Asklipiou 36, 22377088, LEFKOSIA (NICOSIA)
Tue-Sun 18:00-1:00, Sun lunch
Food: [rating:0] n/a
Service: [rating:2.5] 2.5/5
Ambiance: [rating:3] 3/5
I wasn’t going to write this because I don’t think last night’s visit to Pivo represents the average dining experience there, and it would, hence be unfair to the restaurant. However, I will use my dinner as a guide to what-not-to-do-when-at-Pivo.
Firstly, do not go to Pivo if you have any special dietary requirements, as I had the night of my visit. Although the menu looked attractive it was unfortunate that due to stomach issues I could only have plain pasta or rice, and a salad without cheese or olive oil. This is why I cannot fully review the food per se, but only say that the menu looked interesting with dishes like a rocket salad with sun-dried tomatoes, sesame and Gran Morovia cheese, pork chops in coummandaria sauce and a schnitzel that looked delicious.
Secondly, do not go to Pivo if you want to drink wine since the wine list is almost nonexistent, go if you are a beer fan. The fact that they make their own beer is a reason to visit it alone. The beer menu is very clear and detailed, with a great guide to the four types of beer they produce: the Wheat beer, the Blond, the Noir, the Hoppy. The bitterness, the aroma and the body description are shown for each, as well as the alcohol level, origin and details on the «raw» ingredients that the beer is made of for each beer. I cannot judge if the beer was of good quality but it did seem as if they knew what they were talking about.
Thirdly do not go if you need modifications to your food. Asking the waiter to remove all the sauce from the pasta and put the salad dressing on the side wasn’t that easy to get across as it made him forget to bring out our third course, the pork chop. So basically our meal consisted of a plain green salad and plain pasta for me, and no main course for my proud Cypriot friend. The same waiter also forgot to mention half of the specials which were written on a board behind him. I feel bad dissing the service because they were generally very polite and friendly (and I should have probably given it a 3/5), however I do think that waiters should be properly trained, be communicative and know everything about the food and the menu – which was not the case for all the waiters at Pivo.
In terms of ambiance, Pivo was not bad. Its location right before the buffer zone (or «green line») in Nicosia I thought was great. I liked how the glass windows stand out while driving through these dark, narrow streets. It gives you the feeling that something interesting is happening in there. Finally the decor was simple with a «clean» look. There were high and low tables for dining or drinks only.
I don’t want it to seem like a bad review, but I want readers to understand that it is all about the beer.
We paid 30€ for a salad, a pasta dish and 2 glasses of white wine.
