Light foods with a German twist
Strictly speaking, the definition of a restaurant is “a place where people pay to sit and eat meals that are cooked on the premises”. This review is slightly different in that it is a roadside establishment that, from the road, looks more like just a takeaway. The kitchen/bar area has an ample covered dining space, but I had never realised when zooming past that there is a small garden at the back. The prospect of eating right on the busy coast road to Coral Bay had never particularly appealed, which is why we had never stopped before despite the evidence of good food with the many parked cars outside. However, if you go around the back, you will see many olive trees providing welcome shade, sitting right next to a banana plantation. Seating is at a selection of tables, some long with benches and others for smaller groups. As the garden is set back from the road, it was quieter than I had expected, with a relaxed vibe.
Imbiss has a real mix of cultures with owner Savvas returning to Cyprus after 36 years in Germany. While he was away, he ran Cypriot restaurants in Bayern. Now he has returned home, Savvas has brought Germanic gastro influences in the other direction back to Cyprus.
As I write this, I understand they are working on new menus, especially for breakfast. The menu showed a selection of homemade snacks with a heavy Cypriot/German influence, and they were just a little bit different from the norm. It is divided into homemade traditional snacks with different sausages and a unique German delicacy called Leberkäs, a meatloaf variation. Burgers are well represented with a choice of both beef and chicken. There are also snacks and sandwiches with a heavy Cypriot influence. As cheeseburgers regularly appear on Paphos restaurant menus at €20 plus, seeing their speciality burger priced at just €8.50 was great. The fact that chips were extra is a good thing, as not everyone would want them, considering the size of this particular beefburger. If you are feeling very hungry, there is also an XXL burger made of 200g Angus beef for €12.
Drinks on the menu are also limited, but we saw quite a few people enjoying German beers, and there was a selection of mini bottles of wine on the bar which were not listed on the menu. One of the drinks offered was an outstanding Orange, Banana and Ginger juice. It is refreshing to get a chilled juice that is not full of ice and filled right to the top.
Moving onto the food, we decided to go for a Cheeseburger with fries on the side (as we had not seen the size) and a German Currywurst with chips.
The cheeseburger stood very tall, while the chips on the side were heavily seasoned and very tasty. As beefburgers go, this edition was full of perfectly cooked quality meat in the two burgers with layers of the most delicious caramelised onions, gherkins, cheese, a fried egg, fresh lettuce, bacon and tomatoes. The whole combination created an epic burger experience.
The Currywurst is not something that appealed to me, but my guest thought it was an excellent combination of flavours, although with just one wurst, maybe a little on the small side. This actually worked in my favour as I was happy to pass half of the burger over to him.
Imbiss offers good homemade snacky food which would be perfect on your way home after a day at the beach. Indeed, because the location is so close to Sandy Beach, you could also get a takeaway and take it down to the sea.
The menu offered a great selection of quality coffees priced at the lowest prices I have seen for a long, long time. With extended opening hours until 10pm as of May 1, Imbiss will also offer a great stopping-off point for a quick bite to eat after a long day.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY German & Cypriot Snacks
WHERE Imbiss, on E701 Leoforos Kissonergas, Paphos
WHEN Thursday to Tuesday 8am to 7pm. Closed on Wednesdays. From May 1 open until 10pm
CONTACT 94 006024
HOW MUCH Cheeseburgers from €5.50, German Cheese Sausage €4, Sandwiches from €5 and Leberkäs €4
