7 St. George’s Tavern — Restaurant in Yeroskipou

This review is based on the vegetarian Mezze and the service we experienced. Unfortunately, the whole experience was very disappointing given how well the food and “experience” was reviewed here as well as unwelcoming.

The service is run by young guys in black shirts. One of them, who acted and was referred to like the “boss” greated us and explained the scheme of things at this restaurant to us. He was very nice to us - not in a genuine way, but more of a generic, hipster type of way in perfect English. He even offered a handshake and asked for our names. The scheme is supposed to be “slow food” and that it would take 15-20 minutes for the first food to come and then they would continue bringing food until we said stop.

We started with cold Mezze, which came very quick. Taste and selection wise, the cold Mezze could have been from the convenience section of the next super market, some cheese, coleslaw, olives, etc. Bread was traditional. So far, however, it was alright.

The first warm Mezze came after 35 minutes (not 15-20 as promised). It was a (Mezze sized) portion of omelette. Only after another 25 minutes they brought the next two Mezze sized portions, some potatoes and lentils topped with feta (so after 1 hour sitting there). It was another half hour when they brought us plain rice (1.5 hrs into sitting there) and nothing along with it. After another 20 minutes (that is almost 2 hours) we asked the “boss” to please expedite things since clearly the food was all prepared ahead and warmed up (given the concept this is clear and generally okay). It was then when they speeded up the process and brought a dish every 5-10 minutes, which were quiches with broccoli and spinach, for example.

However, the vegetarian Mezze all in all was just okay but no more. It lacked any traditional bean dishes or meat alternatives or salads or even any decent cheese. Bringing rice after half an hour and thereafter nothing for half an hour is hilarious.

So, if you are a meat eater, for 22 Euros you can probably eat lots of dead animal and feel more than saturated after ;-) but they should stop offering vegetarian Mezze as they are clearly offering the same vegetarian side dishes as for the meat eaters as side dishes rather than any main dishes. Given that they charge the same for vegetarian and meat Mezze given the aforesaid is ridiculous.

One special mention goes to the service crew. No attention, no asking, no nothing for almost 2 hrs until we asked to expedite the food being warmed up for us. One tall guy bringing around the dishes to each table, quickly announcing the dish and that’s all. 4 or so guys in black shirts looking like they did the day shift at some beach club at Limassol or Agia Napa resting at the house wall and doing nothing. The “boss”, while he knew that we were disappointed, without saying anything really, he couldn’t handle the situation but merely let us pay the bill. The overall situation, the waiting at the table for food, the unwelcoming atmosphere, this is 0 stars. The food is average, so 3 stars.

Oh and by the way, decor of the tables: You get one of the cheapest tissues there is. No spoons or anything along side the Mezze coming. One set of fork and knife. One plate. That’s all you get for the entire evening. It’s like at a cheep bistro so do not expect anything more. Oh and free water, which is clearly not filtered but comes straight from the tap. They should at least mention this.

I wonder who the guy was with whom I had spoken on the phone when making a reservation, who had an accent and sounded Greek. Clearly someone else than the “boss”. Maybe he should consider getting some real service stuff, who knows how to run a restaurant, and offer meat Mezze only or cater towards vegetarian main dishes if he offers...

I visited St. George's Tavern for dinner twice on a recent trip to Paphos after finding it on Google; the high review score convinced me that it was worth a visit. And boy, this place did not disappoint! Ben the owner was remarkably friendly, warm, and welcoming. I walked in not quite knowing what to expect, but the food we had on the first night was sensational. After eating the amazing meze selection consisting of a mix of traditional dishes including pies, meats, salads, and vegetables, I was supremely confident this place could rank highly among the best eateries in town.

The outdoor atmosphere (as pictured) was so pleasant we ended up staying a little longer after closing time to drink some wine and chat to Ben. Ben explained that the restaurant is family run and had been open for 30 years. He also explained that some of their ingredients are sourced from his family’s farm. And judging by the quality and taste of the food, you could tell that it was made with care, love, and patience. I absolutely LOVE food, both cooking it and eating it, so I decided to pick his brains on the history of some of the dishes they served us, and oh boy, Ben did not disappoint. This guy knows his stuff, and I could see and hear his passion for food as he spoke.

My first visit was such an enjoyable experience, I decided to come back on my birthday 2 days later to have dinner. And you know what; it was even better the second time. Like I said, I LOVE food, especially when it's made with quality ingredients, and I can enjoy it in non-pretentious surroundings. St. George's Tavern absolutely surpassed my expectations and was my absolute favourite restaurant during my trip. I ate out a lot and although there was some very good competition, this place won by a country mile. There is no 'instagrammy' flower wall, or garish lighting, or any pretence. Instead, the restaurant has a rustic aesthetic and charm and just serves excellent food in a pleasant relaxed environment.

The place was busy both times I went but we luckily managed to get a table with ease on each visit. Out of respect for fellow diners, I chose not take pictures while the place was full. But hopefully you can see from my pictures how lovely this place truly is! If you’re in Paphos, YOU MUST EAT HERE, I confidently say that you won’t be disappointed! And TBH, I already know that I’ll be eating here a few more times when I go back to Paphos.

If you see this Ben, thanks again to you...

Mediocre restaurant, don’t trust the overall google rating, it seems to have been manipulated or the restaurant was good but has now declined.

First the good. Ben is a good host and makes you feel welcome. The place itself is nice, at least until it starts to fill up, then instead of relaxed it becomes stressful due to the high noise.

As for the experience, this is not your typical restaurant. Ben informed us that food would keep on coming, at that we’d leave when we said we couldn’t eat another bite. We waited around 15m and some food arrived. A large bread and some entrees (salad, humus, some other sauces). And then… nothing. We waited for 40m until the first dish arrived. By that time it became obvious that the bread, that was warm on arrival, was at least a day old and had been heated. The first dish arrived, nothing special, and in a very small dose (a few bites per person). We thought that other dishes would then arrive quickly, but the pattern of waiting for 40 minutes before a mediocre mini-dish arrived continued.

Just to be clear, if the quality was good I’d be fine in waiting. I love great food and know it takes time to make, but every single dish I ate here was mediocre or just plain bad. Some seemed to be reheated on the microwave!

We finally got so fed up that we asked for the desserts. Ben told us that they would bring an assortment deserts. After 10 minutes some badly reheated brownies arrived, as well as some sort of caramel brownies. Nothing Cypriot at all, just your run of the mill western dessert. This was just bad. I was actually happy it was just a bite per person.

Then we waited. And waited. After 25m I got up, went to Ben, where another customer was complaining, paid and left. Ben apologized, said that he would fix it if we came back, but there’s no fixing this restaurant without completely replacing the staff and processes.

All in all we spent 3h at this restaurant, only to have a series of bad to mediocre experiences. Life is short, we’re not coming back.

P.S.- Loved the cats there. They seemed to like the food, so perhaps this restaurant can cater to a different audience.

P.P.S. - Ask for the prices. For what it is, this is expensive, around 25€ per person and we didn’t have any alcohol (just a couple of soft...