24 January 2010
Viklari (The Last Castle)
25/01/10 19:11 Filed in: Viklari (The Last Castle)
"Highlight of our trip on the west coast of Cyprus"
Following rave reviews from others, we planned a visit to this restaurant and did not regret it.
On the way there, we got lost and arrived late for our reservation. Don't be afraid to call and book. They speak English. The place is not easy to find as there is no proper signage. We saw a boulder saying 'Viklari the Last Castle' and thought that was the tourist attraction after which the restaurant was named. The road in the direction the sign pointed looked even worse than the dirt road we were on so we didn't think it was right. Went on for miles and finally called up and were told that that was the turnoff. Proper directions are detailed below. Once you get off the paved road leading to Viklari, it gets rather bumpy. Altho a 4 wheel drive would be good, it isn't so far to the restaurant so if you aren't planning on going anywhere else which requires a 4X4, a regular car will be ok but do drive slowly and carefully. The road from the boulder sign up to the restaurant is steep and not paved.
When we arrived, we were greeted by an oasis with lots of people. This is one place which doesn't seem to be affected by the recession despite being in the middle of nowhere. That says alot for the place.
The restaurant is outdoors on a terrace overlooking the sea. We had the impression when we were researching, that the restaurant was BY the sea. It is not - it is located high on top of a hill and you get a good view towards the sea. I didn't think the view was sooo spectacular but it is nice - just untouched landscape in front of you looking out to sea.
The tables are made of slabs of stone supported on further pieces of stone or fat tree stumps. No table cloth. Made for quick and easy cleaning and adds to the rustic atmosphere. These tables are set around the terrace and overhead is a canopy of vines which had huge bunches of grapes hanging from them while we were there (Aug).
As you would know by now, there is no menu - souvla is served, either chicken or pork. We wanted to order two portions to be shared by three but due to miscommunication got three orders. I said chicken and pork thinking that it would be understood as one order of chicken and one order of pork but the guy thought that all three of us wanted to have a mixed order. We ended up with three big chunks of pork (extremely tender) and three big chunks of chicken (a little dry). This was accompanied by a chopped salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers and salad in a dressing and a plate of gigantic potato chips. Now I know what people have been raving about. We were stuffed.
Although the food was simple, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously sitting there eating like the locals. The food is finger-licking good.
If you are in the area, this is one place not to be missed. The restaurant is only open for lunch till about 5pm, I was told.
Directions: Take the E714 road from Paphos towards Agios Georgios. Turn right at the Sunset Cafe following the brown sign posted Akamas there. Follow the road until it becomes a dirt track. You will see a restaurant called White Water Fish restaurant. One km after this restaurant, you will see a big boulder on your right with the sign 'Viklari The Last Castle'. Turn right here and follow the dirt track up the hill. Just keep going up and if you look up, you will see the restaurant perched on the hill.
Review courtesy of Buleta
“Simple food, great location”
Simple food, no options bar chicken and/or pork both cooked on a BBQ served with salad, bread and chunky homemade chips.
We enjoyed the meal so much that we went twice.
The pork and chicken were a little overcooked and a little dry but still very tasty. The chips were great, big, chunky and crispy. The salad was a good simple affair with a good vinaigrette dressing.
Something a lot more fun that the usual over priced dull tourist chaff found in Paphos town centre.
Bear in mind that the restaurant closes at 5pm and can be very very buy so it’s advisable to phone and book rather than turn up on spec.
Also try 7 St Georges Tavern, excellent food, excellent atmosphere. Againa no menu options, just a lot of small very high quality meze dishes. Better quality food than Viklari but without the superb location.
Review courtesy of SashablueBradford