Nicosia on a Plate: Exploring the City’s Culinary Treasures
For Nicosians, enjoying good food is second nature, and the city is quickly transforming into a renowned culinary destination. The Taste Nicosia campaign, launched by the Nicosia Tourism Board, celebrates this love of food by showcasing local flavours and multicultural influences that make the city’s gastronomy scene unique.
With its recent award for Best Beverage Experience for Culinary Travellers, Nicosia is having a main character moment. Especially as it has just become the first European Culinary Capital certificated by the World Food Travel Association celebrating the city’s excellent food experiences.
Taste Nicosia offers locals and visitors alike the opportunity to explore a city rich in traditional and international recipes and award-winning beverages, all united by a deep appreciation for Cypriot ingredients.
From Cyprus’ pride and joy – halloumi cheese – to smashed green olives with coriander, dishes infused with dark carob syrup, and meals cooked in the famous Cypriot Commandaria wine, each taste is rooted in Cypriot heritage.
Age-old recipes passed down generations, multicultural tastes with traces of Nicosia’s past and emerging flavours that have travelled the world tell the ever-changing story of life in the Cypriot capital. Whether it is traditional delights you are after or contemporary gastronomic innovation, Nicosia’s culinary scene has it all and it is paving the way for new delicious experiences.
Nicosia Food Guide: Time to taste Nicosia
The user-friendly digital brochure of the Taste Nicosia campaign not only celebrates both the food and drink milestones of Nicosia but also supports local businesses. Through beautiful illustrations and text, it showcases a selection of places to eat, drink and be merry in Nicosia.
From microbreweries and awarded cocktail bars that honour the island’s plants, herbs and aromas, to innovative Cypriot flavours and recipes from afar, the Taste Nicosia brochure provides a starting point for exploring the city through your taste buds. It is a guide promising a feast for all the senses that make Nicosia an inclusive culinary hub.
In a casual stroll in the city, for example, you can sip on Cypriot coffee made on heated sand like the old coffeeshop masters used to do, be transported back in time with the legendary and royal Cypriot cocktail Brandy Sour and taste a grandma’s recipes.
Nicosia Food Guide: A self-guided tasting route of central Nicosia
Tasting your way through the capital city is easy to do. You can follow the aromas, go where the locals are or embark on your own journey following our suggested itinerary, created by local experts (and foodies).
09:00 Coffee aroma
Every day begins with a great coffee. Set off from Eleftheria Square and stroll through Onasagorou Street. Take a right on Mouson Street that will lead you to Faneromenis Square. There you will find tables and chairs spread around the square, they belong to the traditional coffee shop and confectionary Tria Fanaria. Sit down for a Cypriot coffee and taste their traditional sweets and savoury treats – their cheese pie is renowned.
Take your time as you taste your way through Nicosia, eating and drinking is much like a ceremonial ritual here. Siga siga, as Cypriots say (“slowly, slowly”). From there, you are at an ideal location to explore Nicosia’s historical centre which is dotted with dozens of charming coffee shops. For more suggestions, explore the selection on the Visit Nicosia website (www.visitnicosia.com.cy).
11:00 Time for a snack
Hurricane Confectionery near Faneromenis Church is well-known and adored by all generations as it has been open since 1942, almost one century ago. The aroma of warm butter and fresh pastries welcomes you in and trays of cheese pies, almond croissants, biscuits and more traditional goodies wait to be devoured.
13:00 A traditional lunch
After a few hours of walking discoveries, it is time for lunch – a favoured time of day for Nicosians. Try Cypriot dishes, tiny meze plates that fill the table at St. George Restaurant – Tavern opposite the new AGORA CYENS Centre of Excellent on the Dimarchou Lellou Demetriadi Square.
Alternative: If you want to taste a local’s kitchen, head back to Faneromenis Square (don’t worry, it’s only 300m away) at Matthaios Restaurant for its daily home-cooked lunches.
15:00 A caffeine boost
To welcome the afternoon and get (another) caffeine boost, do like Nicosians do – have a post-lunch coffee. Swimming Birds is a specialty coffee place, right opposite the new Town Hall. Freshly roasted coffee beans are used to make the local favourite – Freddo espresso – or hot coffees such as flat whites and cappuccinos.
Alternative: In a tiny alley off Ermou Street To Apomero serves fresh lemonades, orange and citrus juices as well as teas from Cypriot herbs. If you are feeling peckish do try Mrs Androulla’s excellent orange pie, it might as well be old Nicosia’s best-kept secret.
18:00 Drink and be merry
Delicious and unique cocktails can be found all over the city as local bars and events such as the Mediterranean Bar Show and the Cyprus Cocktail Festival place Nicosia on the world beverage map. When it is time for an aperitif, a popular after-work hotspot is Silver Star Bar. A drink here from its extensive list of local and international wines or classic cocktails is a chance to explore central Nicosia beyond the old city. It is just a 20-minute walk from Ermou Street.
Alternative: To try Cyprus’ most famous cocktail – the Brandy Sour – two Nicosia venues are renowned for their recipes – Harasti Kafeneio and Prozak Kafeneio. Several Nicosia bars proudly include this historic cocktail in their menus, a factor that contributed to its recent award as Best Beverage Experience for Culinary Capital 2024. For local craft beer and in-depth beer expertise, BrewFellas Beer Bar is a favoured hotspot, right in the heart of the old town.
20:00 Taste the world on a plate
Award-winning restaurant Tocayo is a feast for your taste buds as it blends Latin American and Asian flavours. Here you will find exquisite cocktails, meat and raw fish sharing plates served in innovative ways. Dining here is a gastronomic delight, just make sure to book in advance.
Alternative: More international flavours are found in the old town. The African House Restaurant and Tonantzin Mexican Cuisine, for example, are both run by women and serve authentic dishes from their countries.
Nicosia Food Guide: Bonus tip
If you’re still standing tall at the end of the night, you have a choice of excellent bars and drinkeries. Lost + Found Drinkery, right by the Pediaios River, is an award-winning bar. Nearby, Granazi serves an extensive gin selection, sometimes infused with grapefruit, lemongrass or geranium perfume, amongst other cocktails and wines. Just 15 minutes away on foot is Vino Cultura, a low-lit wine bar that has knowledgeable staff and wines for every taste alongside a tapas-style menu.
One thing is certain – you will not go hungry or thirsty in Nicosia. And to truly get to know its people and changing history, its food and beverage scene really is the gateway to discovering the city’s heart and pulse.
For more, download the Taste Nicosia brochure here and explore more suggestions on the Visit Nicosia website.
Nicosia Food Guide
