Kuzuba, Nicosia

Kuzuba may be what many fusion restaurants aspire to be when they grow up: dining without gimmicks or pomposity, but with just a sprinkle of good-natured pretentiousness.

Those airs may be somewhat merited, at least according to the good people over at Wiz Guide Cyprus, who named Kuzuba the 12th best restaurant of 2025.

Perhaps they are further justified by Kuzuba’s philosophy of sourcing ingredients from small-scale local producers and neighbourhood butchers.

Whatever the case, that is where my faithful dining companion and I found ourselves on a drab Wednesday night, the streets still wet from an annoyingly persistent drizzle.

Despite the accolades – and the fact that it has been operating since the summer of 2022 on one of Nicosia’s main arteries (and, subjectively speaking, one of its most beautiful streets) – the place still feels like something of a hidden gem.

Outside, things are dimly lit – courtesy of the now-ubiquitous battery operated cordless table lamps.

As we are shown to our table, the “local” atmosphere of the restaurant is both unmistakable and surprising.

Surprising, because I imagined a place like this – located a stone’s throw from the sizeable and gargantuan headquarters of Ernst & Young and Wargaming, respectively – would be chock-a-block with young professionals who unironically use the word ‘fade’ when going to the barber.

Unmistakable, because nearly every table around us was speaking Greek.

The restaurant prides itself on its ever-changing seasonal menu, and true enough, the one given us significantly differed from the one I found online from a few months ago.

We opened up the evening with a mashed smoked aubergine with tahini, date honey, roasted pistachio nuts, halitzia cheese and rose buds.

While it’s tempting to linger over the familiar, in this case the evergreen Cypriot village salad, it’s a little more exciting to try something for the first time, so we went with the signature Kuzuba salad: fresh spinach leaves with courgette, poached pear, caramelised almonds and bergamot in a soy date dressing.

For the mains my faithful dining companion went with the Prawn kritharoto and I chose the grilled octopus in Romesco sauce with sea fennel, chives and capers.

Both dishes arrived in short order, the waiter nearly asking if everything was alright before the plates had even touched the table.

This attentiveness would become something of a theme throughout the evening.

Everything was fine – better than fine, in fact.

The smoked aubergine, while not much to look at, was a standout. The tahini lent it a creamy, spreadable quality, while the date honey and roasted pistachios added a layered, nuanced complexity to a Mediterranean staple.

The salad arrived looking like spring made manifest on a plate. The interplay of spinach, courgette and pale pear slivers, paired with bergamot and a restrained hand with the soy-date dressing, made for something delicate, thoughtful – almost a palate cleanser.

Both dishes returned to the kitchen empty.

We were then given enough time to mull over and discuss the ins and outs of our starters before the mains arrived.

The prawn kritharoto came somewhere between risotto and bisque in consistency. The prawns were expertly cooked and the dish had a wonderfully silky texture, though my dining companion noted it could have used a little more of a kick – a turn of the pepper mill, perhaps, or a touch of chilli.

For both of us, the star of the evening was the octopus and the Romesco sauce that came with it. In a city where it is so often overcooked into rubber or charred into submission, this was a reminder of how it should be done. Tender, with just the right amount of bite.

The romesco sauce was equally impressive – rich, deeply flavoured and unapologetically garlicky. By the end, I found myself quietly wishing for a slice of bread to mop up what remained, my increasingly futile attempts with a fork beginning to test the patience of nearby diners.

Kuzuba may be what many fusion restaurants aspire to be when they grow up.

Not louder, not flashier – just more assured.

Because when the ingredients are this good, and the execution this considered, there’s no need for gimmicks.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY: Cypriot/Mediterranean cuisine

WHERE: 54 Kyriakou Matsi avenue, Ayios Omologites, Nicosia

WHEN: Monday to Saturday 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 12am; Sunday: closed

CONTACT: 357 99 865444

HOW MUCH: Varies by seasonality. Starters: €3 – €15 Mains: €14 – €29