We arrived at Ocean Basket at Avanti Village complex in Kato Paphos on a busy Saturday night. The restaurant was filled to capacity but we still received a pleasant greeting while the door was held open for us by the restaurant staff.  Indoor and out you can tell it is a franchise – I almost thought I was back in the US apart from the South African slang that is all over the menu and restaurant.  It is nicely decorated with tables spaced properly so everyone is not sitting on top of each other.  Another positive is that the whole restaurant is non-smoking – apart from outdoors in the summer or when weather permits. So, we were off to a good start!

The service was cheerful and efficient.  We ordered a salad to start and then a set platter for two that consisted of:  six mussels, 12 prawns, grilled fish, calamari and calamari heads for €25. There are 10 different platters to choose from all with similar offerings. These seem to be the most popular items on the menu. You could also eat straight from a pan of princess prawns that come with rice or chips or a similar combo if you choose. Chips or rice do come with everything and there are many other starter options and a la carte items also, but again these platters seem to be the star items and most customers seem to want to eat only fish and not bother with too many starters.

Now, the taste of the food and promptness with which it was served - despite how busy it was we got our salad within about 15 minutes which was fine, the standard salad one gets in Cyprus which is always fresh because of the great local produce. The platter arrived about half an hour after that. It was tasty, everything has either a buttery/garlic flavor or lemon which we added ourselves. It was hot and we like those flavors so we enjoyed it – there are other flavors you can have added when your fish is grilled depending on your preferences.  All fish was obviously previously frozen as it is hard to find a variety and large quantities of fish in the seas around Cyprus.  Chips are not our favourite food unless they are very fresh and hot, these were a bit soggy probably due to the oil that the calamari was fried in and the liquid butter that was all over the plate so it might be a good idea to ask for your chips on a separate plate if that bothers you.

Overall, we had a good experience. Pricing was average for Paphos, two can eat and drink for around 35 - 40 Euros. Some other great things about this restaurant is that it is open for lunch, also serves sushi, has easy and convenient parking and it is child friendly. If you have been to Ocean Basket in Kato Paphos, please share your experience – good or bad. We’d love to hear from you.