Twenty-three restaurants and tavernas for a taste of the island: village meze, fresh fish, charcoal grills and home-style cooking. Start in Limassol, then explore further afield.
Fish and seafood in a traditional village stone house with a courtyard.
Our local tip Our regular Sunday lunch spot for fresh fish and a great atmosphere. We especially love sharing the starters: octopus, soupia (cuttlefish), and prawn saganaki with a creamy cheese sauce and spicy peppers. Excellent salads and a wide choice of wines round out the meal.
Homemade Greek-Cypriot cooking, with meze and traditional dishes. A popular choice; reserve ahead.
Our local tip Delicious meze, homemade moussaka and juicy pork kebabs with a wonderful charcoal-grilled flavour. You can taste the care that goes into the food. In Limassol’s old town, it’s a lovely stop to combine with a wander around the neighbourhood.
A casual kebab-shop stop for souvlaki, sheftalia and pita wraps. Also listed in Quick Bites.
Our local tip Our go-to for kebabs and excellent sheftalia. We usually order a platter with chips and their homemade tzatziki. It’s conveniently close to the cinema—have a meal, then walk over for a film.
Traditional meze and grilled dishes in a welcoming village setting, with indoor and outdoor seating.
Charcoal-grilled meats, wood-oven dishes and meze in a stone-built tavern with a courtyard.
Family-run village taverna serving home-style dishes and meats grilled over carob wood.
Cypriot meze beside the medieval castle, combining traditional cooking with a contemporary setting.
Family-run Greek-Cypriot cooking on Amathountos Avenue, with seafood and traditional recipes.
A more contemporary Mediterranean choice, drawing on Cyprus and seasonal local produce.
Mountain-village dining with traditional cooking and produce from the restaurant’s gardens.
A village restaurant and guesthouse offering meze in a historic setting. Book ahead for a mountain outing.
A long-running family restaurant in the forested foothills, serving traditional Greek-Cypriot dishes and grills.
Traditional Cypriot food in an old stone-and-wood building, with a garden setting and a strong meze reputation.
A family-run restaurant known for homemade, slow-cooked Cypriot dishes on a quiet old-town street.
An established traditional tavern near the harbour area, serving Greek-Cypriot favourites and grills.
A historic taverna serving Cypriot meze on Trikoupi Street since 1938.
An informal, good-value grill option for a relaxed meal around Faneromeni.
Contemporary Cypriot cooking with seasonal ingredients and dishes made for sharing, at 15 Mpoumpoulinas Street in Nicosia.
Traditional Cypriot meze in a historic house associated with the making of zivania.
A traditional village-tavern option for meze and grilled dishes, a short detour from Larnaca.
A well-reviewed traditional taverna for a meze outing away from the main resort strips.
A hilltop lunch stop overlooking the coast, serving pork or chicken souvla with potatoes and salad. The approach is steep and rough; check current road access, reserve ahead and bring cash.
Traditional charcoal-grilled pork and chicken kebabs, sheftalia, pork chops and meze at 1 Griva Digeni Street in Peyia.
Check opening hours and reserve directly, especially at weekends.
Hondros photograph: © Sian Victoria.