Park Rest Journal — August 2026 · Food
Boğaz is a fishing harbour on the east coast of Northern Cyprus, 20 minutes from Famagusta (Gazimağusa) on the road to the Karpaz, and the main place to eat fish on an August evening. The restaurants stand around the little port, some have their own boats, and the day's catch lands on the table the same evening. The thing to understand is how the fish is chosen and how it is priced, so the bill holds no surprises.
Choosing and pricing
Fresh fish in Boğaz is shown on a display or brought out on a tray, and the price is by weight, per kilo or per 100 grams. The rule is simple: ask the price per weight before the fish goes to the kitchen and have it weighed in front of you. As a benchmark, sea bass (levrek) and sea bream (çipura) were 160–170 TL a kilo at the markets (as of April 2026); a restaurant charges more, but the proportions hold. A menu of meze (small shared plates) with grilled or fried fish in Boğaz is reckoned at £8–15 a head depending on the fish and its weight.
Where to go
Kemal'in Yeri has been in Boğaz harbour since 1975 and is known for fish, meat and hospitality. Kıyı, right on the water, offers a fish set: cold and hot fish meze plus the day's catch from the Mediterranean. İskele Balık is praised for freshness and honest prices. All three are on the shore, and in August the waterside tables are taken by 20:00, especially on 1 and 30 August, which are public holidays.
Ask the price per kilo before you order, and ask to have it weighed.
What to order
Start with the fish set: a round of cold meze, then hot, then the fish. That is how locals do it, and one fish between two is usually enough. If the catch of the day is large, ask for half or a portion rather than the whole fish. For children, the small fried fish and the squid from the hot meze work well. Bread and salad are billed as part of the set, so check what is included before adding anything.
- Book a waterside table for 20:00 in advance, especially on the August public holidays.
- Take one fish set between two and one fish by weight, and add as you go.
- Check what the set price includes before the first meze arrives.
- Arrive for sunset to watch the boats come into the harbour with the catch.
- Pay in lira: a price in foreign currency is converted at the restaurant's own rate.