Argo Restaurant

Argo Restaurant is a family-run traditional Cypriot restaurant at Pafias Afroditis 21 in Kato Paphos, open since the 1970s, which makes it one of the longer-established kitchens in the area. The cuisine is classic Cypriot home cooking, and the restaurant is known above all for slow-cooked lamb. Signature dishes include kleftiko, lamb baked slowly in a sealed oven until it falls from the bone; the village salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and capers; and afelia, pork marinated in red wine and crushed coriander seeds and simmered until tender, a dish strongly associated with Cyprus. Kleftiko requires long cooking, so the restaurant advises ordering it on arrival rather than waiting until the table is settled. The dining room is traditional and old-fashioned in the best sense, with no dress code, a moderate noise level and a welcoming family atmosphere in which regular customers and visiting tourists mix. Prices are moderate at about EUR 22-32 (roughly USD 25-37) per person. Hours are listed as daily for dinner, but visitors should confirm times locally because specific hours are not fixed in the listing. The restaurant sits on a street in the Kato Paphos area, within reach of the harbour, the Archaeological Park and the Tombs of the Kings road, so it suits visitors staying in the tourist district. Because the dishes that define the restaurant are slow-cooked, informing the staff of the order early helps the kitchen time the meal. Visitors who want to sample several dishes can combine a kleftiko with afelia and a shared village salad. Local wine, beer and soft drinks are the common drinks, and a simple dessert or Cypriot coffee typically closes the meal. The family-run character means service tends to be personal rather than polished.