In this article we will try and detail some of the best eateries to take your kids to, so that you as adults can also enjoy a good meal with some beautiful scenery and a relaxed atmosphere whilst being assured that your children will be made welcome.
Being a typical Mediterranean country, North Cyprus is made for eating out with young children, and as it can get so hot in the summer months late evenings will see children still out and about and eating with their parents!
There are some restaurants which really cater well for children with play areas and a variety of kiddie’s dishes on the menu, and you don’t need to feel awkward if your little darling or darlings have a temper tantrum in the middle of dinner either! You can be sure that a waiter or restaurant owner will try to coax them out of it, often doing a really good job of it too!
Eziç Chicken is one such family friendly place, and there are now three Eziç venues to choose from in Kyrenia – the original Eziç on the main road to the west of town, the Eziç Premiere in Upper Kyrenia, or Eziç Peanuts restaurant on the coast just near to the general hospital.
There is also an Eziç restaurant in Lefkoşa as well, with the same standards of service and variety of menu choices available. Obviously chicken is on the menu in many forms, but the menu also has a wide and varied choice featuring pizza and pasta favourites, salads and of course a complete children’s menu as well.
All the restaurants under the Eziç brand are run with first class style, they are brilliantly managed and the staff are highly efficient and courteous. As ideal as they are for families with children, they are also nice places to go for quiet couples, lone diners and large groups – all sit comfortably and enjoy the freshly prepared and cooked meals.
Another restaurant under the same theme is Passport in Kyrenia, serving a similar menu and providing the same standards and welcome in a modern and tastefully furnished venue. Both Eziç and Passport offer a home delivery and takeaway service as well, although beware as they really only deliver to a radius not too far from base!
Or perhaps try the Kervan Pizza Garden Terrace in Karaoğlanoğlu, a really popular place to be at sunset due to its location above the Kervansaray Beach, here you can have an early dinner whilst the sun goes down. Again, this is a great place for kids with a not too fancy or fussy menu, but meals are always freshly prepared and there is an adequate menu for children to choose from. Plenty of friends meet up here for a cold beer or two to while away the evening as well.
Another good option for children and adults are the fish and chip restaurants that are becoming more and more popular it would seem, such as Cod Baba in Karaoğlanoğlu, with various outlets available offering dining in or take away options.
And where we would be without the good old burger?! Burger City franchises are a great option if your kids are craving the ultimate in fast food, and you can find them attached to most of the Lemar supermarkets all over North Cyprus. There are even Kentucky fried chicken type outlets in North Cyprus too, the most well know actually being called Kermia Fried Chicken in Lefkoşa!
For Lefkoşa again they are many places to choose from such as the Califorian which is another good quality and inexpensive eatery which is popular with families, it serves pizzas, pasta and burgers, all done American style as the name suggests! And yes, it is Califorian and not Californian! Biyer on the same road is also a nice place to take children, and again you have a good choice of meals suitable for kids.
If you head out Famagusta way you can also find some good venues for children, and you might think about trying the Glapsides Beach Restaurant which serves a range of snack type food if you are not in the mood for a full 3 course affair, or La Fortuna which serves a range of pastas and pizzas.
Kyrenia harbour also has a wealth of cafes and restaurants to choose from, and you can choose from a full menu to snacks or sandwiches to suit children and adults’ appetites, and of course the harbour is a lovely place to spend the afternoon watching the world go by, or exploring the museums and castle.
As you can now probably tell there are many options for dining out with children, and anyway, in the vast majority of restaurants you would never be discouraged from visiting with children. Obviously there are some more sophisticated establishments around where children might be slightly less welcome, but then you probably wouldn’t want to take children to them anyway, instead saving such places for a special treat on adult only occasions!
Why not browse our other articles where you will find out more about the other types of cuisine available in Northern Cyprus, such as à la carte and hotel dining, European and international, traditional Turkish Cypriot cuisine, or even a relatively new take on food here in North Cyprus, the take-away!
