Dinning Experience

Malta’s cuisine boasts a true blend of Mediterranean flavours and aromas with a splash of Sicilian, Italian, Lebanese and North African influences focusing on fresh, delicious produce that celebrates a rich culinary history.

Enjoy the Mediterranean palate with its exquisite blend of tastes complementing so well the temperate climate and joie de vivre of the people.

Feed your imagination as there is no better way to enjoy the myriad flavours of Malta’s cuisine than while lazily enjoying a light lunch, under the stars or gazing at the sunset in one of the island’s many al fresco restaurants.

Valletta has so many types and styles of bars and restaurants that you will be supremely spoilt for choice. Choose local traditional ones, Mediterranean cuisine, trattorias, fine dining experiences or go for some fusion and exotic ones. Whatever you are looking for, there is a quality place for you.

Local Specialities

Pastizzi (cheese and pea cakes), a delicious savoury filo pastry pasty filled with either rich ricotta cheese or mushy peas.

Fenek (rabbit). Rabbit stew is the local national dish. Enjoy rabbit in a spaghetti sauce, fried, grilled or any other way the local chefs conjure up for you.

Kunserva (concentrated tomato paste). A delicious spread on bread or to dip galletti (savoury biscuits) in.

Mqaret (packages of sweet pastry filled with dates and a spice mixture). Sweet delicacy to die for. Ideally served piping hot, just out of the frier. Today also grilled and served with accompanying ice-cream.

Ftira (Maltese unleavened bread, a flatbread). An answer to pizza and perfect with kunserva, or tomatoes spread on the softer side of the ftira and drizzled with oil and salt and pepper. Oozily delicious. Ftira is sometimes also filled or topped with potatoes, eggs, grated cheese, tomatoes, anchovies, olives, ricotta, Maltese sausage and ġbejna (cheeselet).

Ġbejna (cheeselet). These goat cheeselets are tasty and add a touch of the Mediterranean to any snack, or after a meal. They are available fresh, dried, or dried and sprinkled with pepper. They originated in Gozo so look out for those if you want the real thing.

Malta also produces its own olive oil (żejt taż-żebbuġa). When Maltese bread is dipped in oil it gives the local bread or ftira a quality and taste that is hard to beat.

Other delicacies are local għasel (honey), ħelwa tat-tork (halva), and qubbajt (nougat). Some small boutique wineries produce award-winning wine and breweries have sprouted with their own craft beer. A long-term national favourite is the local lager, Cisk. Ask us for restaurant recommendations