Stunning
One of my fav finds, totally by accident, at first, Dionysus Mansion looks like a normal old town house, lots of mature trees in the garden, but what you’ll find inside is a stunning fully renovated historical building, an exceptional eatery, right in the centre of Limassol … the theme; ‘Fun & Gourmet’, a place to enjoy fine food, in a fun atmosphere … honouring Cypriot cuisine, but in a totally unique fashion! … oh, and they won a Best Cypriot Restaurant Award in 2019 … Speaks for itself!
Three Friends
The proprietors, are well known on the island; firstly Yiannis Antoniades, who started the world famous Guaba Beach Bar in Limassol and an expert on music, events and nightlife. Then there’s George Zacharoglou, once restaurant manager at the luxurious Le Meridien Limassol Spa & Resort, who adds his experience in the restaurant industry, and joining the team from the opening, renowned head chef Dimitris Haidemenos in the kitchen, creating these totally unique menus for lunch or dinner, all at affordable prices, you’ll understand why it’s become one of my favourites finds and I just had to find out more …
New Ideas
I was invited by George for a chat, btw, the cappuccino was delicious … George explained; “we all share the love of good food and wine, and we’re all well-travelled, which led us to open such a game-changing establishment in the Cyprus food scene” … He continued; “We wanted to create a place where locals can be proud of Cypriot and Greek food, but experience it on a new level. The entire concept of ‘Fun & Gourmet’ is built on the idea that a meal can be indulgent and enjoyable, both fashionable and fun”!
Fun & Gourmet
When I asked George why they called it Dionysus he said; “because he is the God of the Vine, Grape Harvest & Wine making, but mostly because he is also the God of Fun, and the idea of the restaurant was inspired by wine, fun and theatre, and most of all enjoyment! Then we found the house, the perfect venue to set the ambience we wanted”!
Inside
As you walk up the steps, through the big old doors into a conservatory, come lobby, with lots of windows and comfy seating, leading into the main room, you could see the attention to detail of the design, the décor was pleasant to the eye … the coming weekend was carnival season, the place decorated aptly as always and seasonal … lots of hanging plants and green, the huge windows looking into the kitchen so you can watch the chefs create … lots of tables, high and low, with comfy chairs or stools aptly complimenting … and over to the far right the bar and lounge area, wooden ceiling beams and gorgeous back lit bar adorning just about every drink you could think of and a DJ Box, confirmed for top DJ Events …
Linked
It’s five rooms that link together, to the left the main room, long and comfortable, high ceiling, ally style, finishing into a gorgeous Georgian style bay window overlooking the front gardens … but, the three swings, just brilliant!!! … through an arch the buffet room, a display of fresh cut, chilled salads and compliments, buffet style … delicious at lunch time … and opposite, another more private room, with a really cosy ambience … oh and btw, out back an absolutely awesome spacious garden, with mature trees, a cool bar and catering posts, that really comes into its element in the summer!
Behind the Bar
If you’re waiting for a table, or after dinner, the lounge bar serves all your favourite drinks, draught and bottled beers, maybe an Ouzo, Zivania or a glass of fine wine, or why not just open a bottle … boasting a cava of over 120 labels mainly focusing on Cypriot and Greek wines, and George in fact, was awarded best sommelier of Cyprus back in 2007 so wine has a special place here … oh and btw their moto is “Life’s too short to drink bad wine”, and so they won’t save the cork 😉…
Into the Spirit
The spirits, are also very special, 10 different Rums, even more Gins, Vodka, Whisky, Single Malts, Brandies, and liquors, but after coffee, I was persuaded to try the Dionysus Gin & Tonic, highly recommended, much as the cocktails included the Fun & Gourmet Mojito and The Godfather from Athens which both sound a must on my next visit …
Unique Menu
Looking through the menu I realised immediately what they meant about a Fun & Gourmet character … every dish is homemade, wherever possible supporting local business and selecting only the finest fresh meat, btw, one of the partners owns a lamb farm, plus fresh veg and virgin olive oil, nothing is precooked so it might take a while, and they want you to enjoy it with the same love as a family dinner … so I knew this was going to be hard … Here’s a link to their menu .. but …
First things First
The smoked eggplant spread, with parsley, feta cheese and tomato ‘tartar’ sounded tempting but I opted for a hot starter; the Risotto apparently a top seller, but I went for ‘Neoklis Farm Grilled Halloumi Cheese’ served with green asparagus and fresh mint …
Ten local meats …
The Rib Eye, aged for over forty days, grilled over real charcoal, served with vegetable ‘Trahana’ and avocado puree, maybe next time, or the fresh local Pork Shank, slow cooked in a vacuumed oven for 12 hours, and served with potato puree … the Empneusis selection offered Stuffed Sea Bream that sounded tempting, so too the Black Angus but I needed a guest to accompany me, so I almost opted for Giouvarlakia, balls with shrimps and scallops flavoured with fresh mint and fennel, cooked in lemon egg fish stock ‘Kalavia served with ouzo espuma, must be a taste bud explosion … but the slow cooked Pissouri Farm Leg of Lamb, marinated in orange and rosemary served with ‘Sotira’ origin ‘Kolokasi’ puree, just sounded too good to miss, and I wasn’t wrong!
Desserts
I wish I’d left more room for dessert, because the Chocolate Souffle sounded tempting, the Mille-feuille with traditional Cypriot cheese ‘Anari’ made by a local farm just for them, and crispy lays of sesame and honey sounds sounded absolutely delicious but the Oven Angel Hair ‘Kunefe’ drizzled in syrup, stuffed with creamy cow cheese served with ‘Kaimaki’ ice cream just had to accompany another coffee and a Commandaria to finish off … absolutely wonderful!
Events
The guys hold regular events, DJ nights, seasonal events, and things like Wine Tasting Nights, in cooperation with famous local wineries, complementing each dish with a selected white, rose or red wine, it’s an evening of fun, wine and gourmet 😉 oh, and at a fixed price … brilliant!
Parties
This first class crew love to host your parties, for 50 or up to 100 guests in the summer, with the gardens coming into their element, happy to listen to ideas and more than happy to throw in a few more, and the atmosphere is unbeatable … perfect for weddings, birthdays, christenings, corporate events and anniversaries and any excuse parties … and btw it’s extremely good value for money!
Open all year
Daily: 12.30 pm ‘til 12 Midnight
Kitchen closes at 11 pm
Delivery: 6 pm til 11 pm
Check out their reviews on Trip Advisor
Directions
You’ll find Dionysus Mansion at No: 5, 16 Iouniou 1943 Street, Limassol, its next to the Limassol District Post Office and on the corner of Victor Hugo Street … See map below …
GPS: 34.679190, 33.039400
Dining Gourmet style in a fun atmosphere!
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