Restaurant review: Giagkini, Limassol

Despite its great location at the heart of Limassol’s historic city centre, Giagkini is not exactly easy to find. Located on a Saripolou sidestreet, the only thing identifying it as a restaurant is a small overhead sign. Its door may as well lead to an old house and there are no tables at the front.

Indeed, the charm of this rather Lilliputian establishment is its narrow shape resulting in a rather cozy rear courtyard and interior dining area. The fact that it is based in a renovated building, complete with exposed stone, also adds to its appeal.

The restaurant is also quite colourful, with the interior walls painted in vibrant shades of red and green, while the outside is painted blue, green and yellow. Sadly, while a tree was the focal point of the exterior area, it has been pruned down to a stump.

If I’ve spent too long describing the restaurant’s appearance and layout it’s because they are central to the experience of dining there. The outdoor area is the most sought-after for the majority of the year so booking in advance is advised. Once there, expect to be seated very close to other tables so best not to chat about your finances or browsing history during your meal. Due to the compactness of the restaurant, there was only one server when we visited, but that is generally sufficient.

To order food and drinks, the restaurant provides one-use menu copies and a pen. You can check which items you want and how many of them you require. You can of course add more items and drinks later on but the main order gets processed this way.

Giagkini, which you can also find online as Yiangini, Yiagkini, and Giangini, has a no-frills menu. Two beers, plus one alcohol-free. A few wines. And nothing too exotic on the food section, even by Cypriot tavern standards. You will find no liver, no lamb, no kleftiko, no makaronia tou fournou.

What will you find? Some genuinely excellent pork souvlaki, which surprised me in its juiciness, since most Cypriot restaurants overcook their pork to the point of dryness. The fries were fresh and home-cooked. The salad was similarly impressive. Other standout items included the pastourmas, which was predictably garlic-rich and not excessively spicy. Avoid kissing your partner for a few hours though. Along with salad and dips, including tyrokafteri and tzatziki, you also get some warm pitta bread. Standard but welcome. Another subtly pleasant surprise were the meatballs, which were not cooked to dark brown cripsiness, but rather reminded me of Indian restaurants and the way they cook bhajis. This is a compliment.

Generally, think of this place as somewhat deluxe souvlaki place and you’ll not be disappointed. The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and you can customise your order so that the price and quantity are to your liking. There are no desserts, sadly, but you can easily walk to a number of nearby places for a crepe, ice cream or cake. All in all, a pleasant experience and one we will be repeating in the future.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY: Cypriot cuisine

WHERE: Giagkini, Hadjiloizi Michaelidi 6, Limassol

WHEN: 7pm-1am daily

CONTACT: 99 330669

HOW MUCH: €3 for dips, €8 for salad, €4-6 per item per person