Malta Food Guide: 18 of the Best Restaurants in Malta

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was co-written by Ed Lansink of Malta Uncovered. Any restaurants recommended by Ed are labeled “(Ed)”.

Malta surprised us. It may be tiny, but it offers far more than we expected. Its mix of old-world charm, rugged coastlines, and a temperate Mediterranean climate made it one of our favorite travel destinations in 2025.

Thanks in part to Game of Thrones, Malta has seen a steady rise in visitors in the last decade or so. This is most noticeable in its capital city, Valletta, where cruise ships, day-trippers, and first-time visitors converge, often in dizzyingly large numbers. With that popularity comes no shortage of restaurants catering mainly to tourists, many with inflated prices that left us wide-eyed – and walking away.

Good, affordable food in Malta does exist – you just have to know where to find it.

Together with Ed Lansink of Malta Uncovered, we’ve come up with this restaurant guide to help you steer clear of overpriced tourist traps and discover what true Maltese dining is really about.

18 OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN MALTA

To help organize this list of the best places to eat in Malta, I’ve grouped them by region. Click on a link to jump to any section of the guide.

Valletta The Three Cities Sliema & St Julian’s Central Malta Northern Malta Gozo

VALLETTA

1. Museum Cafe

We found that entrees at many Maltese restaurants are fairly pricey. If you’re traveling on a budget and want to eat more affordably, then a good choice would be local Maltese dishes like pastizz and ftira. Pastizzi are Malta’s iconic savory pastry snacks (more on this later), while ftira is a type of traditional Maltese bread.

Strictly speaking, ftira refers to the bread, but it can also describe the sandwich made with that bread (pictured below). Costing just a few euros for a filling sandwich, you can find ftira at many restaurants and shops in Malta. In Valletta, we suggest trying it at Museum Cafe, a small cafe and restaurant that’s been open since 1921.

Like any sandwich, ftira can be made with a variety of fillings. Today, I got mine with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Museum Cafe is located in the heart of Valletta, just around the corner from MUZA, the National Community Art Museum of Malta.

Museum Cafe

Location: Melita St, Valletta, Malta
Operating Hours: 7AM-3PM, Mon-Fri / 7AM-2:30PM, Sat (closed Sundays)

2. Mina’s

Malta has two national dishes – pastizz and fenkata (stewed rabbit). Mrs Traveleater was dying to try fenkata, but not enough to overpay for it at some tourist trap. Luckily, through thorough research, she found Mina’s, a traditional Maltese restaurant in Valletta that offers affordable lunch set menus. For just EUR 20 (October 2025), you’ll have your choice of appetizer, entree, and a glass of wine or beer.

For our appetizers, we both wanted the aljotta (Maltese fish soup), but unfortunately, they were out of it that day, so we chose the mixed Maltese salad instead. It was made with a variety of local ingredients like gbejna (Maltese cheese), bigilla (broad bean dip), potato salad, olives, and more. Delicious!

For my entree, I had the grilled seabass. You can’t see the potatoes under the seabass, but all entrees on Mina’s set menu are served with salad and roasted baby potatoes.

Behold Malta’s famous fenkata! A traditional Maltese rabbit dish, it’s usually stewed or braised in wine, but it can sometimes be fried or roasted. My better half enjoyed the dish, likening it to Filipino adobo, but made with rabbit.

At the time of our visit, they were also offering grilled beef or grilled chicken breast as choices for entrees.

Mina’s is tucked away in a corner of Valletta that doesn’t get as much tourist traffic. Restaurants serving traditional food are a dime a dozen in Valletta, but Mina’s lunch set menus are a fantastic deal and a great choice for people looking to experience the local cuisine without overpaying for it.

Mina’s

Location: Shop 8 city gate, Ordinance, Valletta, Malta
Operating Hours: 7AM-10PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)

3. Palazzo Preca (Ed)

Situated in the Maltese capital, Valletta, this restaurant offers guests authentic Mediterranean cuisine and homemade delicacies. Palazzo Preca showcases the city’s rich history with its 16th-century palatial building, complete with jaw-dropping decorations.

Diners get to enjoy veal carpaccio and a wide array of fresh seafood dishes, like salmon ceviche, prawns, and octopus. They also serve a variety of pasta meals and salads.

These dishes match perfectly with their selection of fine wines and other beverages as well. Aside from that, guests can indulge in homemade sweets for dessert, like local pastries and other treats.

Palazzo Preca is one of the pricier restaurants on this list, but in my opinion, it’s worth it.

Palazzo Preca

Location: 54, Strait Street Valletta, VLT 05, Malta
Operating Hours: 12NN-3:30PM, 6:30-9:45PM, daily

4. Kantina Cafe (Ed)

Located right next to St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Kantina Cafe may seem touristy, but it really isn’t. Thanks to its outdoor tables, this cozy cafe offers diners a prime place to people-watch while enjoying coffee and good comfort food.

Some of its yummy dishes include bagels, salads, pasta dishes, burgers, and sandwiches, not to mention cocktails and local wines. Guests can enjoy their meals while relaxing and taking in the peaceful pace of the day – a good way of taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Kantina Cafe

Location: Misrah San Gwann, Valletta VLT 1157, Malta
Operating Hours: 8AM-11PM, daily

5. Da Pippo Trattoria (Ed)

This Maltese restaurant has been around for forty years and continues to provide good food and services to its diners. Da Pippo Trattoria is especially famous with locals for its warm and inviting atmosphere, along with a local menu that changes every day.

While it’s true that Da Pippo Trattoria is only open for lunch, diners still get to enjoy a wide array of delectable food that will keep them satisfied. It is worth noting, though, that prices are a bit higher compared to other local restaurants. However, its superb food and atmosphere make it worth it.

Da Pippo Trattoria

Location: VGX6+46C, Melita St, Valletta, Malta
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-3:30PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)

THE THREE CITIES

6. 3 Cities Take Away

3 Cities is a takeaway-only restaurant in Cospicua that serves a wide menu of comfort food. Their prices are affordable and the portions generous, making them a good place to grab a bite while exploring Malta’s Three Cities (Cospicua, Birgu, Senglea).

Pictured below is the fish mix. It’s a pizza-box-sized portion of battered and fried fish fillets, calamari rings, fried prawns, coleslaw, and french fries. Not the healthiest meal, but it’s cheap and filling and enough to share between two people.

We didn’t realize how much food we were getting with the fish mix, so we ordered this chicken wrap made with battered and deep-fried chicken cutlets as well.

3 Cities Take Away also serves many different types of pizza, pasta, burgers, and breakfast dishes. They even offer fenkata, both in fried and stewed forms.

You see that window to the right of the Bolt Food rider? That’s where you order food from 3 Cities Take Away. They don’t have any seating inside, so you’ll need to get yours to go. Thankfully, there’s a small park with a bench across the street.

3 Cities Take Away

Location: Triq l-Inkurunazzjoni, Bormla, Malta
Operating Hours: 10AM-11PM, daily

ST JULIAN’S & SLIEMA

7. Buchman’s Snack Bar

Google “best ftira in Malta”, and this humble sandwich shop will appear at the top of many lists. With predominantly local customers, many of whom seem to be workers getting sandwiches to go, Buchman’s Snack Bar is a no-frills shop that’s become a go-to stop for ftira sandwiches.

This was Mrs Traveleater’s tasty tuna ftira. Note the shape of the bread. Ftira is typically baked in either ring or bun form.

This was my equally delicious (and healthy) vegetable ftira.

Crusty with a chewy interior, the ftira at Buchman’s is delicious, but to be honest, we never met a ftira we didn’t like in Malta. If you’re visiting Malta on a budget, then these ftira sandwiches, which typically cost less than EUR 5 (October 2025), will be your new best friend.

Judging from the sign, Buchman’s knows they make good ftira, and they aren’t afraid to say it. The shop is located in Il-Gzira, just a few blocks south of Sliema.

Check out all the beautiful ftira sandwiches waiting for you at Buchman’s. One large, ring-shaped loaf is usually cut into two sandwiches.

Buchman’s Snack Bar

Location: 316 Triq D’Argens, Il-Gżira, Malta
Operating Hours: 5AM-2PM, Mon-Fri (closed Sat-Sun)

8. Sole by Tarragon (Ed)

Located in St. Paul’s Bay, this local Maltese restaurant is known for offering quality, comfort, and value. Since its opening in 2007, Sole by Tarragon has already bagged multiple local awards, making it a surefire hit with many locals.

Its owner, Chef Marvin Gauchi, is the brain behind the restaurant’s delectable menu. Some of the famous dishes at Sole by Tarragon include juicy steaks, fresh seafood, delicious pasta dishes, and yummy desserts. Diners can also enjoy their meals while basking in the natural beauty of the bay.

Sole by Tarragon

Location: St Julian’s STJ 3301, Malta
Operating Hours: 6-11PM, daily (also open from 12NN-3PM on Sundays)

CENTRAL MALTA

9. Is-Serkin

If Buchman’s is the place to go for ftira, then Is-Serkin (Crystal Palace Bar) has a reputation for making the best pastizzi in Malta. They top many lists of the best pastizzi restaurants on the island, and the long line of customers at the shop – which never ended – was proof of that.

Is-Serkin makes pastizzi with four types of filling – pizelli (pea), ricotta, chicken, and incova (anchovy). The pizelli is their bestseller, and rightfully so, but we highly recommend the incova as well. At just EUR 0.50-0.60 per piece (October 2025), why not try them all?

Open 24 hours, Il-Serkin is located in Rabat, just a short walk from Mdina.

Even more so than Buchman’s, reviewers couldn’t have been more gushing in their praise of Il-Serkin’s pastizzi. Yes, it was delicious, but I don’t know how much more delicious than every other pastizz we tried in Malta.

No matter where you try them, pastizzi are another great snack you’ll probably be enjoying often in Malta.

Is-Serkin

Location: Triq San Pawl, Ir-Rabat, Malta
Operating Hours: Open 24 hours

10. Chalk

Chalk is another great place to enjoy inexpensive comfort food in Malta. It’s a cute cafe restaurant offering ftira sandwiches, salads, a few breakfast dishes, charcuterie platters, and desserts.

Pictured below is their Maltese ftira – a tasty sandwich featuring Maltese sausage and cheeselets served with Gozo tomato paste, mixed greens, and sundried tomatoes.

Plant-based eaters can enjoy the vegan ftira. It’s made with Gozo tomato paste, mixed greens, butterbeans in garlic, kalamata olives, and sundries tomatoes.

Cute right? Chalk is located in Rabat, just a short walk down the street from Is-Serkin. If the sun isn’t on your face, you can sit on that balcony table on the second floor.

This is what the restaurant’s interior looks like. It’s a popular cafe, restaurant, and wine bar that fills up quickly, at least when we were there.

Chalk also offers a good selection of desserts. After lunch, we got one of their honey rings (qaghaq tal-ghase) to go for dessert.

Chalk

Location: 36 Triq San Pawl, Ir-Rabat, Malta
Operating Hours: 9AM-10PM, daily

11. Chez-Eman

Like Museum Cafe (#1) and Fuli Kiosk (#16), Chez-Eman is one of those casual Maltese restaurants that serve a variety of comfort food. You can fill yourself up with wraps, ftira sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads, or crepes, with every dish going for less than EUR 10.

At Chez-Eman, I had one of the most expensive dishes on the menu, this healthy and filling tuna salad that set me back just EUR 8.50 (October 2025).

Chez-Eman is located in Rabat, just a stone’s throw from Is-Serkin. I had my tuna salad after enjoying a pastizz from Is-Serkin. Lunch for just EUR 10. Not bad!

Chez-Eman

Location: 7 Triq San Pawl, Ir-Rabat, Malta
Operating Hours: 9:30AM-4PM, Tue-Sun (closed Mondays)

12. Fontanella Tea Garden

As much as we loved Mdina, we had no plans of going back, until I learned about this place.

We enjoyed visiting and exploring Mdina, but the restaurants there all looks like overpriced tourist traps, so we had lunch in nearby Rabat instead. However, I learned about Fontanella Tea Garden from a local, who described it as a Maltese institution and a must-visit. It was the same local who recommended Is-Serkin, so he clearly knew what he was talking about.

According to him, Fontanella Tea Garden offers a delicious assortment of cakes, not to mention some of the best views in central Malta. More on that later.

Fontanella offers a variety of dishes like ftira, wraps, salads, pizza, and pinsa, but they’re best known for their cakes. They have over two dozen cakes on their menu, not to mention seasonal offerings, which they can deliver all over Malta.

Today, we tried a slice of their chocolate cake, and this special seasonal bone-shaped cake known locally as gghadam tal-mejtin, or Maltese bone biscuit. Traditionally made for All Souls’ Day, it consists of shortbread biscuits filled with a rich almond paste, coated in thick white royal icing, and finished with a sprinkle of chopped almonds.

It’s no secret that Fontanella Tea Garden makes delicious cakes. The place is popular – especially tables on their al fresco balcony – so be prepared for a wait if you’d like to sit outside.

Unfortunately, it started to rain on the day of our visit so we had to sit inside. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Valletta from up here.

Fontanella Tea Garden

Location: Mdina, Malta
Operating Hours: 10AM-11:30PM, daily

13. Fra Giuseppe (Ed)

Located in Balzan, this wine and coffee bar is the best place to go if you’re looking for the perfect combination of rich history and delicious food.

Fra Giuseppe is set in a 300-year-old building that was meticulously restored for the public’s enjoyment. Today, locals and tourists alike can enjoy a variety of dishes like ftiras, focaccia, meat and cheese platters, salads, wraps, and small bites of food. Fra Giuseppe is also famous for its wine and coffee selection.

Fra Giuseppe

Location: 3, Triq Dun Spir Sammut, Balzan BZN 1020, Malta
Operating Hours: 6PM till late, Mon-Sat / 11AM till late, Sun

NORTHERN MALTA

14. Ta’ Marija (Ed)

This unique restaurant showcases the country’s vibrant and festive personality. Ta’ Marija, which has been around since 1964, offers guests traditional Maltese cuisine with subtle modern touches. From rabbit dishes and homemade ravioli to mouthwatering desserts, there’s something to tickle everyone’s taste buds at this restaurant.

Aside from good food and a relaxing ambiance, the restaurant is also famous for its live music and traditional folk dance shows. Each performance reflects Malta’s rich history and culture, making it the perfect complement to a delicious dining experience.

Ta’ Marija

Location: 67 Constitution St, Mosta MST 9058, Malta
Operating Hours: 12NN-2PM, 6-10PM, Tue-Fri, Sun / 6-10PM, Sat (closed Mondays)

15. Tal-Ingliz Restaurant (Ed)

This small family-run restaurant located in the village of Mgarr is famous for its exceptional Maltese cuisine. In fact, many locals often come here to enjoy its good food and welcoming atmosphere.

Some of the restaurant’s bestsellers include traditional local dishes like fenkata, horse meat (laham taz-ziemel), quail (summien), snail, and octopus. It is worth noting, however, that Tal-Ingliz doesn’t offer vegetarian options.

Tal-Ingliz Restaurant

Location: Triq IL-Kbira, L-Imġarr, Malta
Operating Hours: 7-11PM, Mon, Wed-Sat / 11:30AM-10PM, Sun (closed Tuesdays)

GOZO

16. Fuli Kiosk

No trip to Malta can ever be complete without spending at least one full day exploring Gozo. I went twice, and both times, I enjoyed a healthy lunch at Fuli Kiosk, a food truck within walking distance of the ferry terminal.

Fuli Kiosk offers a wide range of comfort food, from burgers and pizza to wraps, ftira, and salads. I try to eat healthy whenever I can, so salad bowls, especially when they’re as bountiful as these, often catch my eye.

In the foreground below is the mixed seafood salad. It’s made with a cold mix of clams, musels, and kani (imitation crabstick) served with a prawn fritter, lettuce, yellow rice, couscous, arugula, onions, and marinated vegetables. All that for just EUR 11.20! (October 2025)

Mrs Traveleater went with their fried local gozo cheese salad. It’s made with three pieces of homemade fried gozo cheese served with mango chutney, lettuce, arugula, yellow rice, couscous, onions, and a mix of marinated vegetables.

On my second visit to Gozo and Fuli Kiosk, I had the smoked salmon salad. It’s made with a generous portion of smoked salmon served over lettuce, arugula, yellow rice, couscous, onions, and a medley of marinated vegetables.

Fuli Kiosk is a food truck by the side of the road, less than a 10-minute walk from the Gozo ferry terminal.

You’re literally dining by the side of a road. Many tourists miss Fuli Kiosk because they board the local buses immediately after exiting the ferry terminal. If you’d like an affordable but filling meal, then I suggest walking to Fuli Kiosk first before exploring the island.

Fuli Kiosk

Location: Triq Lourdes, Għajnsielem, Malta
Operating Hours: 8AM-11PM, daily

17. Pasta Republic

Can you ever ignore the call of fresh pasta? That’s exactly what caught my eye when I passed Pasta Republic on my way to Cittadella ta’ Victoria in Gozo. I made a beeline back to this restaurant after exploring the Citadel.

Pasta Republic offers freshly made pasta – available in small, regular, and king sizes – that you can top with a variety of sauces. There are a couple of meat-based sauces on the menu, but the majority are vegan or vegetarian. You can even request vegan pasta, made without eggs, if you prefer.

I chose the vegan ragu, which is made with tomato sauce, lentils, carrots, onion, and celery. The sauce was good, but the real star was the bucatini pasta. It was bouncy and chewy and clearly freshly made.

Pasta Republic is located in Victoria, Gozo. A few days after my visit, I found a second branch in the food court of The Plaza Food Hall in Sliema.

Pasta Republic

Location: 16 Triq ir-Repubblika, Ir-Rabat Għawdex, Malta
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-4PM, 6-9:30PM, daily

18. Ta’ Frenc (Ed)

If you are looking for a fine dining experience, then check out Ta’ Frenc on the Island of Gozo. This award-winning restaurant offers innovative Maltese cuisine using the freshest local ingredients. In fact, the restaurant itself has a lovely herb garden outside. They also rear their own chickens, rabbits, and quails.

Some of its must-try delicacies include local goat cheese, traditional fish soup, and meat and pasta dishes. Ta’ Frenc also offers homemade desserts.

Ta’ Frenc

Location: Daħla ta’ Għajn Damma, Xagħra Gozo, Malta Xagħra, Gozo XRA 9010, Malta
Operating Hours: 12NN-1:30PM, 6:30-9PM, Fri-Sat / 6:30-9PM, Mon, Thurs / 12NN-1:30PM, Sun (closed Tue-Wed)

MALTA LOCATION MAP

To help you navigate, I’ve pinned all the Malta restaurants recommended in this guide on this map. Click on the link to enlarge.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON WHERE TO EAT IN MALTA

Malta may be small, but it’s rich in cultural experiences – and that includes its food.

While the busiest tourist areas may be dominated with overpriced restaurants aimed at non-locals, those willing to stray a little farther, or dig a little deeper, will find plenty of affordable spots serving delicious, authentic Maltese food. We hope this Malta restaurant guide leads you to a few.

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