Ask anyone from Larnaca what to order when the whole table cannot decide, and the answer is usually the same. Fish meze. It is less a dish and more an event. Plates keep arriving until the table runs out of room, and then a few more arrive anyway.
What a fish meze actually is
A proper Cypriot fish meze starts quietly. Village salad, olives, tahini and taramosalata, warm bread. If you fill up on bread at this stage, that is on you. Then the kitchen finds its rhythm. Small fried fish you eat whole, calamari, octopus that has spent time on the grill, prawns, maybe mussels, and then the main event: whatever the boats brought in that morning, grilled with lemon and olive oil. In our case that might be sea bream, red mullet or sea bass. On a good day there is something we did not expect either, and those plates are usually the ones people remember.
The order matters more than people think. The little salty things first wake up your appetite. The fried plates arrive while the charcoal does its slower work. By the time the whole fish lands on the table you have settled in, the wine is open, and nobody is checking the time. That is the whole idea. A meze is not a meal you get through. It is an afternoon or an evening with food arriving at the pace of conversation.
How we serve it at Mer Bleue
Our restaurant sits directly on the Oroklini seafront, a short drive from Larnaca town and about fifteen minutes from the airport. The fish for our meze comes in fresh each morning and the selection changes with the catch. That is not a marketing line. It is why we cannot always tell you the exact plates in advance, and honestly we prefer it that way.
We are a family run place and the meze is how we like to feed people. Tell us what you do not eat and the kitchen adjusts. Shellfish allergies, no fried food, more grilled and less battered, all easy. Children usually end up with calamari and chips and everyone is happy. If someone at your table does not eat fish at all, we can build them a small meat or vegetarian spread from the menu so they are not watching everyone else eat.
What it costs and how to plan
Fish meze in the Larnaca area generally runs somewhere between twenty and thirty five euro per person depending on the restaurant and what the sea delivered that week. Because our selection follows the daily catch, the exact price moves a little too, so the honest advice is to ask when you book. What we can promise is that nobody has ever left hungry. Portions in Cyprus do not really do restraint.
Most places, ours included, serve meze for a minimum of two people, since the format only makes sense shared. Plan for at least two hours at the table. Three is better. Skip lunch if you are coming for an evening meze, and order less wine than you think you need, because the carafes here are generous and the sea air does something to your judgement.
What to drink with it
Cypriot whites do most of the work at a meze table. A cold Xynisteri is the local answer and it earns its place, light and citrusy and made for fish. Village wine by the carafe is cheaper and better than it has any right to be. Beer works too, and on hot afternoons a shandy is not a crime, whatever anyone tells you. If you finish with a zivania, the local spirit, you did the meze properly. If you finish with two, someone else is driving.
One practical note on pacing. The wine arrives before the food and the first plates are salty, which is a dangerous combination. Locals pour small glasses and top up often rather than drinking in rounds. Copy them and you will still be enjoying yourself when the whole fish arrives, instead of asking for coffee early.
When to come
Summer evenings on the terrace are the postcard version, and in July and August you should book a table a day or two ahead if you want to sit at the edge where the water is close enough to touch. But locals will tell you the sweet spot is September and October. The sea is still warm, the crowds have thinned, and the fishing tends to be good. Winter meze has its own charm too. The room is warm, the sea is loud, and the octopus does not care what month it is.
Questions people ask us
How much does a fish meze cost in Larnaca?
Expect twenty to thirty five euro per person at most seafront restaurants. Ours varies slightly with the daily catch, so ask when booking.
How long does a fish meze take?
Two hours minimum if you want to enjoy it. Rushing a meze is like fast forwarding a sunset.
Is there a minimum number of people for fish meze?
Yes, two. It is a shared format and a table for one would drown in plates.
Can vegetarians join a fish meze table?
Of course. We put together salads, halloumi, dips and vegetable plates from the menu so they eat as well as everyone else.
Is fish meze suitable for children?
Very. The small plates suit small appetites, and calamari with chips has never once failed us.
You can see the rest of our cooking on the menu page, or read about where the fresh fish in Larnaca actually comes from.