Maltese cuisine is typically Mediterranean with English, French, Sicilian, North African influences, reflecting the history. The country has a huge selection of traditional dishes. We tried the Maltese rabbit and their famous pastry called pastizzi.  If you find rabbits too cute to eat them (I totally understand), you can choose from seafood, pasta, risotto etc. Options are endless 🙂

Try the local drinks too. I drank super tasty wines.

Ready for my drinking and eating list?

 

Ta’ Xbiex – Mamma Mia

Our host recommended this Italian restaurant, Mamma Mia. It is located at the Marina with a view to the Marina and the boats. Not a simple Italian place, it offers seafood, different kinds of meat, burgers, pizzas, pasta and salads.

Both of us had chosen fish, my boyfriend ordered baked salmon for him and octopus for me. Both were a very big portion, we were hungry, but couldn’t eat the whole dish.

I always want to try local things, so I drank Maltese rosé wine (Palazzo Verdala), highly recommended 😉 Some kind has half bottle too, was perfect portion for me, because my boyfriend prefers drinking beer and a full bottle would be too much for me.

 

Ta’ Xbiex – Busy Bee Café and Busy Bee Gelateria

The Busy Bee Café is full of beautiful cakes, pastries, chocolates. We had a light dinner: a salmon wrap for me and a panini for my guy, and we also ordered strawberry mango sorbets, which were very refreshing and super tasty.

We needed an ice cream for dessert. The waiter recommended their gelateria a minute away from there. On the way, we decided to eat only one type, but when we looked at the huge selection of delicious ice creams, we immediately changed our minds. Omnomnom… 😛 

Pietá – Dolce Sicilia

The friendly pastizzeria / bar is located at the Marina, at the edge of Pietá and Msida. Perfect place for breakfast. We couldn’t sit down, was a bit full, but no one was in a hurry.

Feel the Maltese vibe 😉

They have nice coffee, croissants, desserts, gelato, salty and sweet pastries.

 

Sliema – Surfside

Surfside Bar is located on Sliema‘s promenade with 180 degrees view of the blue sea, we enjoyed the sunset from the upper floor. The view is also great from the air-conditioned indoor area with floor to ceiling windows.

They have a huge selection of food and drink. You can choose from pasta, salads, pizzas, hamburgers, Maltese dishes and fishes. We started with some cocktails and we went for the Maltese Platter for 2 people. We were very hungry, but couldn’t eat everything. Just to mention some things from the plate: Maltese sausage, Maltese cheese, olives, dried tomatoes, capers, bean dip and hot bread. Very nice and light dinner for a summer evening. 

 

Gozo – Tal-Furnar Restaurant & Bakery

They advertise themselves with their old and traditional oven cooking. I read about this restaurant some website about Gozo.

We arrived at around 5:30 pm, the sign said it’s open, unfortunately, it wasn’t. We haven’t found any opening time, so decided to have dinner later on the main island. When I got home, I checked their opening time: on Wednesday it’s closed, on the other days it’s open from 8 am to 3 am and between 6 pm and 11 pm. We should have arrived half an hour later.

 

Il-Mellieha – Mithna

Mithna means windmill in Maltese, there’s a big wheel on the facade and the restaurant is situated in a converted 17th-century windmill. The mill still retains most of its original structural features. Today it is the only one still in existence in Mellieha.

Now, let’s talk about food. We had the Maltese reared rabbit, which was super delicious!!! I’m serious, must try it. The menu says it is braised in brandy, curry & coconut milk. One portion costs 22 euros, totally worth the price.

The funniest part was when the head waiter came to our table after we started to eat and said very seriously in a teasing way, that “We, Maltese people eat the rabbit traditionally with our hands and that way it’s tastier.” Hihi, so we continued eating with hands.

For the local dish, I ordered local red wine: Nexus Merlot of Malta from 2014. Mmmmm 😛 Put it on your list!

The restaurant is open every day from 6 pm to 10:30 pm.

 

Golden bay – Apple’s Eye

We got very hungry after the beach in Golden bay, but didn’t want to eat another ice cream, so when we saw the restaurant on the top of the cliff, we stopped by to have dinner and enjoy the sunset. It was a bit crowded, so the service was a bit slow.

The food was good, not the best we had in Malta. My boyfriend’s risotto was better than my pasta with rabbit. The Dolcino rosé wine was very tasty. I am very impressed by Maltese wines.

 

Malta International Airport – Relish

Pastizzi was the 2nd food on my eating list (after the rabbit). Pastizzi is a traditional Maltese pastry. It’s filled with ricotta or mushy peas. Pastizzi are usually diamond-shaped or round-shaped.

Go into a pastizzeria, bar or café and try it. We didn’t have luck in Valletta, we haven’t visited that many pastizzerias, but couldn’t find any. Our Airbnb host told us later, pastizzi are more common in smaller family businesses. I tried it at the airport on the way back home, in a restaurant called Relish (at Gate 1). I completed my Maltese lunch with a can of local Cisk beer. This beer is everywhere. I am not a big fan of beer (I prefer wine), this is good, for me it tastes like a normal lager beer… 

Read more about traditional Maltese cuisines in my About Malta post. 

Enjoy your meal and drink!!!

What was your favourite? Any recommendation for my next visit to Malta?

Thanks in advance 😉