Parko Prodromou

Gladstonos 48 (inside the park), 99432272, LEFKOSIA (NICOSIA)
Mon-Sat 19:00-23:00
Food: [rating:3] 3/5
Service: [rating:3] 3/5
Ambiance: [rating:3.5] 3.5/5
Who would have thought that the park I used to have my birthday party in as a child (more than 20 years ago), not only would become as popular as ever but has also become a value for money Lebanese/Cypriot restaurant.
If you don’t know it is there, there is no way to discover it unless you are one of the park’s regular visitors who go there either to exercise or to relax. In order to get there you have to go either through Gladstonos street or from Prodromou street side (go to the end of the street and follow the trees). If you are thinking candle light and gourmet dinner, forget it. The restaurant is a simple and casual family run tavern. It is quite easy to keep one’s mind off the old school plastic chairs and tables as the forest of gigantic eucalyptus trees that surround them are all that it takes to create a perfectly serene scenery. With good food and beautiful surroundings, they have managed to turned it into a great get-away.
The food selection matches the ambiance: it is not too complicated but it is different to what you’d find at a classic “souvlitzis”. I liked the fact that they moved away from the traditional pork kebab and local salad offering. The Lebanese touch is a great differentiation, especially since it is done well. The choice is not extensive but it includes everything that we need: four salads (a Cyprus one, a Greek one, a Fatoush and Tabouleh), five dips, fries and halloumi as a side dish. If you are after your usual hit of Cyprus pork kebab (or mixed: kebab and “sheftalia”) or even “kleftiko” (slow cooked lamb), these dishes are quite good at Parko Prodromou, but if you are feeling a bit more “adventurous” try their Lebanese chicken kebab (shish taouk) or lamb kebab (kafta) instead. Our Fatoush and Tabouleh salads were both excellent especially at 6€ each. Fresh vegetables combined with lemony and Middle Eastern flavours are a hit! The “moutabal” (aubergine dip), was good and a great substitute to the usual “tahini” (sesame dip) and actually, not as garlicy as I thought it would be. So was the “tzatziki” that I don’t normally order due to the garlic overload (not the case here).
For two people all we needed in addition to the above, was one main dish to share. Our shish taouk (chicken kebab) was very good being tender and lightly spicy creating a full but not too heavy flavour.
The Lebanese “mahalepi” (cream with pistacchios) that was offered to us at the end of our meal was appropriate to finish our dinner and so was the 28€ bill for two people with one soft drink. What wasn’t very appropriate was the post dinner discomfort that my proud Cypriot friend and I had for around 12 hours, but I am not sure if it is due to the indigestion from our untrained-for-Lebanese-food-stomach!