7 restaurants in Malta you don't want to miss

Today we present 7 restaurants in Malta that you don't want to miss. Before travelling to Malta, we were told that "Malta is not a country you go to for the food". After tasting locally produced delicacies directly from the farmers and finding really good restaurants, we changed our minds. Join us for 7 great restaurants in Malta! And a little bonus at the end when it comes to street food.

Restaurants in Malta

There are plenty of restaurants in Malta and its sister island. Gozo. Most serve decent food, but if you want to make sure you have a good restaurant experience, you may need to check out where to go beforehand. Here are some tips for good restaurants in Malta.

1. the Fortina Terrace Restaurant in Sliema

At the Fortina Terrace restaurant in Sliema you have a great view of the water and the capital city of Valletta on the other side. In addition, you get really good food! We chose a mussel soup for starters and for the main course we ordered a local fish (rock fish) served in packages.

2. Cent'Anni restaurant in the village of Gharghur

The Cent'Anni restaurant is located in the alleys of the cosy village of Ghargur. The restaurant consists of several small rooms and the feeling is genuine, as it is when you get off the tourist track. It was also delicious and hefty portions.

For starters we chose a delicious vegetable soup and for the main course I (Helena) had a ravioli with mushrooms and truffles and Peter a risotto. To finish, we tried the traditional Maltese dessert kannoli - a hot pastry filled with ricotta.

3. the Palazzo Preca in Valletta

Restaurant Palazzo Preca, in the centre of Valletta, is decorated with a more luxurious feel. Our meal was also excellent and of a more luxurious nature. Before dinner we were served a small fried rice ball that was black inside (coloured with squid ink) and super tasty. For starters we chose creamy vegetable soup and mussels respectively and for the main course we tried the local fish lampuka.

4. Diar il-Bniet Restaurant in the village of Dingli

Another cosy little city restaurant! When you enter the Diar Il-Bniet in thingy you are greeted by a small shop filled with jars and bottles of locally produced delicacies: olive oil, honey, marmalade, pickled fruits, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Here we chose to eat Malta's national dish: rabbit. Really good and tender meat, served with root vegetables and greens.

5. Kartell Restaurant in Marsalforn on Gozo

The top picture in this post shows what it looks like at Kartell restaurant, located in Marsalforn, Gozo. Awesome view then! Here we chose spaghetti with mussels which was super tasty. We also looked at the traditional dish "spaghetti with rabbit sauce", but since we ate rabbit the day before, we skipped trying it. However, we finished with a scoop of really good chocolate ice cream.

6. chophouse restaurant in Sliema

Chophouse restaurant has the reputation of being Malta's best meat restaurant, so if you like meat, this is definitely the place to go. Peter went for the rib eye and I (Helena) ordered the duck. For this we got several different side dishes, such as potato wedges, grilled vegetables and parmesan salad. Yum!

7. Rogantino's Restaurant in Landrijiet

Rogantio's restaurant is not even in a small village, but in the middle of the countryside, in a 17th century hunting lodge. You would think that no one would find it, but on the contrary, a lot of people seem to find it, probably because of its reputation. You can drive here from, for example, Rabat or Mdina. Here I (Helena) started with a very good carrot/pumpkin soup and Peter ordered mussels. Then it was giant shrimp and duck respectively.

Bonus: street food

What if you don't want to eat so much fancy food all the time, but just want something small and simple? Well, there's plenty to choose from. If you just want a little "snack" on the way, you can walk past any bakery and buy pastizzi - pastries filled with ricotta or some kind of peas (if I understand correctly), which are very popular. If you're a bit hungrier, you can try Maltese bread with tuna, olives and capers. Really good!

food and drink in restaurants in malta

Maltese cuisine takes its influences primarily from the neighbouring island of Sicily, and develops it into its own style. We have been to several restaurants in Malta and they do it very well. The Maltese have been invaded by most countries in history, and they have picked the berries from all the best. They really know the importance of local produce and how it should taste. The bread is vital and the good olive oil that they pour on a plate and dip the bread in, with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

MALTA'S NATIONAL DISH

We start with the national dish, which is rabbit. The rabbit is cooked for several hours like a real goulash soup, or a lamb stew. The rabbit stew is called Stuffattal-Fenek and we had it with root vegetables, but many people also serve it in a rich sauce of sweet tomatoes, red wine and garlic. Maybe spaghetti with rabbit sauce? We recommend the family-run restaurant Diar Il-Bniet in the village of Dingli, where they also raise their own rabbits. Here you will also find their own marmalades, sun-dried tomatoes, the best olive oil and much more.

Local FOOD in restaurants IN MALTA

• Several dishes to try while in Malta are mussel soup, Rock fish, Risotto, Fried rice balls with squid ink, local fish Lampuka, fish soup Aljotta with garlic, 
• If you get the chance, try their delicious goat cheese which they make every morning in Gozo and deliver fresh around Malta. We visited and actually milked a goat at farmer Rikkardu of Ta' Rikardu and bought the amazing sheep cheese gbejniet.
• If you want the best and most tender pork we've tasted in a long time, look up Ta'Philip restaurant.
• There is great street food that you just pick up on the go. Try Pastizzi with ricotta or pea butter. What's also everywhere is a Maltese bread with olives, asparagus and tuna. 
• Desserts are always popular and this is where both Sicilians and Arabs come in. We start with Kannoli which is a traditional Maltese dessert with ricotta, yummy! Maybe an Arabic Imqaret which is a diamond-shaped pastry with soft dates.

beer and wine in restaurants in malta

• The Maltese have three beers of their own. A light one called Cisk, a darker one with the cool name Farson's blue Label. the last one is because the English left the island with a beer with hops from the British Hopleaf lager.
• They make their own wine on the island and they do it well. Meridiana Wine Estate makes both red and white wines of quality, which are served in most restaurants. Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker has lots of awards and why not go for a tasting.
• Lastly, there's Marsovin, which has that great premium wine that is always on hand everywhere, and always tastes great.
• With food, wine and beer prices at two-thirds of those in Sweden, it's nice to eat and drink cheaper.

Parts of this trip were part of a press trip. The texts, images and opinions are, as usual, our own.