E.S.O.B.G.A.

Agathonos, 22316861, LEFKOSIA (NICOSIA)
Mon-Sat 19:00-00:00
Food: [rating:3] 3/5
Service: [rating:3] 3/5
Ambiance: [rating:2.5] 2.5/5
Being an E.S.O.B.G.A. (English School Old Boys and Girls Association) member, myself, I feel I need to promote their little taverna. Whilst driving there for a casual Tuesday night kebab, I remember thinking to myself that no matter what happens I would have to say something good about it. I am, after all, a stakeholder in some weird way! Fortunately, I won’t have to lie as our evening (and our meal) went smoothly.
The place itself is situated at the edge of the English School mini forest which works great as it is surrounded by eucalyptus trees. The greenery compensates for the simple and neutral décor (only if you sit outside). I thought the lighting was too bright but nevertheless, it was generally a pleasant ambiance for a casual dinner al fresco.
There is one main thing you go to E.S.O.B.G.A for: kebab. There are a few of the usual suspects as a “meze” but kebab is their main (and strongest) dish. Apart from salads you can get fried vegetables with eggs, “halloumi”, Cypriot sausage and some meat on the grill.
Our Cyprus salad with lettuce was of a generous size and, although it needed a bit of extra salt and vinegar, was quite fresh. I liked the Cypriot “halloumi” on the grill as it was extra hot and soft. The marinated chicken kebab that we ordered to diversify a bit away from the standard pork “souvlaki” was in fact very tender with a light taste of middle Eastern herbs, while their most famous dish was equally tasty. The pork kebab cubes were medium sized (as I like them) with a light salty flavour and were very tender indeed.
What I thought was weird is that, the service was friendly and pretty fast but when I asked my proud Cypriot parents that were (coincidentally) dining at a table nearby they said that, although they arrived before us they weren’t even half way through their meal when we were getting the bill! We didn’t mind of course.
Price-wise it was average with 7€ for pork kebab and “sieftalies”. The salad and starters were quite cheap at 2-5€ each. To cut the long story short, it’s worth your while (and even more if you are a fellow E.S.O.B.G.A member).