Karatello Tavern

The tavern looks onto the castle and stands next to the Carob Mill Museum, in the heart of Limassol’s old town. Inside, it keeps the feel of an old-fashioned, welcoming tavern while giving the dishes a modern touch. It is run by Carob Mill Restaurants, a Lanitis Group company set up in 2002, which operates several restaurants and bars in the complex and at the marina, among them Café Calma.

The house meze, for two or more, is the way to try a bit of everything. It starts with pitta, village bread, salad and dips such as tahini, village yoghurt and spicy cheese, then moves on to grilled halloumi, red-wine village sausage, sheftalia, pork kontosouvli, lamb chops and sklinitji pasta. It ends with loukoumades, the honey balls the tavern is known for. The chef changes the meze with the seasons.

From the main menu, try the dakos-style salad on a carob rusk, mushrooms with Commandaria and grape syrup, slow-cooked lamb kleftiko or grilled octopus.

The Carob Mill complex lies between the castle and Limassol Marina. From a berth in the marina it is about five minutes on foot, and the old port is just as close.

Karatello opens for dinner from 6pm Monday to Saturday and from noon on Sunday, and stays open until midnight, with the kitchen closing at 11pm. Book by phone, and ask for a table with a view of the castle.