4 Best Restaurants in Cyprus

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.

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.

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.

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.