Kingfisher in Paphos is a small, family-run restaurant led by chef-owner Lefteris Saparillas. It has ranked among Cyprus’s top restaurants and received the Top Notch distinction at the “Golden Toques Cyprus” gastronomic awards.
The restaurant does not overlook the sea. Reviewers from Athinorama wrote that the sea is present throughout the space. Its display case shows fish and shellfish, rare species, and ingredients from selected suppliers, built around seafood from Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean.
Saparillas said his father, Yiorgos Saparillas, who had a boat before 1974, passed on his interest in the sea. His mother, Eleni Saparilla, gave him his first cooking lessons. Before working as a chef, he was a professional diver. He said this gave him knowledge of the sea and its produce. He attributes the restaurant’s results to ingredient selection, consistency, training and experimentation, saying the team sources ingredients, attends seminars and master classes, and tries new dishes while keeping traditional recipes. He also cited his diving background and his interest in the work as factors.
Kingfisher’s menu includes grilled and pan-seared dishes, as well as more elaborate preparations. Dishes include shrimp tartare with shrimp chips, a garlic-potato croquette with raw mackerel and house-made bottarga, and handmade tagliatelle with aged grouper. Saparillas has studied fish-ageing techniques and produces cured seafood, including pastourma and pastrami made from yellowfin tuna, and fish sausage. He said the restaurant’s awards serve as motivation, and that the restaurant continues to look for new ingredients and techniques.
Saparillas said customer recognition matters most to him, more than any award. He pointed to repeat visits from Cypriots and other island residents, and to comments from foreign visitors comparing Kingfisher to restaurants abroad.
2 Epaminonda Street, Paphos. Tel: 26 944252.
