To Steki tis Loxantras (revisited)

Faneromenis 67, 22675757, LEFKOSIA (NICOSIA)
Mon-Sat 19:00-24:00
Food: [rating:3.5] 3.5/5
Service: [rating:3] 3/5
Ambiance: [rating:3] 3/5
Cleary a classic, and one of the oldest Greek/Cypriot tavernas in Nicosia. I am sure it is in all the tourist guides, probably for its location and its good traditional food.
One of the first restaurants around Phaneromeni church, or at least one of the few that are still open and doing well. It attracts locals, tourists and anyone else who wants to diversify a little bit from the Cypriot “meze” to something more Greek-ish. What I like about Loxantra is the fact that the menu is rich and inviting, and includes a selection of cheese creations (“flogeres”, “saganaki”, cheese pie), aubergines with tomatoes, zucchini with eggs, marinated pork fillets as well as the standard Cypriot grilled meat selection. The grilled meat “meze” which was around 17€ each, was good value for money but did not include a few dishes that I really wanted. All I had to do is ask for a couple of substitutions and the kind waiter let us modify their set “meze” menu to accommodate our preferences.
What I particularly liked apart from the soft and tasty cheese “saganaki”, were the tender pork fillets and the “sieftalia”, even though usually I am not such a big fan. One thing to note is that the food is A LOT without the quantity affecting the quality. Another observation is that I was quite surprised to find it full on a Monday evening, with both tourists and locals.
Despite it being there forever, we like it because of its wide selection of Greek dishes, its location right on the pedestrian street next to the Phaneromeni church and the fact that it retains its reputation and popularity.