What to eat in Larnaca
Meze to share, grilled halloumi and Cypriot coffee along the promenade
- Meze
- €18–30 per person, in a taverna
- Street food
- €3–6 (souvlaki pitta)
- Main course
- €12–25 (main course)
Eat meze at a table of two or more, and skip it when you are alone. A single diner is better served by a souvlaki pitta on the promenade, because meze arrives as a parade of small plates that only a group can finish. Larnaca cooks the same island dishes as the rest of Cyprus: grilled meat, grilled cheese, sweets from a jar and coffee boiled in a pot.
One table, many plates
Meze is a spread of small dishes that lands on the table one after another, and the usual choice is between a meat round and a fish round. In a taverna the usual price is €18–30 per person. To Archontikon is the name that comes up for meze in local guides. Ask for the price per person before the first plate, because the total depends on how many dishes the kitchen decides to send.
Pace yourself, because the plates keep coming for as long as the table accepts them. Order the round of meat or of fish for the number of people sitting down, and decline the extra rounds when the table is full. Nobody orders meze for one.
3-star hotel, double room, per person per night
Souvla, souvlaki and sheftalia
Souvla is meat on a long skewer, while souvlaki is the smaller skewer that goes into a pitta. Street food costs €3–6 (souvlaki pitta), and Souvlaki.gr on Pavlou Valsamaki is one of the places that serves it. Sheftalia is a roll of minced meat wrapped in caul fat and grilled, and it belongs on the same plate as the souvla. A sit-down meal in a restaurant runs at €12–25 (main course), and kleftiko is one of the dishes on offer.
Halloumi and spoon sweets
Halloumi is the cheese of the island, its name has been protected in the EU since 2021, and it turns up beside grilled meat on mixed plates, which makes it the easiest local product to try on a first evening. It goes on the grill, and that is how most tavernas serve it. Salty, and hard to stop eating. For something sweet there are loukoumades, fried dough in honey, and pastelaki, a sweet of sesame and honey. The spoon sweet, glika tou koutaliou, is a fruit or a peel preserved in syrup and served from a jar by the spoonful.
Coffee, Commandaria, zivania
Cypriot coffee is made in a small pot and served in a small cup, and the morning version comes with a koulouri, a ring of bread. Commandaria is a sweet wine, and zivania is a clear spirit, both offered after a heavy meal.
Fish by Kastella
The fish restaurants gather by the Psarolimano fishing shelter near Kastella, and the Psarolimano Fish Tavern takes its name from the place. Order the fish of the day there. Leave the grilled meat for another night. Larnaca also has Maqam Al Sultan in the old town for Lebanese food, a change of pace after three days of grilled meat.
Where to next
The best time to visit Larnaca
→Spring and autumn for everything, summer for the sea with heat, winter for the flamingos
Cyprus
→An island with the euro, left-hand traffic and two views of the same map, entered through Larnaca
How well does Larnaca suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Larnaca
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How much does meze cost in Larnaca?
In a taverna it costs €18–30 per person. Ask what the number includes before ordering, since the final bill depends on how many rounds arrive.
What is halloumi and how is it eaten?
It is a Cypriot cheese with a protected name in the EU since 2021. It is usually served grilled, next to the meat on a mixed plate.
Should I tip in Larnaca?
Service is added to the bill by law in restaurants and bars, so the tip is optional. Guides suggest about 10% when you are pleased with the service.
Ready for Larnaca?
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