Beba Restaurant Nicosia
For fresh, locally sourced ingredients, you need to try Beba. Its defining traits? Rotating daily specials, well-regarded service and the atmosphere – sit under the plant-filled canopy outside, where the pitta comes out of the woodfire oven and oozes warm pleasure. The salads are impeccable and taste as rich as they smell, while the Greek Cypriot dishes lean into a modern sensibility that is made to impress the palate as much as the eye. For a special occasion, or a craving for charcoal-grilled fish, this place is worth a dinner stop.
2a,b,c Pindarou, Nicosia 1060; @beba_restaurant
Amyth Kouzina
Hotel restaurants can be hit or miss, but this place is stylish, relaxed and cooks some of the most pillowy and rich octopus you’ll find in the northern hemisphere. It used to be an old-school courtyard, but is now a colonnaded dining area, home to marble-topped tables, a long fountain and waiters pouring Premier Cru Burgundies and carving tender tomahawk steaks tableside. Sit under the arches, douse some locally made sourdough with pristine olive oil and drink some oaky chardonnay from Kyperounda Winery on Cyprus’s southern coastline.
29 Patriarchou Grigoriou, Nicosia 1016; amythhotels.com
Tsipouraki Mezedaki
This laid-back taverna in the Old City has a welcoming energy, fit for friends, families and pretty much anyone with an appetite. Meze rule here (mezedaki translates to small bites), but you won’t leave hungry. There’s often live music, and even popping in for an apero is enough to brighten your mood. It’s the kind of place you stay longer than planned. Your order list: smouldering souvlaki, marinated octopus, pumpkin meatballs and a crisp, cold beer – best enjoyed street-side in the middle of summer.
1 Othellou, Nicosia 1016; @tsipouraki_mezedakicy
Swimming Birds
The energy (and drinks menu) of Swimming Birds is almost as inviting as the anaropitta (Cypriot ricotta pie) sitting on its bar top. Located opposite the newly developed town hall – and overlooking Nicosia’s ancient ruins – it is a speciality café by day and a bar by night, serving snacks next to local wines and craft beers, and cheese and meat platters that go great with whatever beverage is in your hand. You’ll often find young people sitting outside or perched at the bar – it’s a great vibe.
5 Palias Elektrikis, Nicosia 1016; @swimming_birds
Tocayo
Polished flavours and expressive dishes are more than aesthetic at this Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant. It’s one of the only Latin American-Asian joints on the island and the menu is very seasonal: what the chefs do with fish is a superb example of why Cyprus is known for its fresh seafood. This place is sashimi, ceviches, tartares, dumplings and langoustines, and it has an easy-to-digest wine list that makes for an enticing experience deserving of the hype. It’s on the fine-dining end of things, but locals often eat here, and it feels very cosmopolitan (you could be sitting in Soho if it weren’t for the power plugs).
10 Prevezis, Nicosia 1065; cesorogroup.com
Rous
The decor makes it look like a men’s club, but Rous has a calm civility and is warm where it counts. Wine is selected because it’s deserving of being drunk, staff are dialled in and know the menu, and the food is prepared with care and attention – even the smallest carrots are precise. It’s built on a tradition of sharing, and the dishes showcase a reverence for Cypriot cuisine that is flattering to the palate – all executed in a cool air that reminds you that you don’t need to wear a necktie to enjoy great cooking.
15 Mpoumpoulinas, Nicosia 1060; rous.com.cy
Billy De Luca is a freelance writer, editor and painter. De Luca’s focus is in the arts and culture spheres, contributing to publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, Time Out, The Travel Almanac and Monster Children magazines
