One of the oldest meze houses in the capital, serving the same honest dishes since 1938.
Cypriot meze · Tavernas · Nicosia (Trikoupi St, old town) · ★ 4.5 (2100 reviews) · €€
Known for Chef’s meze parade.
Zanettos is one of the capital’s longest-running tavernas, hidden in the old city’s backstreets — the kind of place where the meze keeps arriving and the room is full of Nicosians celebrating something. It’s an institution for a reason.
A 4.5-star average across well over a thousand public reviews puts it firmly on the shortlist for Nicosia.
The thing to order: chef’s meze parade. This is traditional Cypriot eating: charcoal, clay ovens, village wine and plates meant for sharing. Come hungry — meze here is a marathon, not a sprint.
Zanettos Taverna is in Trikoupi St, old town, Nicosia. Nicosia’s old city, ringed by its Venetian star-shaped walls, is where the capital eats and drinks — Ledra and Onasagorou streets and the lanes off them, a world away from the business districts outside the walls. Cypriots eat late; go from about 8pm for the full atmosphere, and book ahead on summer weekends — good tavernas fill with local families, which is exactly the sign you want.
Directions · More hotspots in Cyprus
