In Kalo Chorio, Larnaca, opposite the Church of Agios Vasileios, Taverna Koutsonikolia focuses on dishes rooted in Karpasia’s culinary heritage and wider Cypriot cuisine. It has received the Cypriot Cuisine Award four years running at the Chrysoi Skoufoi Kyprou gastronomy awards, based on its use of local recipes and older cooking techniques.
Konstantis Ktoris and his wife Sofia run the taverna. Its courtyard includes trees, herbs, old objects and elements of folk tradition, reflecting the kitchen’s approach. Visitors are served in a setting centred on the food and the history behind it.
The menu follows the format of Cypriot meze, with a focus on Karpasia recipes not commonly found elsewhere on the island, alongside the owners’ own variations. Dishes include kapiro, toasted bread with olive oil and baked olives; kerpasto, air-dried goat grilled over charcoal; and ofto tis teratsias, meat slow-cooked in a stone oven over carob branches. The meze also includes kefalaki, chicken, pork, sausage and pastourmas, with honey pies served at the end of the meal.
The taverna’s approach draws on local tradition, including dishes and techniques less commonly served elsewhere in Cyprus. According to the source material, each dish reflects recipes, ingredients and techniques that have been in use for a long period.
Booking is recommended, particularly at weekends.
2 Agiou Vasileiou, Kalo Chorio, Larnaca district. Tel: 99 651818.
