From Limassol’s luxury hotels to the capital’s elegant dining rooms, chefs across Cyprus have created specially designed menus for the Christmas season, offering diners a festive culinary experience.
COR GASTRONOMY
Cor Gastronomy in Limassol presents a complete dining proposition for both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, with two specially designed menus from two-time Gold Chef award-winning chef Christodoulos Theofanous.
The Christmas Eve menu opens with beef tartare accompanied by oyster and Oscietra caviar. Scallops follow with haricot vert, sugar snap and dashi sauce, offering umami depth and balance between freshness and warm complexity. The menu progresses with amberjack paired with green herbs, shiso oil and salicornia, a dish emphasising the fish’s delicacy and clean, botanical notes.
The evening’s main course is venison pithivier with foie gras, lardo and crème de cassis, a rich, festive composition with depth, intensity and aromatic balance that marks the dinner’s climax. The finale features two desserts: yuzu with sheep’s yoghurt, lemon balm and sourdough, offering freshness and a clean finish, and dark chocolate with white miso and sourdough bread ice cream.
Bidding farewell to the year, the talented chef creates a slightly different experience with fine dining flavours and festive character. The evening begins with canapés before the menu moves to sea bass with cucumber, kiwi and dill, a dish balancing freshness, acidity and subtle aromatics. This is followed by beef tartare with oyster and caviar, whilst foie gras parfait with berries, pistachio and umeboshi brioche adds richness and complexity.
The menu peaks with beef Wellington served with velvety potato purée, an iconic festive dish offering intensity, depth and balance worthy of the year’s final night. The dinner concludes with yuzu with sheep’s yoghurt, lemon balm and sourdough, and dark chocolate with white miso and sourdough bread ice cream.
Cor Gastronomy, 139 Amathountos Avenue, Limassol, 25 725100, cor.cy
THE POLO RESTAURANT AND BAR
Alasia presents a programme of Christmas and New Year events designed to cover the entire festive fortnight with dining and music for the whole family. The curtain rises on 24 December with the Christmas Eve Gala Dinner, a formal dinner with DJ and festive character.
On Christmas Day, the scene becomes more family-oriented with Santa’s Buffet Lunch, accompanied by live music and piano, ideal for all ages. On 26 December, Boxing Day is celebrated with The Roasts Sharing Lunch, a relaxed midday meal with live instrumental performers.
The climax comes on 31 December with the New Year’s Revellion Buffet Dinner, a lavish dinner with music until midnight. The new year begins with the Festive Carvery Sharing Lunch on 1 January, whilst the programme concludes on 6 January with TA FOTA Brunch, a more relaxed dining proposition for Epiphany and the close of the festive season.
Alasia Boutique Hotel, 6 Haidariou Street, Limassol, 25 332000
SALT & FIRE
Salt & Fire, the restaurant in Agios Ioannis Malountas established for select meat cuts and live fire cooking philosophy, has unveiled its festive sharing set menu, proposing a complete dining experience in an atmospheric setting.
The festive Christmas offering is based on sharing and available in two options. The Classic Feast Menu includes a carefully selected sequence of dishes with many familiar festive flavours. For those seeking a more enriched experience, the Celebration Menu adds additional dishes, offering greater variety. Both menus are served in Salt & Fire’s warm and elegant surroundings, with fire dominating the space and creating an ideal setting for the festive table.
The New Year’s Eve Sharing Menu offers a festive experience with creative dishes. The culinary sequence begins with gambero prawn tartare served with citrus mascarpone and Oscietra caviar, a fresh and refined starter combining seafood notes with rich texture. This is followed by celeriac and black truffle soup, offering deep, earthy flavour with aromatic intensity.
The menu continues with foie gras, duck confit, Iberico pork with Christmas blend spices, Black Angus fillet and concludes with spiced dark chocolate with chilli and cardamom, miso caramel and hazelnut.
Kyriakou Matsi Street, Agios Ioannis Malountas, 22 435323 and bookings via saltandfire.co
NOVEL
The Novél restaurant at Agora Hotel (which recently acquired its first Michelin Key) presents two fine dining dinners. The Christmas Eve Menu opens with a delicate amuse bouche of chestnut velouté enriched with truffle foam and crispy sage, setting the evening’s tone from the first bite.
The first course, beetroot-cured salmon gravlax, is accompanied by dill, crème fraîche, citrus and pickle, in a balance of richness and freshness. This is followed by tortellini with wild mushrooms and black garlic in Parmesan broth, with optional truffle for those seeking more intensity.
The main course represents the menu’s climax: roasted venison fillet with parsnip purée, spiced red cabbage chutney, glazed carrots and Brussels sprouts leaves. The dinner closes with dark chocolate delice, cranberry gel, caramelised hazelnuts and cocoa, in a sweet finale with winter character.
The New Year’s Eve Menu raises the bar even higher. The amuse bouche includes oyster with champagne and caviar, lemon, crème fraîche, Osciètre caviar and chive oil. The starter is grilled lobster with fennel and green apple remoulade, whilst the first course features creamy Carnaroli rice with black winter truffle.
The main course is beef Rossini with roasted beef, foie gras, truffle potato purée and glazed baby carrots. The dinner concludes with Midnight chocolate, featuring hazelnut praline, salted caramel ice cream, cocoa and gold leaf.
Agora Hotel, 25 Timiou Stavrou Street, Pano Lefkara, 24 726000
ÓRIS FIRE KITCHEN & BAR
Óris Fire Kitchen & Bar in Limassol welcomes the festive season with two specially designed menus for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, emphasising fire cooking, deep flavours and carefully selected ingredients.
The Christmas Menu begins with pumpkin velouté with truffle aroma, smoked pancetta and sourdough croutons, followed by salmon gravlax with horseradish cream, pickled beetroot and caper. The main course peaks with duck confit served with red wine risotto, grilled radicchio and burrata with crispy crust. The dinner concludes with the classic French baba au rhum accompanied by crème anglaise and citrus notes, offering a classic yet refined sweet finale.
The New Year’s Eve Menu begins with French onion soup, slow-cooked with oxtail, Gruyère and thyme. Next, wagyu beef tartare with osciètre caviar and truffle ponzu sauce brings luxury and clean flavour to the table. The main course is veal ossobuco cooked in red wine sauce with orzo alla Milanese and pomegranate, combining Italian references with contemporary presentation.
The menu closes with Mont Blanc, a refined chestnut composition functioning as a gentle and elegant sweet finale for the year’s final night. Both menus offer à la carte ordering, maintaining flexibility for guests.
28th October Avenue, Limassol, 25 747878
ÉTHOS VIN
Christmas Eve at wine bar Éthos features a festive sharing menu focusing on detail. The experience begins with amuse bouche and a variety of breads with butter, preparing the palate for a series of dishes with strong character.
Highlights include crudo carabinero with bergamot hollandaise and shiso, and sautéed scallops with chestnuts, brios sauce and black truffle. Foie gras is combined with apple and pear chutney and tamarind, whilst roasted beetroot with fresh berries and walnuts offers earthy balance.
Among the richer dishes, crispy pork pancetta with carrot tartare and apple, and roasted duck breast with honey, lavender and celeriac purée set the evening’s tone. The dinner concludes with a creation featuring chestnuts, chocolate, exotic fruits and red berries.
16 Kosta Karnavalos Street, Paphos, 26 933000
RISTORANTE LOCATELLI
Ristorante Locatelli brings Italian finesse to the festive season with a sense of cosmopolitan dining, proposing a complete festive programme extending from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Eve.
On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, dinner is served à la carte with live music enhancing the festive atmosphere without overshadowing the dining experience. The climax comes on New Year’s Eve with a fine dining Gala Dinner.
The multi-level menu moves between Italian classic references with the contemporary creative vision of the multi-award-winning Italian chef, featuring dishes such as potato ravioli with caviar, lobster thermidor ravioli, buffalo fillet with zabaione and refined desserts that complete the evening theatrically. Live music will discreetly accompany the experience until midnight.
AMARA Hotel, 95 Amathountos Avenue, Limassol, 25 442222
SCALE
Scale Restaurant has prepared two set menus for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, proposing a contemporary, clean dining experience. The Christmas menu opens with homemade bread and accompaniments before moving to fresh salads such as rocket salad with crispy leaves, almonds and tahini-honey dressing.
Starters include beef fillet carpaccio with artichokes, mushrooms and graviera, and paccheri pasta with sea bream and aromatic fish velouté. Main courses move in festive logic, with stuffed chicken with mushrooms and manouri or beef fillet with broccoli and peppery sauce, before the menu closes with the festive dessert.
The New Year’s Eve menu begins with a welcome glass of champagne. Dinner starts with homemade sourdough bread and soup of the day, continues with salads such as kale with pear and truffle vinaigrette, whilst starters include linguine with prawns in creamy bisque and beef carpaccio with aromatic truffle oil.
For mains, Scale proposes braised Angus short ribs with cauliflower purée or glazed duck fillet with apple and pumpkin-ginger purée, accompanied by select sides such as grilled broccolini and truffle baked potato.
MAP, 15 Stasinou Avenue, Nicosia, 22 444999
MATSUHISA LIMASSOL
Matsuhisa Limassol, with its distinctive Asian, cosmopolitan identity, proposes a programme with à la carte dinner on Christmas and a Gala Dinner on New Year’s Eve.
On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and 26 December, it operates with an à la carte dinner menu, giving guests the opportunity to shape their own festive table through the iconic creations of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. Dinner is accompanied by DJ music selections, ideal for an evening out with festive spirit.
The climax comes on New Year’s Eve with a New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner that accurately captures the brand’s philosophy. The menu opens with vegetable salad with salmon rolls and continues with tuna sashimi with black garlic miso and green apple salsa.
The experience continues with sushi, soup with mushroom gyoza and enoki tempura, whilst mains include Chilean seabass with yuzu soy and truffle sauce, and slow-cooked short ribs with balsamic teriyaki and edamame-wasabi purée. The dinner concludes with a distinctive dessert featuring chestnut miso, strawberry and white chocolate.
AMARA Hotel, 95 Amathountos Avenue, Limassol, 25 442222
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