Meze: You can find meze in almost any restaurant in Cyprus and it's a great way of sampling a number of different small dishes - sometimes as many as 30, so make sure you leave plenty of room! The staple dishes of meze are vegetarian - hummus (chick pea paste), tahini (sesame seed paste), olives and fried haloumi (goat or sheep's milk cheese - delicious and very salty). However, to be on the safe side, make sure you ask for the vegetarian meze - most restaurants will be happy to oblige.
Beans: Bean dishes are a delicious, hearty alternative to meat and can be found in most restaurants. Fava beans are pureed into a delicious soup called louvia. This should not be confused with another popular type of bean, the louvia, or black eyed bean. The general term for dishes made with beans or pulses is ospria.
Yemista: These are stuffed vegetables, or vine leaves (koupepia). Most commonly you can find peppers, tomatoes, onions, courgettes or courgette flowers stuffed with tomatoes, rice and herbs. Vegetarians need to make sure that they do not contain another common ingredient - minced meat.
Coffee and coffee shops have played an important role in everyday life in Cyprus since the introduction of coffee to Europe in the 1600s. While you are in Cyprus, why not enjoy a coffee in the traditional surroundings of a Cyprus coffee shop.