this restaurant has 100 years history the food is cooked in traditional outdoor ovens the taste of it reminds you your childhood age the fist time you were in love and you wanted to discover more and more each time you taste it . i can not express my feelings you should just go and eat it and you will understand what i am trying to say here !!!!
Nov 21, 2011 Rating
Kleftiko in Cyprus by: Helen
Thanks for your tip Kate but I'm interested in why you think it was the best kleftiko. What set it apart, what vegetables accompanied the dish and how was it presented?
I've eaten kleftiko in many Cypriot tavernas and the best I know locally was eaten at a place called Dimitris taverna in Argaka.
Sadly you now can't enjoy the kleftiko experience there as Dimitri has retired along with his wife the cook and his son now runs the restaurant renamed Santa Barbara and the kleftiko is not the same.
The reason Diimitri's kleftiko was so good was that he cooked it in the traditional outdoor clay oven (most places use a modern gas or electric oven nowadays) for 10-12 hours overnight. The meat literally melted off the bone and the potatoes and other root vegetables served with it were also cooked in the same tray to absorb all the wonderful meat juices.
I have also tasted kelftiko cooked on top of carob leaves in the clay oven at Kouppas stone tavern in Neo Chorio village - a very different taste but equally yummy.
So I'm intrigued as to how the kleftiko at the Shiftouris compares.