The best restaurants in Paphos

Paphos, as well as everywhere in Cyprus, is dotted with restaurants, despite the fact that the all inclusive hotels’ system has crowd out the private restaurant business to some extent. According to various estimates, the city has about 410-440 restaurants of different levels, which can be divided into three main categories.

Fast food restaurants and coffee shops

The popular worldwide network of fast food (fast food) and coffee shops is a very common restaurant business in Paphos. Tourists from all over the globe can easily find  the familiar signs in the city – Mc Donald’s, Pizza Hut, Friday’s, Costa Coffee, Starbucks and others. Separately, you can select Ocean Basket – similar to a franchising project, which includes a traditional Cypriot fish restaurant with delicious dishes of seafood and interesting for visitors concerining the price and quality. Besides, for a street snack and not a particularly demanding audience, street “eateries” are always open.

Cypriot taverns

The next catering group in Paphos include traditional Cypriot taverns with a homely atmosphere, as a rule, not only belonging to the same family, but also under a full-service by members of the family – from waitresses to managers.

Authentic cuisine with a strong influence by the traditional cuisine of Cyprus – such can you characterize the specificity of these small bright parts of restaurants in Paphos. These restaurants are very popular both with locals and guests on the island, the dream is not only fully felt by the flavor of the local cuisine, but in genera, enjoying the atmosphere of a traditional Mediterranean life.

Cypriot taverns in Paphos partake in a surprising fact – the complete absence of “tourist menu”. Paphos’ harbor and promenade are not full of  faceless and tasteless food at inflated prices, but on the contrary, gastronomic delighs and exceptional quality of the best ingredients. With this you can easily find them on land, the hookah as well, as in any other European institution. Paphos’ harbor and promenade is considered the focus of such establishments, and warmly welcomes tourists with the fragrant smell of dozens of small taverns, restaurants and cafes.

“Spyware” menu for tourists

In the above-mentioned categories of restaurants I would like to highlight Tsiakkas Tavern, where George Tsiakkas,the owner and his wife, have been offering their guests a special menu for nearly 30 years now, which they call “spyware” and is made up of proven and almost “stolen” recipes of national dishes of different countries and, of course, traditional Cypriot and Greek dishes.

“Ritual” meat meze, “the freshest fish” …

It is worth mentioning one more detail: a very original and cozy family tavern known  Alkion Tavern, which is famous on the whole island of Cyprus for its meat meze. Eating in this magnificent restaurant becomes a real ritual for gourmets and lovers of the gastronomic travel. By the way, near Paphos, in Agios Georgios harbor, there is a great tavern with “the freshest fish on the island» – the St. George Fish Tavern.

The average bill for two people in the taverns of Paphos is 40 euros.

Fine Dining in Paphos

Third on the list, a special sector of the Paphos restaurants – gourmet restaurants (fine dining). There are not many of them in the city which is significantly smaller than, for example, Limassol. It is worth noting that such restaurants began opening on the island  10-15 years ago. The leaders in this segment, which are several restaurants, have already earned recognition not only by visitors, but also by the professional jury.

Sienna Restaurant

One of the new and increasingly popular restaurants of haute cuisine in Paphos is on the road to Coral Bay – Sienna Restaurant – which  is now complete, and the latest one of the most fashionable restaurants in Cyprus – Pavarotti. Chef Peter, trained at Westminster Catering College and practiced for a long time in some of the best restaurants in London, now offers special dishes in Paphos which “excite all taste buds” and are characterized by dizzying decor and exquisite flavor.

The best products are delivered to the restaurant via aircraft from different countries, but the restaurant has its own vegetable garden, where special aromatic herbs and spice mixtures for cooking are lovingly cultivated, the recipes of which are kept secret by the chef’s team at  Sienna restaurant. The average cost of a dinner for two ranges between 60-70 euros, the average price of a main course is 20 euros and the extensive wine list offers wines from 16 euros per bottle.

Colosseum Restaurant

Colosseum Restaurant is considered to be the best Italian restaurant in Paphos, offering not only pizza and pasta but also countless various traditional Italian dishes and gourmet meals. Established in the restaurant atmosphere is the location of the terrace area which is directly on the waterfront with moored yachts and boats, giving an overall impression as if moving guests in an Italian port city, such as Naples. The average bill for two is from 70-80 euros.

Other particularly noteworthy gourmet restaurants are La Rotisserie Olympic Lagoon Resort 5 * Paphos , where Greek and Cypriot dishes, as well as European dishes are made in an exquisite French style; exclusive gourmet restaurant in Amorosa Annabelle 5 * Hotel- a paradise for gourmets, which serves modern French cuisine in a cozy atmosphere and accompanied by live piano.

Public recognition of the restaurant in Amorosa Annabelle 5 * Hotel in Paphos for many years show unsurpassed quality, well-deserved reputation and high standards of service, and a special charm of live music, an original interpretation of traditional cuisine and elegant compliments from the chef leaving a lasting impression on all guests. The average cost of dinner for two at these restaurants is 150-200 euros. These restaurants are among the most expensive in Paphos, but high prices and somewhat pompous atmosphere compensated for excellent quality food.

Fish restaurants

One of the most magnificent fish restaurants is Psari Seafood Grill at the hotel Thalassa Boutique Hotel & Spa (Coral Bay), which offers European cuisine, a variety of traditional Cypriot dishes and, of course, a great and varied selection of seafood. A distinctive feature of the restaurant is the full entertainment program, as well as the possibility of organizing large banquets. The average bill dinner for two ranges from 100 euros. A little more modest, but not less “tasty” restaurant specializing in fish dishes is Chef De Karp , which will allow you to dine at a price of 60 euros for two.

Gourmet network restaurants

The huge competition and limited market in Cyprus led to the gradual development of a system of gourmet network restaurants, managed by a single center where the combined characteristic of the original theme and the range of the menu are present(similar to the Russian projects Novikov, Ginza Project). By successfully developing in Cyprus and, in particular, in Paphos, projects in this area include the popular among Russian tourists chain restaurant Del Sol, offering its visitors a cuisine of different countries, as well as a thriving Uptown Square, where side by side Japanese, Chinese and European cuisine exist.

 Additional services for visitors

For those who have not been to Paphos, reports have stated that in recent years there has been a growing global trend and improvement in catering and other services for guests. This means that the modern restaurant should be, above all, useful for visitors who wish to sit comfortably – in a chair or on the couch, have a nice view, perfect Wi-Fi connection, to get the perfect service and – necessarily – a varied cuisine of different directions for every taste. Therefore when you consider that almost all Cypriot cities are resorts, where people are not attached to any work schedule, it is only natural that many restaurants offer their services almost round the clock.