From a new spritzeria in the centre of Nicosia to a gastronomic evening with Giorgio Locatelli and a taverna keeping rare Cypriot recipes alive, here’s where to go this weekend.
New Spot in Town
Fizzy Spritzeria
A new bar has opened in the capital, built around the Italian aperitivo tradition and centred, as the name suggests, on spritz. It adds to the growing cluster of bars around Stasandrou Street, an area that has increasingly become a night-out destination. Alongside its own spritz variations, the bar serves classic cocktails, wine, and platters meant for sharing. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm to midnight.
Agias Elenis, Nicosia, 97447777.
Gastronomic Evening
Ristorante Locatelli
Chef Giorgio Locatelli returns to Ristorante Locatelli at the AMARA hotel in Limassol for two evenings, on August 28 and 29. Guests can order from the Summer Menu, built around seasonal ingredients: dishes include Pinsa Romana, lobster linguine, seafood, seasonal vegetables and herbs. Black summer truffle features in several dishes across the two evenings. Locatelli has built an international career in Italian cooking and is also known to a wider audience as a judge on MasterChef Italia and Celebrity MasterChef UK.
AMARA Hotel, 95 Amathountos Avenue, Limassol, 25442222, [email protected]
Meat in the Courtyard
Taverna Koutsonikolia
In Kalo Chorio, Larnaca, opposite the Church of Agios Vasileios, Taverna Koutsonikolia focuses on Karpasia recipes and older Cypriot cooking techniques. It has won the Cypriot Cuisine Award four years running at the “Chrysoi Skoufoi Kyprou” gastronomy awards. It’s run by Constantis Ktoris and his wife Sofia, whose courtyard, filled with trees, herbs and old objects, sets the tone for the place. The menu follows the usual meze format but leans into rarer Karpasia dishes and the owners’ own variations, several of which are hard to find elsewhere in Cyprus. Kapiro, toasted bread with olive oil and baked olives, opens the table. Kerpasto, dry-aged goat grilled over coals, is known for its concentrated flavour, while ofto tis teratsias, meat slow-cooked in a stone oven over carob wood, is one of the taverna’s signature dishes.
Agiou Vasileiou 2, Kalo Chorio, Larnaca district, 99 651818.
