Restaurant review: Deliyard, Nicosia

A quarter of a century ago, Esperidon street – the road the Deliyard eatery now calls home – was something of an anomaly in central Nicosia.

Flanked on both sides by busy thoroughfares, it somehow remained largely untouched by the commercial and residential development that transformed the surrounding area.

Back then, one of the few apartment buildings on the street housed a business on the ground floor that was considered quaint even at the time and would be viewed as an outright anomaly today: a local, independent bakery.

The dusty fields are long gone, replaced by towering, glass-clad monuments to economic progress.

Gone too is the bakery, replaced by Deliyard, a restaurant decorated in a minimalist Millennial style that, to its credit, actually resembles a delicatessen. Baked goods, desserts and poke bowls sit chilled and visible, tempting customers from behind glass displays.

Normally packed with diners, the restaurant is unusually quiet on the Friday evening my faithful dining companion and I arrive for dinner. This has less to do with Deliyard and more to do with football, as the 2026 Fifa World Cup has just kicked off.

I am reminded of just how much things have changed not only as we scan a QR code attached to a glass puck on the table to load the menu, but even more so when we hail a cheerful young waiter to order drinks.

Our cash, he informs us matter-of-factly, is no good here. Plastic only.

Metal, too, I imagine, is accepted, but that is somewhat outside my tax bracket.

Deliyard offers a varied dining menu that – while not seasonal – still changes and rotates with a fair degree of frequency. Being a deli-inspired locale, evergreens such as sandwiches, wraps and salads feature prominently, but there is more to the menu than that, with noodles, pasta, chicken schnitzel and beef burgers all making an appearance.

As the drinks arrive, we order panko prawns for starters, followed by creamy pesto chicken pasta and prawn soba noodles to share.

The prawns arrive encased in a rich golden-brown crust. Delicately seasoned and without a hint of excess oil, the crispy panko exterior gives way to melt-in-your-mouth prawns. Though accompanied by a sweet chilli sauce, they are just as delicious on their own.

As we finish the starter, the mains make their entrance.

The buckwheat soba noodles arrive in a large bowl looking positively lively. Hues of yellow pineapple, bright orange carrot, green snow peas and microgreens flecked with red pomegranate seeds make the dish visually striking. Mixed with the zesty homemade ponzu sauce, the noodles make for a delightful summer dinner – filling without ever feeling heavy.

Similarly, the creamy pesto chicken pasta lands with a vibrant green hue courtesy of the basil. The pasta is cooked al dente, as are the pieces of chicken breast, which can so easily become dry and bland when overcooked. Wonderfully seasoned so that no single element overpowers another, every bite feels complete and harmonious, with the rich pesto sauce tying everything together. The dish feels like a warm hug.

The more I looked around the restaurant, the more it felt like a reflection of the city outside its doors.

Change is inevitable. The dusty fields have become office towers. Bakeries have become delicatessens. Menus have become QR codes, reservations have become obsolete and cash has become an inconvenience.

Most people call that progress.

Yet for all the changes that have swept through not only this corner of Nicosia, but the world at large, one thing remains reassuringly constant: good food is still the foundation of a good restaurant.

And Deliyard understands that better than most.

VITAL STATISTICS:

SPECIALTY: Contemporary European

WHERE: Deliyard, Esperidon 17, Nicosia, Cyprus

WHEN: Weekdays 7am to 11pm; Weekends 8am to 5pm

CONTACT: 22 525017

HOW MUCH: Starters: €3.5-€7; Salads/poke bowls/noodles: €7-€12; Sandwiches €4-€15