Cyprus meze at its best

Perhaps it was the music that drew us in. Two local artists performing Cypriot and Greek folk songs for patrons enjoying a meal outside. Whatever the reason, our impromptu visit to Karatello Tavern on a quiet weekday evening proved to be a sound decision.

But this was not our first time here. Christenings, date nights, corporate events. This place has seen it all.

The walk to the restaurant is not bad either. If you come from the south, you can walk along the coast or the Limassol marina. If you come from the north or west, you may make your way through old town’s tight streets. Either way you will find yourself at Limassol’s medieval castle. On its perimeter there are many restaurants, bars and cafés. Several of these establishments belong to the same group, of which Karatello is one of them.

Karatello is a Cypriot-style tavern, where you can find traditional meze items, local wines, and other well-known treats. Aesthetically it leans heavily on tradition, with wooden chairs (often referred to as tsaeres) and tables outside, stone-covered walls, blended with clean, slick surfaces. A major feature in the restaurant’s interior (where we decided to sit due to the benevolent presence of air conditioning) is a large wall-mounted wine rack. As the name suggests, it is stacked with seemingly hundreds of wine bottles. They are empty, of course, but they do achieve the task of suggesting that this is a place where good times have been had.

We opted for white wine, despite the fact that our food would pair better with a red; the coolness of the white better suited the hot and humid Cypriot weather. Moreover, we quickly realised that a bottle of local wine (Kyperounda Petritis 2024, €24) would set us back less than three glasses of similar wine served on their own. The bottle was served in a bucket of ice, which kept it chilled throughout our meal.

To make things simple, we opted for the full meze (2 person minimum), with no alterations (you can make custom orders by ticking boxes on their tear-away menu pages with a pencil they provide). This will set you back €26 per person but is well worth it and will prove more than enough for the most voracious eater.

Due to the large amount of individual dishes they serve, I’ll merely say that everything on offer ranges from good to excellent. You get a nice village salad, tzatziki and other dips, local bread, toasted pitta, olives and lemons to begin with.

Then come the hot dishes. Boiled halloumi (yes, you read that right – it works!), zucchini fritters, sheftalies (some of the best I’ve had), Cypriot sausages (loukanika), breaded and fried cheese sticks coated with sesame, as well as scrambled eggs with zucchini. Something you won’t see in many Cypriot taverns are the mushrooms stuffed with cheese and served in tomato sauce. Different but very nice.

Then comes the meats. Lamb kleftiko with potatoes (served over a tealight candle, reminding you of the slow-cook process it takes to make it) and a board with chicken kebab, flamantzeri (pork belly), kontosouvli (large chunks of pork), and french fries. All of these were great but I need to mention that the kleftiko was extremely tender (as it should be) and that the flamantzeri was also a nice addition. The chicken kebab was a bit on the dry side but that’s common with this dish and a feature of the meat itself. Dipping it in yogurt definitely helped.

Finally, they brought us dessert (part of the meze). A plate of fruit (watermelon, kiwi, apple, grapes, orange, melon) and a plate of loukoumades with vanilla ice cream. The fruit was lovely, fresh and flavourful, but it’s hard to beat the sweetness of loukoumades.

All in all, a predictably pleasant experience from one of Limassol’s most reliable establishments.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY: Cyprus cuisine

WHERE: Karatello Tavern,Queen Berengaria street, Limassol 3042

WHEN: Monday-Saturday 6pm-11pm, Sunday 12pm-11pm

CONTACT: 25 336954

HOW MUCH: €26 for meze (2 person minimum), appetizers €3-€13.50