Combining Greek and Turkish influences, Cypriot cuisine is renowned worldwide for its fresh and zingy flavours.
The Mediterranean city of Paphos is the perfect place to sample Cypriot cooking, and as soon as you take a mouthful you’ll fall head over heels: well Paphos is the birthplace of Aphrodite. All you need is flight and a guide to where to find the best food in the city.
Be aware, a holiday in Paphos as with just about anywhere in Southern Europe means a bit diet and a weekly routine in the gym once you return home. This is however, a small price to pay for the experience
These are some of the best places to eat and dishes to sample in Paphos.
Paphos Old Town
The first place any foodie will want to visit is the daily market, held in Paphos old town. As well as the usual souvenirs there is also a section selling meat, fish and vegetables. Generally the market is geared towards tourists, who arrive in droves from flights to Paphos, but it’s still worth a browse.
Meze platter
It would be tragic for a foodie to visit Paphos and leave without trying meze: small plates for sharing with friends and family. Traditional meze dishes include dips: skordalia, a blend of garlic and potatoes, is certainly worth trying. Small plates of cracked olives, wild asparagus, and octopus in vinegar are also traditional.
Laona Restaurant
You can sample local tasty food and meze platters at Laona Restaurant in the heart of Paphos, where steaming dishes of traditional Cypriot cuisine are presented with flair: must tries are rabbit stifado and lamb with beans. There is no menu in the traditional sense; instead food is bought fresh that morning and the blackboard updated to reflect what’s in season. The restaurant is popular with locals and tourists alike, as the range of unusual dishes are explained by the friendly owners Chris and Andreas.
Windmill Restaurant
The Windmill Restaurant is another favourite, particularly when searching for a freshly prepared meze. Local dishes abound with olives, lemon juice and herbs plucked straight from the family garden. Be sure to leave room for dessert: anyone who has sampled the lemon pancakes, crème caramel and orange cake will agree that this is sage advice. The home-made orange liqueur also packs a punch.
Melania Restaurant
Chips are far from the foodie abroad agenda; but if you’re travelling with children they may not appreciate your sense of pride. Satisfy their appetite for a taste of home whilst satisfying your own craving for meze with a visit to Melania Restaurant: where home-grown freshly picked potatoes are used to make chips, and the home-made meze platter is so big you will need a doggy bag. Set in the grounds of a sprawling garden, the grapes growing around you are used to make the village’s local wine.
Cheese in Letymbou
Consider getting off the tourist trail and into the mountains. The village of Letymbou is only 12km outside Paphos and is famous for its halloumi cheese. If you’re visiting at Easter keep an eye out for the famous flaouna cheese pasties produced here.
For the foodie visiting Paphos, one thing is clear: food is very important to Cypriots, and you can’t walk far without discovering another hidden gem.
