Balza, the rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking Eleftheria Square, has reopened for the season with a refreshed design, a new menu and a new cocktail list, open from 6pm until late.
The terrace looks out over Nicosia’s skyline from Megaro Hadjisavva, at the corner of Evagorou Avenue and Omirou Street. It’s set up as a venue for several different occasions: after-work drinks, dinner as the sun goes down, a business meal, or simply a night at the bar with friends.
Chef Angelos Bakopoulos has signed off on the menu again this year, with lead chef Xenofon Stavropoulos executing the concept, drawing on Mediterranean cooking alongside broader international influences. The dishes include a spicy cheese harissa, beef tartare with sun-dried tomatoes, capers and crispy potatoes, tuna carpaccio with wasabi and black vinegar, grilled squid with tomato relish and carbonara sauce, an Iberico secreto skewer, and a seafood linguine with clams, mussels and prawns. There are also daily specials; fresh fish, various cuts of beef, and jumbo prawns, which staff will talk customers through before ordering.
Vakis Stavrou has put together the cocktail list, which includes the usual classics alongside a set of drinks made specifically for Balza. Among this year’s additions are the Naughty Bird (tequila, mango, orange liqueur), the Jungle Mist (gin, St. Germain, a mint foam) and the Black Kiss (vodka infused with butterfly tea and peach). The non-alcoholic list has also grown, now including a Negroni, Paloma, Basil Smash, Hugo, and Summer of Your Life.
Balza is at Megaro Hadjisavva, Evagorou 2, 7th floor, Nicosia. Tel: 22 253232.
