18 Best Restaurants in Cyprus

This meat-centric restaurant is popular with locals for both lunch and dinner; hidden away from the well-beaten tourist path, it serves up unassuming, authentic Cypriot food. You can't go wrong with the tavas—pieces of lamb and beef cooked with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and spices; the souvla (roasted pork in wine); or the moussaka, but best of all for those with hearty appetites is the mezedes—plate after plate of salad, olives, cheese, seafood, and meats, all for a reasonable fixed price. Sit on the terrace for lovely views of the sea.

In what is surely one of the most convivial atmospheres in Limassol, with a wide patio attached to the Limassol Nautical Club and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, take your pick from an extensive menu of seafood. The set-menu lunch is always great value, but there are also a handful of catches of the day to choose from. It's the perfect locale for gawking at the scene around you—both the other enthusiastic diners, often celebrating birthdays and other special events, and the beautiful sea. Spend time perusing the fantastic wine list with over 250 labels from wineries both within Cyprus and around the world.

At Ladas, you will enjoy an elegant lunch and dinner in a historic carob factory sitting smack in the center of Limassol's Old Port; where the pleasant waitstaff bring you the freshest fish and seafood on offer that day. You'll always start off with a fresh Greek salad tossed tableside and a selection of dips served with warm pita, followed by an appetizer like grilled calamari with lemon, before reaching the main course of a simply prepared yet succulent fish, such as whole sea bass for two, already deboned. Ladas's sophisticated air and polished presentation provide a welcome break after a morning of shopping and strolling on Agiou Andreou, just a block away.

In an ornate dining room with beautiful filigree metalwork screens and painted walls and ceilings, authentic Syrian cuisine is prepared by a brigade of hard working chefs. Dips such as moutabbal (grilled aubergine with tahini and yogurt), prepare the palate for the stars from the charcoal grill. Shish tawouk, marinated chicken breast, and shukaf, the lamb equivalent, are tender and smoky, infused with spices, while the kebabs are the best in the city. Leave some room for their baklava and mastic-flavored ice cream.

This restaurant has not only the most delicious food in Paphos, but it is also the most charming place to dine. Everyone from locals to tourists in the know come to experience owner George's inventive Cypriot cooking, which includes a preponderance of fresh, seasonal, and often organic ingredients, and lots of options for vegetarians and vegans. St. Georges has no written menu, just a prix-fixe offering of mezedes—a seemingly endless parade of small plates from cheeses to vegetables from the restaurant's own garden to meats smoked in-house, along with tasty homemade wine. The friendly servers will keep bringing the food until you tell them to stop.

Cyprus celebrity TV chef Roddy Damalis serves up small plates of Cypriot fusion cuisine—Ta Piatakia translates as "little plates"—in a lively atmosphere with festive colored tassels dangling from the soaring ceilings and a young, mainly local crowd. Sample house specialties—many featuring local products—like duck in green walnut sauce, grilled halloumi (the local Cyprus cheese) drizzled with honey, and prawn souvlaki. Round out your meal with a Cypriot wine pairing from a well-stocked upstairs cellar.

The pairing of food and wine is a challenging craft to master, but this wine and tapas bar has managed to balance the two perfectly. Inventive, international, and modern, Vino’s array of mouthwatering tapas caters to the fussiest palate. From fish tacos, hearty bruschetta, to tasty tagliata (sliced) steaks, Vino serves up platters that cater to every palate, including vegetarians. A wine selection that perfectly enhances the flavor of each dish is offered by the bottle and by the glass.

A classic meze tavern, which opened in 1938, Zanettos is tucked into a side street in Nicosia's atmospheric Old City and filled with a mix of tourists and old-timers. With no menu the restaurant dishes up plate after plate of fresh and tasty food for a low, fixed price. Pictures of Cypriot celebrities embracing the chef and his son stare down at you from the walls as you devour super-fresh salads, salty halloumi cheese, and tangy olives; hearty veggies like beets, potatoes, and mushrooms; tender meat dishes such as chicken kebabs and veal; and even succulent snails. Be sure to save room for dessert: Lebanese mahalembi, a unique rose-flavored creamy concoction.

There is a large Arab community in Limassol and they come here for a taste of home. Traditional Lebanese dishes are well presented and are delicately spiced and meat and fish are expertly handled—grilled over charcoal, with a smoky perfume. Salads are fresh and herby, jeweled with pomegranate, and vegetarians are well catered for with a huge selection of dishes. The easiest option is to choose the full meze; a seemingly never ending series of plates showcasing the skill of the kitchen.

Legend has it that Leonardo Da Vinci visited the village in 1481 to purchase some lace and this pretty little eaterie keeps up the Italian connection. A shaded courtyard serves up Italian classics like lasagna, and spaghetti Bolognese, but also local salads and grills, as well as some more off-beat international dishes like Lebanese kebab. It would be a shame to miss the Pizza though—the fresh dough is handmade everyday and topped with the best ingredients, some local on the Cyprus Special.

It's worth venturing a block inland from the beach for well-prepared Cypriot food in a charming traditional setting—an old tavern that was formerly a livestock pen, now decorated with overhead grapevines and a waterfall. Mandra is especially known for tender souvla (lamb cooked over charcoal and served on a skewer) as well as a filling meat meze for a fixed price; they also offer a tasty prix-fixe seafood meze for a bit more. Vegetarians will appreciate the veggie moussaka, a rarity in meat- and fish-centric Cyprus.

If you're looking for a simple, inexpensive meal with pretty views and friendly service, you can't do much better than Matthaios, a tiny family-run lunch-only spot near Faneromeni Church. Relax in the square at one of their five or six tables or inside if the weather is poor, and choose from a short menu of fresh offerings that may include a vegetable plate (white beans, celery, parsley, potatoes, zucchini, and onion, or whatever is available) or tender lamb served with okra and spinach. The smiling family owners will bring you a complimentary dessert of the day as a final treat. Though tourists have definitely discovered Mattheos, it still remains a respite of calm within the often-frenetic Old City.

Less picturesque than the restaurants ringing the harbor, this family-owned place serves better food with excellent grilled fare, including şeftali kebab (meatballs), a Turkish Cypriot specialty. The "Full Kebab" has been their star dish since 1949; a selection of mezes accompany lamb chops, doner, kofte, chicken kofte, and shish kebabs. There is also a surprisingly good selection for vegetarians.

The name translates as "the place where the pigs meet," and this street corner establishment is surely where they would end up in the search for the best grillhouse in town. Souvlaki is the name of the game—either chicken, pork, lamb, or even calamari. Throw in some kebabs, lamb chops, and pork belly, and accompany them with fresh traditional salads and you have a must visit. Centrally located, there are tables inside, under a covered terrace and at the front of the restaurant, and local bands often play impromptu concerts on the street outside.

If you're simply looking for a relaxing, well-designed place to lunch, eat a casual dinner, or get a quick snack, perhaps while checking your email, Pingouino Cafe fits the bill. This modern, airy café, a block in from the beach, offers free Wi-Fi and seating on cushioned wicker chairs and comfy couches. The menu features a mixture of international standards sprinkled with a few Mediterranean specialties, plus lots of veggie, gluten-free, and vegan choices. Try the halloumi salad, the poached eggs on toast topped with avocado and salmon, or the chicken tandoori wrap. Alternatively, dig into a scrumptious waffle or just order a cocktail and watch the world go by.

One of the oldest eating establishments in the city, in the heart of Engomi, offers up to 30 different meze dishes, including such unusual items as snails and okra with tomatoes. From humble beginnings in 1970 as a kebab house, it has grown into one of Nicosia's favorite tavernas.

The Limassol Marina is where it is happening; superyachts dock and tenders zip in and out of the harbor, their wealthy clientele perusing the big, international brands on offer at the shops that sit cheek by jowl here. At the heart of it all is Pyxida, directly on the water with a pleasant, airy, wooden terrace overlooking the water. The freshest fish and seafood is the strategy here; aquariums bubble with live lobsters and oysters imported from France, cockles and clams sit on ice alongside the catch of the day. Choose to have your fish freshly grilled, or, more theatrically, wrapped in vine leaves, baked in salt and then cracked open at your table.

The fare is Italian at this well-regarded and distinctly friendly spot, and those who dine here will also find no shortage of advice available on any topic relating to Cyprus. Choose from an extensive selection of pasta, fish, and meat dishes, and enjoy service in the lush courtyard outside in nice weather (which is most of the time in Cyprus). Complimentary antipasti such as proscuitto and vegetables are offered every day from 6 to 8 pm when you order wine or a cocktail. It's open from 12 pm until late for drinks.