Envisioning a bright future where a group of friends go out for dinner and the vegetarians of the company do not leave hungry after munching on bread and olives all night, I have collected a list of good restaurants, where everyone can leave happy and well-fed.
By Artemis Evagorou
Akakiko
If you are a company with a variety of nutritional preferences and you like Asian cuisine, then this is the ideal place for you. Offering a large number of tasty dishes for vegetarians, vegans, meat-eaters, health-freaks and gluten-free options, here, everybody will leave happy. My personal favourites are the Papaya Poke with papaya, kimchi, goji berries, beansprouts and peanuts and the Tuna Sashimi Poke with three-coloured quinoa, tuna sashimi, wakame, crunchy seaweed, sunflower seeds and sweet miso chili sauce.
Also, fresh and nutritious salads which I order over and over again. You should try the sushi with quinoa, sweet potatoes, asparagus, spinach, carrot, beetroot and the tofu wanton with sweet potato.
Achaion 1, Engomi (Hilton Park ground floor), 777778022, Monday-Sunday, 12:00-00:00
Pantopoleio Kali Orexi
Welcome to an elegant but also laid-back Greek tavern, with very good food and impeccable service. Here, the dishes of the day can satisfy the most demanding customers as they offer nine choices, including vegetarian and meat options, two legumes dishes and fish. On top of these, you will find excellent vegetarian food from the a la carte menu such as the trachanokeftedes with halloumi and tomato marmalade, the legendary ravioli with black truffle and many more truly interesting choices.
Metochiou 38, Nicosia, 22675151, Monday-Saturday, 12:30-16:00, 19:30-23:00
Olives & Burgers
Let’s talk with numbers: five different omelettes, six veggie sandwiches, five veggie and four meat burgers, six salads, three of which are for vegetarians and six wraps, three of them veggie. On top of these you can find muesli bowls, chia puddings, soup and a dish of the day. In addition, I would say the best feature of the menu is the new (and incredible) gluten free, vegan rainbow spring rolls. They also offer vegan and gluten free desserts.
Prodromou 37, Nicosia, 77777447, Monday-Saturday, 08:00-16:00
Pokeloha
Maybe you think you’ve seen it all, but you’ve never tried Hawaiian sushi. The rules of the game are simple: in a bowl, your Poke Bowl to be specific, you choose your base (rice, quinoa, vegetables) you add protein (chicken, shrimps, tuna and salmon) and then you create an entirely personal work of art with marinade, sauce and a large variety of add-ons such as vegetables, nuts, seaweed, caviar and many other delicacies.
Columbia Plaza, Ayiou Andreou 223, Limassol, 25278024, Sunday Thursday 12:00-23:00, Friday-Saturday 12:00-23:30
Sawa
Everyone knows about Sawa. Located behind Pindarou, with great Syrian good, belly dancers and hookahs. At Sawa you will find creamy hummus, an excellent mouhamarah, a tasty baba gannouj and simple and crunchy falafel, as well as fresh salads. Their Patata Harra, small spicy potato cubes are excellent. For dessert, you can have the mahalepi, which you can sprinkle with rosewater.
Klimentos 31, Nicosia, 22766777, Monday-Sunday 11:00-00:00
Dino Bistro Cafe
You will go to Dino’s when you’re in the mood for… basically everything. Homemade food? Legumes? Japanese, Mexican, German or Cypriot cuisine? Gourmet? You will find everything. It is like a mall of excellent tastes with options such as a vegan burger with portobello mushrooms and tofu served in a bun. Also, halloumi sticks with pomegranate sour cream and grape molasses, as well as portobello mushroom filed with blue cheese and honey, a sandwich with brie cheese, avocado and tomato chutney, a salad with quinoa, nuts and seeds and many more. Meat and fish lovers will also leave happy from this restaurants as the chef has created an incredibly varied menu.
Gladstonos 137, Limassol, Monday-Sunday 07:30-23:45
Spaghetteria Italia
You can always count on the Italians if you want to eat state of the art food. Here you will find authentic, homemade Italian recipes from the hands of the Italian chef Daniella, who makes every dish with love and mastery. They offer a nice variety of salads, soups, pasta, pizzas, antipasti and dishes for all tastes. One of its many advantages is its nice ambiance and the friendly service.
Stylianou Lena 50-51, Larnaca, 24629450, Tuesday-Saturday 12:00-15:00, 18:00-23:00 (Sunday 18:00-23:00)
Lighthouse Surf and Turf
You have to see how they serve their soups in this restaurant! They bring you a bowl without the soup inside, with either burrata mozzarella in the middle or a tower of mushrooms with parmesan. Then they fill your plate with the soup until all the ingredients tie and become a nice mixture. Besides their blockbuster soups, the menu combines two worlds, earth and sea, offering creative seafood dishes as well as quality meats. From ceviche to tartare, gourmet pastas and rich salads and unique main dishes and tasty desserts. You will enjoy your food with a great view of the sea, as instead of walls the restaurant is surrounded by windows which reveal the Mediterranean blue.
Georgiou A 106, Yermasoyia, 25313808, Monday-Sunday 10:00-00:00
Mathaios
How I love this shop. Authentically Cypriot, without being folklore, it reminds of a past age, where everyone was eating together at the table without looking at their phones or taking pictures of the food. Take this at face value: at Mathaios’ I’ve never seen anyone standing on the chair to take pictures of their taro. People here talk, eat authentic traditional Cypriot food, laugh and feed the cats “illegally”. Mathaios makes tasty, homemade vegetarian food every day.
28 October Square, old Nicosia, 22755846, Monday-Saturday 09:00-16:00
gohealthyetc
A new all-day healthy eating cafe has popped up in Engomi. You owe it to yourselves to pay it a visit and try its healthy food. For a quick snack or breakfast you can try their pots such as the free-range egg and spinach pot, the yoghurt and granola pot, the fruit and muesli pot, among others. gohealthyetc is the only place that I know of that makes rolled Japanese Tamagoyiaki omelette. Their other egg-based dishes such as the Croque Monsieur and the Quiche Lorraine are delicious. They also offer a wide variety of tasty and nutritious salads (six of them are vegetarian and one is vegan), soups, smoothies and creative, freshly-baked sweets. Its menu carries the signature of chef Pericles Roussounides.
Diogenou 1, Engomi, Nicosia, 22744744, Monday-Saturday 07:00-21:00
