Located on Ledra street in Nicosia, the hub of the capital’s bar and restaurant scene, Il Forno has become a landmark for its quality Italian cuisine and affordable prices. It’s small, it’s popular and nearly always busy due to its dedicated local clientele. With a backdrop the bustling architectural shopping street Il Forno’s simple outdoor seating and lingering aroma of oregano and basil offer a taste of Italy. The restaurant offers the perfect spot for atmospheric romantic dining, or somewhere to perch after a long day of shopping.

As its name suggests, Il Forno prepares a tasteful variety of fresh authentic thin Italian pizzas and pastas cooked in the wood-fire oven in the open kitchen prepared by the chef on board. Using fresh ingredients the restaurant also offers a range of tasteful salad dishes that are the perfect accompaniment to the pasta or pizza dish of your choice.

My most recent visit was for dinner following a very enjoyable theatre performance. The friendly staff agreed to serve us even though we went after 10 pm in the evening which was a pleasant surprise as most restaurants don’t serve latecomers but seeing that they had a satisfactory number of tables still being served they were kind enough to let us in.

We ordered a delicious rocket salad which we shared and came with a fresh selection of bread and dips. From the rich pasta menu we chose the delizzioza pasta with small tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and a choice of spaghetti pasta and La Primavera pasta with prawns, courgette, broccoli, and olive oil sauce. With every dish, whether it’s pasta or pizza, you can choose from range of fresh ingredients to customise your dish with your favourite flavours.

The bacon and asparagus pasta combination in an aromatic tomato-based sauce is also noteworthy. Also make sure you try its special version of garlic bread with cheese and olives.
With our generously portioned mouth-watering dishes we enjoyed the recommended local white wine that added a sweet note to our meal.

Service was near flawless and unswervingly sweet. Il Forno is a local gem, combining Italian hospitality with flavourful original dishes of handcrafted pasta, crave-able entrees and a diverse wine list. For al fresco Italian atmospheric dining Il Forno is unrivalled in town.

216-218 Ledras Street, Nicosia, Tel.

NZ