Cyprus Restaurant

Lovely mom and pop restaurant. I ordered the appetizer sampler, and wow! It was so fresh. The hummus I straight up delicious; the pits fluffy and hot; the dolmas were out of this world, and I don’t even like them. Great location also with outdoor seating. Why’s really wonderful of their outdoor seating is that it’s not on the actual side-​walk; feels more private. I didn’t want to be fully outside and chose one of the tables facing the front area. I will definitely come and try the whole menu. Also, they serve breakfast. Not a lot of places around here have that. It does have a feeling like you’re coming home and your parents are cooking from you. Very friendly.

It’s due time to write a review for this place. I don’t get why it doesn’t get more overall stars. This is my third time coming here and each has been pleasant. I don’t know if it’s cause it’s Saturday or if I came at the right hour but I had a very good breakfast just now.
First of all, it’s a little under the radar. The coffee is great, better than a lot on this block. Second — food is always good and filling. Third — they seem to always have breakfast available. Fourth — very warm and homey vibe.
The only thing right now is that I think they are unfortunately understaffed so the wait time is slightly longer than a regular spot. But when you have good company, this tends to not matter. Overall, great leisurely weekend spot. Thank you for the hospitality.

The food here was so delicious! The salad was fresh and flavorful, the tomato baba ganoush was something new (I’ll stick with traditional though as it’s my favorite) and the chicken kabob was moist and the rice was soooo delicious. The waiters will a little scarce but the food was great!

Good falafel wrap with lavash. It’s the only thing I’ve tried. Looking forward to going back!

Once again, I have to give a thumbs down to a Turkish/​Mediterranean restaurant. I usually love Turkish food for the balance of meat, rice, salad, and bread I can get when I order one of the restaurant’s platters. I expect to pay at least $ 15 but I don’t mind, because I’ve eaten well and I’m full.
But Cypress has changed their menu, and for the first time eating a meal anywhere, I’ve seen salad as an add-​on. Usually whenever you go out for a hamburger or anything for that matter, a small side salad comes with the main course. Not at Cyprus. Now they charge $ 2.95 extra if you want salad.
I went there today, ordered a lamb shish kebab plate and was surprised to find this out. Not only that, but the plate came with a gigantic portion of rice, more than I would ever want to eat, and only about five pieces of lamb. Needless to say, I was still hungry after eating the lamb and shoveling down as much of the rice as I could, so I asked them if this platter happened to come with bread. Nope. Will I ever be going back to Cyprus. Nope.
Although the Turkish Kitchen, a block further on Shattuck, isn’t perfect, for the same price I could have gotten twice as much lamb, a normal amount of rice, a side salad, and bread. Looks like I’ll be going there from now on when I crave mediterranean food.

The worst Iranian restaurant I have experienced around Berkeley/​SF. You pay 15 bucks and you get a very small amount of food. Do not try this restaurant because you will regret it.

Great food! My dad was visiting me at school & we decided to check out this place. I LOVED what I got, the chicken kabob plate. The salad was also delicious.

This place has a pleasant atmosphere and a lot of seating; there are almost always have open outlets, so it’s a good stalwart for bringing the laptop and writing a bit. The wifi can get slow when it’s crowded though, to the point of being unusable.
Espresso drinks are great, but the food is meh. Nothing wrong with it, I just wish they decreased the generous portions a bit and put the savings toward better ingredients. For example, their paninis come on a cheap hamburger-​type bun rather than the baguette you would usually get for this item. This might be a product of trying to make too many different types of cuisine at once rather than focusing on doing one thing well.

Place is cute, cozy, and clean. Service was great and food was very clean. I felt that it was a bit pricey, though that is to be expected of any mediterranean restaurant. I ordered a chicken dish (forgot what its called) and my husband ordered the chicken shwarma (spelling?) wrap. It definitely satisfied my mediterranean food craving.

I ordered kebab plate. The price I paid and portion of the plate it’s pricey. The plate has 2 skewers lule kebab, small portion of rice, one tomato. It was missing onion, vegetable usually parsley or cilantro. I also asked for Dough (i.e. cold beverage with yogurt) the drink was not rich enough to call it dough, it was mostly water and little taste of yogurt. I asked the cashier/​waitress to go up stairs. She replied the upstairs is close, there wasn’t any sign for that. You either sit inside downstairs or go outside. The service wasn’t great nor was the food. I’m Persian it’s a shame to call this Persian food.

Ate here earlier. I had the falafel on pita and I liked it!!! My sister had the hummus and pita and it was delicious as well. My bf ordered breakfast food, belgian waffles and cheese omelette which are also good and portion is big. Service was not that bad. Place is decent and clean.

Took a chance on this one as the four of us wanted mIddle eastern before a show. Quite suprised here great lemon chicken soup & Lentil soups. Two Falafil & Beef /​Lamb salad made one more than a happy customer. Good service with a smile. Great topping with brownie and ice cream. I’ll be back again.

My love and I were looking for some Mediterranean food and ran across this gem. The hummus was delicious and the beef shish-​kabob was seasoned just right. We are looking forward to returning to this lovely place again. The service was also top notch!

Cyprus is a delightful little restaurant in the heart of Berkeley. I stumbled upon this restaurant one evening and ordered a kebab plate. The chicken had a nice lemony touch. The rice was really nice and tender. Overall I really enjoyed the food.
The environment was great because it is family run and operated. I recommend!

This is where I come when I get a craving for a tender Mediterranean/​Persian ground beef kabob~ It is a cozy casual spot, and family run. They are very sweet and the food is well cooked restaurant-​style food made more casually and has a flare of home-​cooked essence. Although it is not as embellished as upscale restaurant food, they have kept the price down making it an affordable spot to drop in regularly. It’s very relaxing and satisfying :).

Tasty Vanilla Ice Cream with the blueberry toppings and excellent customer service! I’m very satisfied with my sweet treat!

It’s definitely not authentic Iranian food, but honestly it wasn’t bad either. I had ghorme Zabzi, which is a risk at restaurants because either it’s great or not, and it wasn’t bad here.
If you want your fix for Persian food there really isn’t much else to go do, so I recommend coming once

Service was not very good & the food was average. I’m Persian, so I know what good, authentic Persian food should be. Their kabob portions are much smaller than they should be and also their Persian stew that was suppose to be my main entrée was served in the same size bowl as our appetizer of «baba ghanoush” — which by the way was not very good & served cold. This was not an authentic recipe either.
The rice was undercooked & Iranian culture this is a HUGE no-​no! Overall food was particularly average & service was not good. The server didn’t even greet us hello, he merely sat us & handed us out menus.
Would not go here again.

Comforting food and friendly service.
I always have a good time eating at this family owned restaurant. The atmosphere is very quaint despite being so close to downtown Berkeley.
I have tried their lunch gyro plate, the pomegranate chicken, as well as a handful of the appetizer dishes. The food has always been good. One criticism would be that the prices on the dishes are on the pricey side and the portions of the appetizers can be skimpy.
I will probably be returning. It is a good option for a casual weekend lunch with a small group.

This restaurant is definitely run by a mom-​and-​pop team taking their first run at running a place like this. Its got a lot of kinks that need working out.
Great location. Close to campus. Yes, for those of us who live elsewhere, the parking sucks. Its always crowded in downtown Berkeley.
I tried the chicken kabob — it was okay. I give it a C. If you want a good chicken kabob, go to DeAfphan House on University.
Then I tried the ground beef chaplee kabob — this was good. Get the single kabob — its a deal — $ 9 and it comes with salad and rice.
I asked for extra dressing for my salad. Never got it. When the lady came to pick up the check and was clearing away the plates, she remembered and apologized. Yes, I could have asked again for it at some point — but with the little things (and new restaurants) I like to see how these things play out.
The second time I went there, I asked for a fork. Never got it.
The third time, I used the bathroom. WOW, it is complex. They give you a key card and you have to go to the basement of the next building over with a special key card. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get there.
Outdoor seating on the large sidewalk is great. Feels like you’re in Europe.
The price is right at this place. I see on their menu that they also serve breakfast. Its on my list to give them a try in the morning.