Inside the Oldest House in Ayia Napa: A family-run tavern cooking Cypriot classics since 1983

Where three generations serve what Cyprus tastes like

Some meals fill your stomach. Others fill your soul. And then, there are those rare dinners that do both, served with a smile, in a place that whispers stories through its walls.

Inside the oldest house in Ayia Napa, Stamna Tavern, a family has been welcoming guests with open arms and full plates since 1983. This is no ordinary tavern, this is a living memory of Cyprus as it once was, served daily with pride and love.

Andreas, the founder, is still at the heart of it all. Most days you’ll find him either by the fire, slow-cooking kleftiko to perfection, or personally delivering your plate with a quiet pride that says, this is more than just food.

What We Ate: A Table Full of Cyprus

We went all in. The full Cypriot meze with twenty dishes that kept arriving like little love letters from the island.

Creamy tzatziki, fresh salad, crisp-fried halloumi and tangy taramasalata. Then the showstoppers: sheftalia, juicy and packed with herbs; melt-in-your-mouth afelia; rich moussaka with a golden crust; slow-cooked stifado that tasted like Sunday at grandma’s.

And just when we thought we were done, came the kleftiko, fall-off-the-bone lamb, cooked so slowly it almost dissolved on the tongue. Every bite carried care, every dish a memory in the making.

It’s not just the food, it’s the way it’s served. With care. With laughter. With stories. You sit under the vines, fork in hand, and think, why don’t we eat like this more often?

So next time you’re in Ayia Napa, skip the tourist traps. Find the old house, take a seat, and prepare to fall in love one dish at a time.

(23721386) Dimokratias 5330 Agia Napa, Cyprus
Facebook: Stamna Taverna 
Instagram: @stamnataverna