Akrotiri Kebab Houses

[SandLat650]

Taking a short trip down memory lane, would any serving members of HM Forces care to pass a comment as to the current best (and worst if applicable) Kebab House on the Akrotiri Strip?

Regards

[VinRouge]

Polis takes some beating.

Chris Kebab is ok, but prefer Polis. unfortunately I believe Sylvanas closed down, used to be my favorite.

[TOWTEAMBASE]

Is rosta rooster (or something along those lines) still going ?

[Motleycallsign]

No longer serving and 4 yrs since I was there but I would also recommend Polis as the choice of the village.

[Top Bunk Tester]

Sylvanas still open in May, still run by Greg and Georgina and has just had an interior deco makeover :ok: and still the best kebab on the island.

Checkout their FB page "Sylvana Restuarant Akrotiri Limassol"

[sharpend]

Nothing can rival Niazi downtown Limassol in the 60s

[ricardian]

In the 1960s it was Big Arif or Little Arif - consternation when prices rocketed to 500 mills.

[orgASMic]

Currently, I would agree that Polis is the best with their endless salad bar and you can see far enough into the kitchen to see that your food is being prepared fresh. Sylvana's re-opened a few months ago after being shut down for about 9-10 months and is pretty good. Chris Kebab is still serving decent fare (and 84 Sqn is in there regularly for the 5 pork chop kebab challenge). Aphrodite is better for steaks than meze (the last meze I had there was pretty ropey).

As for other options, Il Gusto and Ryan's are at higher end of the price range but have the quality to match and have the welly of the Carob Mill group behind them to ensure consistency (Ryan's scores extremely well on Trip Advisor and does a fab Sunday carvery). Two Sisters and George's are both good fish and chip shops. The Swan is good value as is the New Inn. It looks like China Palace has gone under (the worst Chinese ever). I have never eaten in Lighthouse Chika (another chippy) and I don't know anyone who eats in Queen's.

There is a lot of competition for a shrinking market; people tend to stick with their favourites. Il Gusto and Ryan's are the only two that attract any significant tourist trade, the rest are supported almost entirely by Akrotiri (village and station) with some Brits coming down from Episkopi. The economic reality means that you now have to ask (and pay) for kokinelli (other spellings are available) and prices have gone up significantly since the adoption of the Euro.

The strip can still be a fun night out but you have to bring your own crowd these days.

[SandLat650]

Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply guys. Probably take a wander down there in a day or so:)

[tightcircuit]

I don't suppose the kokinelli is still free! It was last time I was there but that was 26 years ago.
I still remember my first ever visit.
"A couple of pints of brandy sour lad and then down to Chris Kebab with the crew for kokinelli and throwing yoghurt".
"What is throwing yoghurt?"
"You'll find out later"

T Rex

[Exascot]

I don't suppose the kokinelli is still free! :yuk:

I was however just about to ask the same question. 20 years ago in my case.

[ricardian]

Is the Wine Festival still going in Limassol? 50 years ago it was a great event, admission included a free bottle & glass (both empty) but "samples" inside the event were free

[BBadanov]

... 30 years ago for me when I did a lot of my QWI course there.

Chris' kebabs and mezes were the go, with free kokinelli.

But then when you flew bottles of kokinelli and demijohns of brandy back, it just wasn't the same! :confused:

[Tankertrashnav]

My memory of the Limassol wine festival over 40 years ago (FGS!) is drunken squaddies swimming in the ornamental pond that had been filled with kokkinelli for the occasion.

BBadanov, an old army chum and I were saying exactly the same thing the other night - a brandy sour seemed the ideal drink in Cyprus, but if you tried to make one at home it just never seemed right.

I'd also be interested to know if the wine is still free and what a typical bill per head would be nowadays for the full works, inc. wine.

[BBadanov]

TTN,

I had another disaster on a lone-ranger back from Denmark.

From Aaalborg I think, we thought a tray of Danish pastries would be a nice pressie for the girls. Trouble was, being carried in the bombbay and being leaked on by JP4, kero-flavoured pastries just didn't quite hack it!!

[orgASMic]

For the hard of reading, from my reply above...

"The economic reality means that you now have to ask (and pay) for kokinelli "

Perhaps the free stuff took too much of a toll!

A meal on the Strip with drinks will set you back anything from Eu20 upwards, depending on venue and thirst.

Food seems similarly priced in most restaurants in Limassol but the drinks can be significantly more expensive due to the tourist/Russian factor. Best value in town is to be had in Limassol Old Town, with the rip-off factor increasing as you go east along the seafront to the tourist area and the big hotels.

Yes, the Limassol wine festival is still going strong. it will be held on 30 Aug to 9 Sep 14.

Limassol Wine Festival 2014 (http://www.cyprus-tourist-guide.com/limassol-wine-festival.html)

[goudie]

I don't suppose the kokinelli is still free!

I've seen tough Para's pole axed by too many carafes of free kokinelli.

what a typical bill per head would be nowadays for the full works, inc. wine.
40 years ago a 4/5 course at Big/Little Arifs was £1 a head, kokinelli included!

[golamv]

Quote:

"what a typical bill per head would be nowadays for the full works, inc. wine"


"40 years ago a 4/5 course at Big/Little Arifs was £1 a head, kokinelli included!"

How times have changed - you are looking at 20 - 25 Euros nowadays (was there last week).

The Euro experiment may have "looked good on paper" but what a disaster it turned out to be !!

[vascodegama]

Probably because they all speak JPA!

[Al R]

On the plus side, Cyprus re-entered the global debt market last week. If the national debt was anything like the bill I picked up at Chris' a couple of years back, I'm not surprised it took them so long to pluck up the courage.

Swan for me.. :ok:

[BEagle]

While we all have long-term memories of the Cypriot kebab scene, the OP actually asked: .....would any serving members of HM Forces care to pass a comment as to the current best (and worst if applicable) Kebab House on the Akrotiri Strip?

Well, do you?

[Lima Juliet]

Got to be Chris Kebab for me...still going strong. Here's Tripadvisor from 6 days ago:

Chris Kebab Restaurant Reviews, Akrotiri, Cyprus - TripAdvisor (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g780609-d2722307-Reviews-Chris_Kebab-Akrotiri_Limassol_District.html)

Never the same when you don't go with your Sqn mates. No bus surfing and no "we got through the picket post, do-dah, do-dah!"

LJ

A trip down memory lane...

http://www.projectoceanvision.com/vox/images/chapter07/chris-kebab.jpg

[The B Word]

Never the same once Animal House was demolished - travesty of the highest order! :{

[Onceapilot]

They are all great! Just depends on the size of your group! Love Polis for smaller sessions, hic:ok:

OAP

[orgASMic]

BEagle, without wanting repeat myself, I gave the OP a run-down of my personal (and current) league table of the Strip at Post 4.

[SandLat650]

And very helpful it was too; thanks orgASMic!

Is Chris still with us or gone off to make Brandy Sours for Big G? Always liked his banter especially on Day One of the det when he'd shout something along the lines of "Hey you 11Sqn? 11 Sqn Pooftas, 5 Sqn Gentlemen!!"

Happy Days:):)

Much

[orgASMic]

There is certainly a gentlemen of a indeterminate age there called Chris. The place would seem a little quiet in comparison these days if you have not been for a while, due to the much reduced population at RAF Akrotiri these days.