Muse — Restaurant in Paphos Municipality

What a truly abysmal experience, if you like awful food with a touch of aggression then this is the place for you!

My wife and I always do a substantial amount of research before we visit restaurants abroad and in fairness Muse certainly has one of the best reputations in Pathos but that is where the prestige ends.

It was so appalling I am actually compiling this review in the taxi home!

Where to start - ironically I chose this establishment as the venue to celebrate not only our 10 year anniversary but additionally my wife’s birthday. I hesitate to mention that she has also been through quite the ordeal this year with the rather traumatic birth of our first son - we are lucky that they are both with us … but I digress.

I informed the restaurant of the above (in a lovely message 2 weeks ahead of time) and one would think that qualifies you for a nice table with a nice view right? Wrong! We were shunned behind a tree and told the better tables were only for 4 tops (there’s a beautiful irony to the fact that said 4 top went unsold all evening). After realising they had neither digested nor even read my polite message I conceded there was no sense in arguing - we opted for a table inside - after all it was a bit windy so who cares. No need to get overly upset … apparently the waiter didn’t agree as he vigorously gathered our menu’s and ushered us up the stairs.

Our new waitress had all the enthusiasm of a flattened whoopy cushion and despite her morbid approach we managed to place an order.

The starters came fairly quickly but they went back even faster. Salt squared with a thimble of the sauce promised … perhaps it was the perfect sweet accompaniment but we will never know as the drizzle we received was barely visible to the naked eye. The waitress was less than impressed with our refusal to eat it but I truly hope she didn’t try any on her way back to the kitchen or dehydration would have surely cut her shift short.

In stark contrast my main was alarmingly bland, but the lack of seasoning on my salmon dish seemed a minor issue compared to the rubbery scollops that my wife received. I suffered through most of mine (after assaulting the salt shaker) but alarmingly my wife began to feel ill and had to take herself to the bathroom to rid herself of the poisonous mollusks.

The bill was only 99 euros (we had a cocktail each) but I was curious to understand how they could justify charging us for all 3 dishes that went back basically untouched. They did eventually comp the scollops but I thought it prudent to feed this back to the manager.

I was met with a very emotionally charged gentleman wearing what seemed to be a football shirt (perhaps he was enjoying a casual Tuesday) but his level of aggression seemed disproportionate to my mild and rather polite piece of feedback. He accused me of being in a bad mood so I pointed out that he was trembling with rage and asked if that would affect his ability to call a taxi for a young lady who he had effectively been poisoned by his shabby and underwhelming food. Thankfully he managed to retain a shred of dignity and allowed a member of his staff to call us a cab.

Now fair is fair - the venue is stunning and if views supersede food and service then don’t let this review stop you. It’s magnificent.

All in all it’s quite hard to imagine a worse experience. Food and travel is our biggest shared passion and whilst I appreciate fine dining is not going to be delivered at every restaurant we visit, I must insist that good service and basic manners are fairly easy to achieve.

To contextualise the situation - I have never left a negative online food review in my life but this was absolutely bottom draw. May god have mercy on his soul and any other human unfortunate enough to find themselves in...

Not A'muse'ing

Having visited Cyprus for the past 32 years and eaten in many different restaurants in Paphos, sorry to say that this restaurant does not live up to the reviews. While the views are indeed spectacular the food and service are certainly not!

Four of us arrived at 8 for dinner and were seated in the middle of the restaurants terrace. The menu is a mixture of Cypriot/European dishes and we chose the halloumi bruschetta and the bacon wrapped halloumi both of which were average, bruschetta more like a bland pizza and the bacon wrapped not freshly made but heated up and rubbery.

For mains two of us ordered pasta carbonara which initially came with a load of garlic, after sending them back, the replacement was not much better, tasteless and stodgy. The chicken skewers were dry and tasteless. I ordered the black ink pasta with langoustine. It stated that it was sweet chilli pasta which turned out to be black pasta which had been soaked in what tasted like a half bottle of sweet chilli sauce topped with 6 rubbery prawns (NOT Langoustine) which were the frozen kind that comes deveined and devoid of taste. I did try to explain the very peculiar taste to the waiter who just walked off after I told him they were not good (there is a review of the same issue on Trip advisor in July 2024 which I wish I had read previously!). The service was not great with the waiters for the most part disinterested in serving you or understanding you, as three bowls of pasta were returned hardly eaten I would have expected someone to ask why and what was wrong!

Having looked at the poor responses already posted online I decided that it wasn't worth pursuing the matter any further and and it certainly wasn't worth what we paid but a lesson learned and a restaurant we won't be...

We had the pleasure of dining at this restaurant last Friday after my cousin's wedding ceremony, and it was an exceptional experience from start to finish. From the moment we placed our reservation, the team made us feel incredibly welcome and attuned to the needs of events like ours, which are frequent in the town of Paphos.

To minimize costs for table arrangements by a local professional, which exceeded our budget, we opted to handle the setup ourselves. Prior to the event, we contacted the restaurant and requested photos of the table setting they intended for us, including specifics like tablecloths, placements, and even inquiring about the colors of napkins and plates. They were incredibly accommodating, promptly sending us images of everything we needed to know. Moreover, the table was set an hour and a half in advance, allowing us ample time for decoration. The staff was so supportive, assisting me with floral arrangements and accommodating various unconventional requests with warmth and enthusiasm.

As for the dining experience—simply outstanding! The service, the food, the beverages—everything exceeded the highest standards I've tasted in Paphos. The culinary expertise was evident in every dish, and the owners or managers were consistently present, even when the restaurant was at full capacity. They ensured timely clearances, refilled glasses proactively, and maintained a seamless flow of water throughout. Additionally, we brought a cake from a local bakery, and they kindly offered to serve it at the end of our meal without expecting us to order a dessert from their menu.

Words fail to capture the excellence of our experience. Whether you're looking for a post-wedding celebration venue or simply the finest restaurant in the Paphos area, this is...