Budget - Greek Cypriot - West End

8 Vulture St
West End
Brisbane
Mon-Fri 11-2
Daily 6-late
BYO
3844 5643

One of West End’s best kept secrets is Cyprus House, a charming blue worker’s cottage deep down in Vulture St that’s the only place in town to experience a traditional Cypriot souvla.

By day diners mingle with locals playing cards or tavli but if there’s one dining gig not to miss, it’s a Friday or Saturday night visit to this authentic Cypriot family-run restaurant.

On arrival be met with the strains of bazouki music and the aroma of lamb and chicken souvla spit-roasting over charcoal in the front yard. Then settle in on the wide wraparound verandah and start with the divine in-house dips with home baked pitta and traditional mezedes (share plates), courtesy of the in-house grandmother/cook.

The rest of the Cypriot/Greek menu is about the best home cooking to be found outside of, well, Greece – try the copious Cypriot salad, slow-cooked octopus in wine, Sheftalia (Cypriot sausage) or the stuffed red peppers, while the absolute died-and-went-to-Cyprus experience is the lamb fresh off the outdoor charcoal fire.

Lastly, be sure to leave room for more of nanna’s baking, particularly the baklava and citrus syrup cake.