The best Paphos restaurants, all in one place!
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No trip is complete without eating well, and Paphos has great food options! These are some of my favorites.
One note about this guide: I’ve focused on the seaside area of Paphos. This is where the vast majority of tourists will stay – you’re probably here for the sea! – but because of that, the restaurants here are largely geared towards visitors. This isn’t a bad thing! It’s just worth keeping in mind.
What to Order in Paphos
The number one dish to order in Cyprus is mezze! (Also spelled meze, you’ll see it both ways.) It’s a series of small plates that basically allows you to eat your way through the best of the kitchen. Some restaurants do their entire menu this way, while others may also offer an a la carte menu. Often, all you do is pick if the proteins are sea based or land based (or both!), and then they bring you dish after dish. It’ll start with appetizers: salads, dips, cold preparations; then move to mains. The food will just keep coming, and everything is delicious!
Halloumi is a unique Cypriate cheese that you should definitely try! it’s a little salty and almost always grilled. It shows up inside souvlaki or lots of other dishes, as well as being the star ingredient of salads.
You’ll find many dishes that are similar to their Greek and Turkish ancestors, with their own unique touches. Hummus, tzatziki, and yogurt dips show up to start every meal. Lamb features prominently, and kebabs are the best easy lunch out there.
Don’t even get me started on the seafood. If you like fish and shellfish, the menus are heaven!
There are tons of more specific dishes worth ordering, but we defaulted to ordering mezze for dinner most nights to maximize trying variety! So I didn’t always know the name of each dish as it showed up on our table, but it was always good!
The Best Restaurants in Paphos
Hondros
If I can only recommend one meal, it’s this one. In an area that mostly for the tourists, Hondros is a local spot and one of the best restaurants in Paphos. It was recommended by multiple locals, so you know it was our first dinner stop! Their menu has the option for meze (fish, land, or both) or you can order from their extensive menu focused on grilled meats. They’re known for their suckling pig, which is only available sometimes; order it if they have it!
We went with meze and loved every bite. It’s just such a great way to order tastes of the whole menu! It’s almost always the right call, and here it was perfect.
Phivos
Hear me out: Phivos is one of many restaurants with a guy outside calling out to invite you into his restaurant. Usually this is a big red flag to me, and I avoid. But we were hungry and having trouble finding a non-touristic spot in walking distance, so we gave it a shot. And it was possibly my favorite meal in Cyprus!
We ordered the meze here too. The owner talked us into a Greek salad and I’m so glad he did – it was one of the best I’ve ever had!
It’s the kind of place where the staff is all related, and the husband kept bringing more wine as the night progressed. We chatted with his friends who stopped in for a drink or a bite and loved every minute! At the end, we said we were too full for dessert, and the wife said, “it’s okay, I’ll bring fruit” and proceeded to bring us a massive platter and teased us when we couldn’t finish it!
The Lodge
The Lodge is a nice South African steakhouse, and if you’re looking for a more elevated date night meal, head here. The menu focuses on steaks, of course, but they also have seafood if not everyone’s a red meat fan. They make 6 sauces in house every day, so look forward to trying something delicious.
Suite48
If you’re looking for somewhere gorgeous for sunset drinks, head to Suite48. It’s a resort with an extensive bar and restaurant between the hotel and the water. The setting is perfect for a little aperitivo, and their gin & tonic menu doesn’t disappoint! Add the fries and you’re starting the evening strong. They also have a full menu if you want to stay for dinner.
Ta Mpania
If you want an easy meal on the water, try Ta Mpania. It was a great choice for our first meal in town, fresh off the plane: sitting on the waterfront with a breeze in my hair and seafood on my plate! I will say this is another example of the British influence in the menu: I ordered shrimp, which were delicious! But they included a side of mashed potatoes. Not bad, but definitely not what I expected with fresh seafood.
Old Town restaurants
You could dedicate an entire guide to eating in old town Paphos. But since my Paphos guide focused on the seaside area, I’ll mention two restaurants perfect for if you head up to explore old town for a bit.
Laona is a family-run local spot, and you can’t go wrong. The menu changes daily, so you know everything is perfectly seasonal!
Koutourou Ouzeri is another great homestyle option! The menu focuses on sharing dishes, almost tapas-style. Again, they offer new dishes every day, so you never know what fresh seasonal dishes you’ll get!
Paphos Breakfast & Brunch
Estrella
Estrella has a big brunch menu, perfect for slow vacation mornings!! They have a ton of classic breakfast options, as well as pizzas, pastas, salads and burgers if you want more lunch options. I went with their breakfast pizza, which was a local bread topped with eggs, bacon, cheese and sauces!
Pingouino
Pingouino is another good brunch spot – they’re open all day, but I loved it for the morning. They also have a pretty extensive menu, but my favorite option are the crepes!
Want more Paphos tips? Try my city guide! Or check some of my other Mediterranean destinations in Greece, Italy, or Malta.
