Bafidi Restaurant, Kyrenia, North Cyprus
July 31, 2009 by Essential Ed
Filed under Restaurants & Dining, See & Do
The town of Kyrenia in North Cyprus is always a lovely location to spend a balmy summers evening, and you may find yourselves wondering about which harbour restaurant to choose from. Well, whilst the harbour is indeed a lovely location to have dinner, don’t dismiss other areas of the town. You can always have walk around the harbour to walk off that full up feeling after having eaten elsewhere.
One such place which has recently opened is Bafidi which was formerly home to a tourist agency. Located at the top of the high street literally opposite the town Belediye council building, it’s a lively spot with other bars and restaurants sitting next door to each other.
Having also just literally opened too it was busy with people eager to see what was on offer, and it was a surprise to see that there was heaps of it! Proper printed menus had unfortunately not arrived in time for the opening so we were provided with printed sheets of A4 which resembled a mini novel! So, plenty of time was taken to ponder the menu and sip our drinks, which was rather nice.
Firstly the venue itself is nice and has been tastefully restored and decorated – all the stonework had been revealed or built into the structure which gave it an authentic feel and the fixtures and fittings were all 
modern and gleaming. One special attraction perhaps is the customer toilet which has taken disabled access into account. Having said that it was kind of strange too as all the appliances seemed to operate on a timer basis rather than a touch of a hand – the toilet flushed itself, and the bin opened up automatically as did the hand wash dispenser and hand drying unit – not at the correct times mind you but the idea was there!
Onto menu then, although this could get a little confusing as it all seemed a little jumbled up on the sheets we were given to look through. Bafidi do breakfasts and a full English will set you back 12TL or they also seemed to offer a buffet breakfast at 20TL although it wasn’t clear if that was English, Cypriot or European. You can have omelettes (presumably for breakfast, lunch or dinner!) from 8-10TL, sandwiches either toasted or untoasted and there are a variety of burgers, salads, pizzas and pastas to choose from. At this point it became unclear what was a starter, a breakfast option or any other option, so we will just list what we picked out!
Starters we found included meze with a range of dishes from hunters pastry (small filled pastries) to shrimp cocktail – dishes cost between 2-12TL and although not entirely Cypriot they all seemed quite tempting. Soups were also available from 5-6TL. You could
also choose from a variety of crepes at 4TL.
On to some of the main courses which included dishes such as fajitas with a choice of veggie, chicken or beef, lamb chops or kofte, variations of fish dishes and baked potatoes all ranging between 10-19TL. If you wanted to treat yourself then there are steaks on offer from a pepper steak at 22TL to a T-bone steak at 30TL. It didn’t say what was served with each dish but we guessed that a usual fare of salad, chips and rice would be provided. Bafidi also does some traditional Turkish Cypriot cuisine too with Mantı on the menu. These are small pasta parcels filled with a meat and herb mixture, cooked and covered in yoghurt with an oil and garlic and pepper dressing. Kids are also catered for here too with Kiddies menus at 8TL.
Surprise surprise desserts are also featured well too with a range of pastries from 1TL up to cheesecakes, chocolate crepes, Peach Melba amongst others at 8TL each.
There were no prices for drinks on the novel of a menu but on asking an Efes cost 5TL which is pretty good in that part of town with soft drinks at 3TL. A real treat is the Biraver which is a beer tower holding a whopping 250cl which you can have delivered to your table with your own personal tap to help yourselves – one of these will set you back 60TL.
The bill for three people, with one starter, three main courses, 5 beers, 1 soft drink, a water and free coffee, hot choclate and brandy came to 76TL which is decent value for a place located so near to the harbour.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here, as the place had a nice vibe to it, was busy with nice staff. Perhaps the menu could have been a little less confusing and even dare we say, trimmed down slightly?! Perhaps it was purely the fact that proper menus were late in arriving, so another trip back to might be in order to see if they have arrived! You can book a table at Bafidi by calling Hatice on +90 (0)533 864 3469.
If you enjoy eating out in North Cyprus, then why not check our Restaurants and Dining in North Cyprus section which will no doubt wet your appetite with more reviews and articles on the best places to eat and the various types of cuisine available.