Where to eat in Cyprus, area by area

When I travel, I choose where to eat by what each place produces, and Cyprus lends itself well to that. I don’t name individual restaurants, as no official source vouches for any, but I do give the areas, villages and markets where each flavour lives. What to try is explained in Cypriot food.

In the mountains

The wine-cured meats with a geographical indication, lountza, hiromeri and loukaniko, come from Pitsilia, the land above 700 metres in villages such as Agros, Kyperounta, Pelendri and Fikardou. Agros adds damask rose spoon sweet and rosewater, which I cover in Cypriot desserts. For me, a meal in one of these villages is the best way to understand the island’s cooking. Bear in mind that the roads up there are winding, so allow more time than the map suggests and leave the wine to whoever isn’t driving.

Among the vines

In the wine villages of Limassol district, from Omodos to Koilani, Vasa, Pachna and Pyrgos, wineries open for tastings, and in Agios Mamas there’s one devoted only to Commandaria. I list them all in Cypriot wine, with opening times.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Larnaca on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Paphos and Geroskipou

Paphos loukaniko, matured in the district’s red wine, holds a PGI, and in Geroskipou, next to the town, loukoumi and sugared almonds with an EU seal have been made since 1895. If you’re staying nearby, see Paphos hotels.

The east coast

Kolokasi, Cypriot taro, is a PDO in Sotira, Avgorou, Frenaros and Liopetri, on red-soil plots in Famagusta district. If you’re staying in Ayia Napa or Protaras, it’s close by.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Larnaca and pick one that fits your day.

Larnaca, market and producers

Larnaca’s tourism board gathers the most ideas. The municipal market, on the site of the old one and in a new building, opens from 7:00 to 18:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 7:00 to 14:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with an open-air farmers’ market on Saturdays. There’s a traditional gastronomy route through the villages, created with the Larnaca women’s association, and a walk with tastings through the old streets of the centre. Outside town you can visit an olive mill in Choirokoitia, Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 17:00, an olive estate in Lefkara, beekeepers in Melini and the spoon sweet workshop at Agioi Vavatsinias. The beekeepers belong to what the board calls the Rural Larnaka Honey Villages, where you can taste honey and dishes made with it, and the Lefkara olive estate has its own shop on site.

How I’d do it

Beyond the products with a seal, almost any village taverna serves two festive dishes, kleftiko, cooked slowly with bay leaves, and meat over charcoal, such as Cypriot souvla. To drink, Cypriot beer comes from two home brands, Limassol’s KEO and Leon, and to finish I’d order Cypriot coffee, which arrives with a glass of cold water. The bill already includes a 10% service charge, so anything extra is up to you, as I explain in tipping in Cyprus.

A base on the coast and trips up to the villages at lunchtime. To save money, the market and your own kitchen help, as I set out in cheap eats in Cyprus. To place each stop on the map, the guides to Limassol and the Troodos Mountains cover the districts and villages along the way.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Larnaca before you arrive rather than at the desk.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Larnaca on Booking.com and filter by area before price.