The best way to get onto every detail and feel the spirit of a country you’re visiting is to eat local food. Here in Cyprus it means to eat lots of meat, fresh seafood and potatoes. Take in mind that portions are quite big, almost every kind of meat you order comes with fried potatoes and some salad. In addition you’ll always be served with a starter that includes bread, butter, olive paste, etc. During the days we spent here in Ayia Napa we had chances to have lunch or dinner in different places. Here I’m going to share my selected places, where the food was great and the prices were quite affordable.
If you want to eat local food with Greek atmosphere, right in the city center on the crossroad you can see the “Farmers” traditional tavern. Here you will have a nice music, amazingly tasty food with big portions. We were 2, ordered one portion of Caesar salad, one mixed souvlakis that included 3 type of meats, which came with fried potatoes and fresh vegetable salad, and 2 glasses of wine. For all these we payed only 25.40€ (without tip). And this was not all. After we asked for a bill, we were treated with a local drink made from grapes (don’t know they do it everyday or not, but we noticed that waiters gave that drink to everyone after meal). I must say that the portions were so big that we couldn’t finish all. And it is not a shame to ask for a takeaway the rest of the food that was still left. It was so tasty!
Here is the proof! Slide right to see the picture of the food portions and the bill!
Another lovely place to eat local food is the “Avra“, restaurant on the same crossroad, just on another side of the street, in front of the historical cemetery. The food and the service are awesome here. The prices also not very high. I remember this place since our previous visit, when we had the best seafood salad and pasta. Just look at this food and the portions (picture from my previous trip). Mamma mia.. so delicious! (Oh no, this was not only for me, I love seafood, but I wouldn’t be able to eat this all hahaha)
Said “mamma mia” and remembered about another great place to have a tasty meal with a perfect service.
If you are somehow “tired” from local food and want to eat something else, I would recommend you to come to an Italian restaurant “De Medici“. Ohh, what a place, what a food…. This time the order was Mussels as a starter, a portion of Pasta and prosecco for 2. The portion of pasta was so big, that we shared it for 2 and hardly finished it. But it was so tasty that we couldn’t leave any piece of spaghetti on a plate. The mussel came together with pasta (we asked for that in advance), and can you imagine that the half of it was left untouched? It was too much.. too tasty to leave, but if we ate it, we could explode 🙂 And for all these delight we payed only 33€. It’s not too much for two, right? 
Of course there are so many nice and tasty smelling places around that would be hard to choose where to eat, but definitely you’ll love those places I recommended. There are also a lot of famous places such as Hard Rock cafe, Wagamama (if you prefer Japanese food) or Ocean Basket (if you’re looking for all kind of seafood). Tip: If you want to have a seafood in Ocean Basket, make sure you reserve your sit in advance, as it’s always full.
After all, if you want to spend an evening with some drinks and music, you’ll have a bunch of options to choose. It’s not in vain that it’s called the second Ibiza. This is a city of nightlife, where some streets start to be active only after 9pm. You can find a place for dancing, for getting drunk or for spending just a nice evening. If the last option is the one you’re looking for, here is the best option for you. Right next to the Ayia Napa Monastery there is a nice open air bar called “The Square bar“. There’s always a live music here with a band, that will play and sing for you the best songs. Cocktails we tried were good, the prices were not high too. And this became one of our favorite places in Ayia Napa.
If you don’t want to eat or drink anything, you can always find a place near the bar, on the backyard of the Monastery and still enjoy a live music. Ayia Napa is a real paradise for sightseeing and best beaches, as well as for the awesome food and numerous bars for every kind of taste and activity. Ahhh… nostalgie 🙂
My Life in Travel 