There are countless tavern restaurants in Nicosia, but there are only a handful of “good” restaurants. This is contrary to the coastal cities, where good restaurants flourish as a result of tourism and an influx of foreign citizens who make Cyprus their permanent home. So I was pleased to hear about State, right next to OCCHIO Lounge.
The place has an American style, very big, modern, plenty of space between tables with comfortable seats. At the time of our visit, decorations were not complete, yet the restaurant was already showing its professional character. The menu had arrived quickly and it was big both in size and content. I calculated that a person could have wine and eat well for about €30, but it could also go higher or lower than that. The menu is divided in food categories: appetisers, salads, pasta and risotto, fish, poultry, meat (mainly steaks with great variety), but also side orders, share plates (cheese, cold cuts, fruit) and a fine selection of “mainstream” sushi. As you can see, there are so many choices, so we were privileged to have guidance from the chef de maitre. We had a salad for starters, with mixed vegetables and roots, and a tunatartare. It was such a great way to begin the experience! High marks for presentation, amazing taste: salad with many colours, veggies julienne looking like matches, with pistachios and goat cheese all tied together in a mild dressing, the freshest tartar sauce with a dreamy cognac-flavoured sauce. Then we had steak: New York Strip (the English sirloin) and fillet. The sirloin is a very delicious cut, but it takes mastery to prepare it otherwise you get to chew on something very hard. It does not need to be cooked beyond medium. My choice was perfect, same goes for the fillet. We washed the food down with a Chilean wine (very reasonable price) and an amazing chocolate lava cake. Nirvana!
State, 23 Alkeou, Nicosia, 22 255 111.
