Restaurant review: To Kazani, Larnaca

By Andreas Vou

To Kazani is a traditional tavern on the outskirts of Larnaca in the village of Aradippou, and will leave visitors with a strong feeling of nostalgia thanks to its unique atmosphere and rich history. In what is a 19th century house, the restaurant, which translates to ‘the cauldron’, has an interesting back story.

During its construction over 100 years ago, a cauldron along with the rest of its tools was found, which has been preserved until present day. The restaurant, built in to this old house, was also used to distill Zivania until the middle of the 1900s.

Upon entering, it reminded me of a typical tavern I would go to with the whole family when visiting Cyprus on holiday. These types of eateries were common back in the ’90s in Cypriot villages but have become somewhat a dying breed in recent years. With most people preferring to venture into Larnaca town centre for a bite to eat, places such as this one are quite a rarity for a popular restaurant. But where there is quality, people will flock wherever it may be and this place is proof of that.

The menu is also extremely unique in its simplicity, rather than page after page of different types of dishes, this one is simply a page which offers about eight to ten different meals. There is, of course, options like pork chop, souvlaki, squid and mixed vegetables but those who go there frequently will tell you need not look past the first on the list – the meze.

Once the dishes start landing on the table it is hard to keep up. Starting off, you are provided a traditional village salad along with a variety of dips like tzatziki and tahini, as well as several side dishes like olives and halloumi.

What is great about this meze is that it can be tailored to a variety of preferences – with vegetarians on the table, we were provided more of the veggie-friendly foods in proportion to the requirements of some of our guests. There was an assortment of grilled vegetables, some scrambled eggs with spinach, a plate of feta with slices of tomato topped with olive oil and oregano to name a few. All of the dishes were prepared with care and there was no letup in the portions.

The problem with many modern restaurants is that more emphasis seems to be placed on the image and interior of the palce whereas the most important part of the restaurant, the food, is neglected. There was certainly none of that at To Kazani.

Soon after the meat dishes arrived, which included a variety of combinations including halloumi with sliced pork, chunks of lamb in what seemed to be a paprika-type seasoning, ordinary souvlaki and sheftalies. As with the earlier dishes, the quality of the cooking was superb as was the flavour and it was nice to see a slight variation in some of the aforementioned dishes rather than just the typical souvla or souvlaki. All of the above comes to just €16 per head which is tremendous value for money.

To cap the night off, one of the waiters went round each table and provided a shot of zivania to all of the guests as the live music got going. More than just a meal, To Kazani provides a night to remember with traditional live Cypriot music being played by a local band which gets all in attendance clapping along. It is strongly advised for those keen to pay a visit to call in advance to book a table, such is the demand on Fridays and Saturdays.

It is hard to find spots such as these, and thankfully there are a few gems still dotted around and this particular one ticked all the boxes and more, from quality of food, value for money, as well as the added bonus of excellent service and atmosphere.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY: Meze
WHERE: 28th October Street, Aradippou, Larnaca
CONTACT: 99 313236
PRICE: €10-16 for main course, drinks reasonably priced