Bars & Pubs

... But tbh, The Square Bar is better known for their Live Music, every night from 8.30 pm 'til late.  That's mostly down to Peter and Rob, of the legendary 'Live Lounge' in Cardiff fame, who told me "We partnered up with Panicos in 2014 to bring you the very best in live bands, duo and solo artists" ... Check out their Facebook Reviews, oh and, go early to avoid disappointment, coz this place gets really busy! ... I caught the Revolverlites here recently, check out their videos and reviews here ...

The first impressions were the different design, open-fronted, industrial with minimalist tones, steel pillars, raw concrete and polished wood, high ceilings, really cool lighting, comfy seating, designer signs and the menu, 'different' to say the least but let's just say it's more of a diner than a cafe and highly recommended ...

By night it's chill out early, then by 10'ish it's best described as a Pre-Club Party Bar, with a wicked sound system, lights and smoke, confetti 'n all, so be warned you might not make it to the club coz this lot party every night … With resident and guest DJ's through the season, the music, playing a cool mix of House, R'n'B and Classic Party tunes with MC's that'll get you up on your feet and you'll be dancing on the the dance floor, podiums and well, pretty much anywhere you wanna! ... Check out their Videos here

We recently popped into Eden Square, firstly for dinner at El Chico Mexican Restaurant and following our delicious meal with a couple of perfect Mojitos in Nalu Cocktail Bar in Protaras. I grabbed a moment to chat to owner Constantinos on the night and I arranged a day to do a catch up …

Centre Stage At the back and centre stage a purpose built raised stage with moving head stage lighting for all the live music nights … The evenings starting around 9'ish with a little acoustic guitar by Panayiotis one of Lithos Rock Band's line-up who all join him on the stage at around 10 pm almost every night. 

Boasting a massive sunny garden bar terrace out front, delightful in the afternoon for a pint or a G&T and some excellent excellent pub grub.  It's just as popular by night where you can enjoy a massive drinks menu and live music every night, with lots of like minded people and, they even provide warm blankies to put over your knees for the chilly nights at the start and end of the season!

I asked why their beers are so good;  Taras explained, "The biggest difference of Craft Beer is it has more flavour and taste, mainly because it's not filtered or pasteurised, making it a much richer flavour.  Craft Beer is like a finger print because we never brew our beer in a bad mood, that's how we are here at Octo and we hope you are just like us" …

I was delighted to be invited to 'Play 4 All' to catch up with owner Lucas Polycarpou and I have to say, I had no idea just how much they do here, with 6 Full Size Bowling Alleys, a Children's Play Room, called 'The Jungle' and a fully fitted club style party room called 'La Mour' for up to 150 of your friends.  There's also a restaurant with a top chef presenting a full a' la carte menu and that's just for starters, excuse the pun … oh and, a few big screen TV's so you can just pop in for a drink to watch all the live sports and the footie! … So it really is a fun place for kids, and grown ups!

My initial interest was to find out about their gins, Aris explained, "it's what originally brought us back to Cyprus, 'to create a quality craft gin'.  Our initial inspiration was the aroma of The Troodos Mountains after a long dry summer when it first rains and we wanted to capture exactly that and put it in a bottle and we called it Aoratas Dry Gin which in fact last year won a gold medal. 

Lithos Rock Band have been part of the rock scene in Protaras for over 12 years, these day's they're booked 7 nights a week at the excellent Q Bar in Protaras!  What I really like about them is you don't really know what they are going play each night, coz that depends on the audience ... with some 400 to 500 tracks on their play list, they don't even plan what they're going to play next ... one thing's for sure you'll get a professional show from a group who can play so well together and btw, they can all sing too!