk and sugar), which the waiters work hard on. And also: Turkish breakfast, sandwiches, pasta, chicken, haloumi, etc. All to be enjoyed around a fountain or on the upstairs terrace.

This chocolate factory, founded by an Englishman in the 1980s, is now run by three Russians. Good chocolates made from cocoa from Africa and Latin America are produced and sold here. A Cypriot touch is added with orange zest, tahini, zivania or "Aphrodite's cream" made from honey, royal jelly and cream. Chocolate-making courses are also available (prices and bookings on the website). Next door, a French-style bakery and patisserie has recently opened.

This delicatessen sells some of Cyprus's finest artisanal products, in particular organic foods from the Kakoullis farm in Kapedes (26 km southwest of Nicosia) and the excellent Aparthenasa (near Vavatsinia, in the Troodos) and Astas (in the buffer zone, near Evrychou) olive oils. The latter, created by Frenchman Nicolas Netien, boasts some of the highest polyphenol levels in the world. The store also offers superb wines, cheeses and charcuterie from France, Switzerland, Greece, Italy..

This craft brewery in the Arabhamet district is one of the best in Cyprus. It produces nine different beers, including IPA, abbey, white, brown, pilsner and amber. These include seasonal beers, as well as Drink for Peace Cyprus, produced in collaboration with the German peace organization Drink for Peace. Profits from the latter are donated to local associations campaigning for the reunification of Cyprus. The establishment also serves as a bar, with some twenty different draught beers.

This ice cream parlour (Ηρακλής/Iraklis) is an institution that has been delighting Nicosians since 1939. It's here, on Ledra Street, that the best ice creams in the whole city are served. There's a choice of flavors in the form of sorbets, frozen yoghurts, scoops, cones, compositions... There are even fat-free and sugar-free ice creams. The light fare (pizzas, burgers and salads) is not worth the detour. But the place remains a good address, especially for families, thanks to its small park with attractions (for a fee) for children.

The "Terre de Vin - Domaine Vassilides" estate (Οίνου Γη - Κτήμα Βασιλειάδη) has its winery at the top of a hill. Here it has a pleasant panoramic restaurant open at weekends (times and prices on the website). So you can choose from several tasting options, nibbling or eating. Products include wines (including an organic range), commandaria, zivania, olive oil, honey...

Located opposite the 23-Nisan-İlkokulu school, this store sells organic products from foreign brands: dried fruit, jams, cereals and Turkish dairy products from Ots Organik, Swiss baby jars from Holle, German food products from Mogli and Naturata, German cosmetics from Speick, Spanish hygienic products from Masmi, and more. Also on the shelves: a selection of organic and non-organic wines, gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free and lactose-free products. The same small Karkot chain has another similar store in Nicosia-North.

Located in a house with candy-pink walls, down the street leading to the village center, this confectionery specializes in "Foini loukoums" (Φοινιώτικο Λουκούμι/Finiotiko Loukoumi, Foini Delights). Sweet, crunchy and tangy... Ourania Pissourou has taken over the recipe for bergamot and roasted almond loukoums from her uncle Phylactis Pilavakis, who made them in Cairo in the 1930s. She happily opens her modern laboratory to anyone who wants to visit (tours in English) and even offers free tastings of her products.

Managed by the same family for five generations, this winery is located in Vasa Kilaniou/Βάσα Κοιλανίου, a village of around 150 inhabitants in the Laona wine region, which enjoys a protected designation of origin. The large, modernized stone winery produces around 18,000 bottles a year. The vines, located at altitudes of 800 to 1,100 m, are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Viognier, Mataro and Maratheftiko. Tastings and tasting tours available (prices on request).

This winery (Οινοποιείο Αγία Μαύρη/Inopiio Agia Mavri) borrows its name from the pretty "Black Madonna" chapel on the banks of the Krios River. The Ioannidou family owns 5 hectares of vines planted at an altitude of 1,100 meters and produces around 50,000 bottles a year, supplementing with grape purchases from nearby winemakers. In addition to local grape varieties (mavro and xynisteri), the wines, including a muscat rosé, are produced from cabernet, grenache, mataro, riesling, chardonnay and carignan. Several tasting options.

Offering a beautiful view of Arsos, the Nikolettino winery was established in the 1980s. It is one of the few to have its own vineyards. It mainly produces wines from local grape varieties: mavro and maratheftiko for reds, xynisteri for whites. Annual production is 70,000 bottles. The owner also owns the To Panorama tis Annas restaurant in the village center.

It is no longer a "cellar" or a "château", but a real wine factory, the largest and probably the most modern in the country. The site belongs to ETKO (one of the four major Cypriot alcohol brands), which has concentrated all its wine production in Omodos since 2003. Here, the insulated tanks can hold the equivalent of 2 million bottles of wine... But it's worth a visit. Some of his bottles continue to be praised by oenologists, notably his Saint Nicholas Commandaria.

The name of this winery (Γαία Οινοτεχνική) means "winemaking of Gaia," referring to the Earth goddess of Greek mythology. Here, no pesticides or fertilizers since 1992. Ioanna Papanyiotou inherited the 6-hectare estate from her family and was the first winemaker in Cyprus to have her production certified organic: about 100,000 bottles a year with Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah as the main grape varieties. This gives interesting reds that are both fruity and powerful. The small estate also produces organic whites and rosés.

Tucked away along the buffer zone since 2021, this craft microbrewery is run by Petr Krýsl. This Czech master brewer uses equipment and ingredients from his country, in particular saaz hops, but he also makes use of local resources to produce eleven beers. For example, the refreshing Hibiscus Gose is made with hibiscus, coriander and sea salt from Cyprus. Petr collaborates with local brewers, and some of his beers are available for tasting at Double O Brewing Co. in Nicosia-North.

The wines from this winery, founded in 1995, aren't great, but the visit is fun: inexpensive (from €5) and well-organized tastings, a small museum that's very kitsch but full of info on viticulture in Cyprus, and a descent beneath the winery into one of the thirty cellars dug here since the Bronze Age. The Chrysanthou family farms 55 hectares of vines planted with French and Cypriot grape varieties (xynisteri, maratheftiko, morokanella, spourtiko, promara). Most of the production is sold to local supermarkets and hotels.

The "three lanterns" pastry shop (Τρία Φανάρια) has hardly changed since its creation in 1952. Here, the Savvas family offers great little savory snacks(tiropita, spanakopita, omelet) and sweets(galaktoboureko, baklava, kataifi, croissant or a refreshing rosewater mahalepi ). With its central, shaded terrace on the charming Faneromeni square, Tria Fanaria is a good starting point for a morning coffee or orange juice, before exploring the meandering alleys of the old town.

Situated at an altitude of 1,125 m, this winery boasts a superb panoramic tasting room with magnificent views over the region. The wines produced are mainly from Yannoudi and Syrah grapes for the reds, and Sauvignon Blanc and Xynisteri for the whites, with small plots of Promara (Cyprus) and Greek Moschofilero and Assyrtiko. Upon reservation, the owners organize tastings, with the option of a walk through the vineyards or room and board at the Casale Panayotis hotel.