Restaurant review: Ship Inn, Limassol

When I booked a table at Ship Inn for a Monday evening, I expected a relatively quiet outing on what is usually one of the least busy nights of the week, particularly after the regular football season has wrapped up and the 2026 World Cup hasn’t started yet. Yet the renowned Limassol pub was buzzing with the energy of numerous basketball fans who came to watch game three of the Greek basketball league’s finals. You take such things in your stride or even welcome them. This is a pub after all.

I have visited the Ship Inn an inordinate number of times over the past two decades. It has stood the test of time as a fixture in Limassol’s culinary scene.

Before I start waxing poetic about the restaurant, I should mention the one downside. The prices have gone up. Not because of an individual act of greed (I can think of a few other places that qualify for this distinction) but because every single establishment in Limassol has adapted to both inflationary pressures, particularly when it comes to dishes that revolve around meat, as well as the generally higher costs involved when operating in Cyprus’ most expensive city.

Let’s get to the good stuff. Beer. Yes, they have it. Selection is what you would expect from any solid Cypriot pub. Prices are reasonable, especially when it comes to local beers. Crucially, the service is excellent. Waiters come and go and that’s a variable few can control but the people who run this place care for its reputation. It can get very busy, especially during major sports events, so book in advance. But they have always tried to accommodate me, and not because we have some long-standing friendship. Same goes for substitutions or modifications to their dishes. If your request is within reason, they will try to make it happen.

We ordered two starters to share, and a main each. Grilled halloumi and a portion of chicken wings. You get four pieces of the former, along with a leafy side salad. We asked if we could replace the salad with just tomato slices and they were happy to accommodate the request. Both dishes were good and could be split four-ways for a lighter start. The wings are breaded rather than naked and coated in a sauce. They were juicy and tender and came with three dipping sauces; barbecue, sweet chilli, and blue cheese. You can also double the portion from 10 to 20.

Our mains included the Titanic Pork Chop and the Marinated Chicken Kebab. The price of €20.50 may not be an insignificant amount for most people but you get what you pay for. The pork chop is massive and the quality is up there with the best. It comes with chips and salad but they happily accepted a request to replace the potatoes with sauteed vegetables. Same deal with a request to replace the chips in the chicken kebab with a jacket potato. As I said, if it’s within reason, they’ll try to satisfy your demands. As for the chicken kebab itself it is reliably excellent. Not overly cooked, well-marinated, and served with toasted pitta bread, a side salad and tzatziki. Hard to go wrong.

As for dessert, we had fully intended to try the Chocolate Lava Cake but were genuinely too stuffed to go through with it. All in all, a very pleasant experience, but that was to be expected.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Pub food, grilled items

WHERE The Ship Inn, 28 October Ave 351, Limassol

WHEN Monday to Saturday 10am-1am, Sunday 9am-1am

CONTACT 25 582180

PRICE €17.90 for chicken kebab, €20.50 for a pork chop, €6-17 for starters, €11.90 for a burger