Malta food: what to expect and where to go

Maltese food mixes lots of different influences, particularly from nearby Sicily and the countries of North Africa, so you’ll come across pasta and risotto but also dips and spices like cinnamon and cloves in food on Malta. Add in more European flavours brought by the Knights of St John, including dishes from Spain and the south of France, along with the British, and you’ll find a whole array of tempting meals to try.

The national meat is rabbit, although you will also find beef on the menu, while there’s fish galore and fresh seafood. Fresh, local produce is often key, with many of Malta’s dishes being reminiscent of the Cucina Povera of Italy, where nothing is wasted and even the simplest ingredients can be transformed into a mouth-watering dish.

As with many Mediterranean destinations, you can find plenty of places to eat on a budget, with cheaper snacks to have on the go, like pastizzi and ftira sandwiches, made with local sourdough bread. At the other end of the scale, you’ll find a handful of Michelin-star restaurants across Malta and fine dining to splurge on as well.

In general, Malta tends to be slightly cheaper than most western European countries, and you can usually find main dishes for around 10-20 Euros, while a glass of wine or a beer tends to cost less than 5 Euros.

Breakfast in Malta tends to be relatively light, with bread or pastries, jam and honey, fruit and local cheese. You’re spoiled for choice when it comes for jam, with everything from berries, figs, melons and stone fruit like nectarines in summer, as well as citrus fruit, pomegranates and pears in autumn and winter. For something a little bit different, look out for prickly pear jam, made from the fruit of the cactus.

The classic Maltese snack, pastizzi are another traditional breakfast favourite. Flavoured with ricotta or peas, they’re great to grab and go, while you can also now find sweeter varieties with chocolate inside. If you’re looking for a sweet way to start the day, look out for qaghaq tal-gunglien, a sesame-flavoured ring biscuit that’s perfect for dunking in hot drinks.

For something more substantial, froġa tat-tarja is a type of Maltese omelette using vermicelli or angel-hair pasta mixed in with the eggs, along with any other ingredients you fancy. While it’s not a traditional breakfast dish, this delicious omelette will definitely keep you fuelled for a full day’s exploring.

Although you’ll find a huge range of foods to try while you’re on holiday in Malta, these 10 classics are ones to look out for. One traditional dish that you won’t find any more is sea urchin pasta, as the urchins (or rizzi) are now protected.

These flaky pastry triangles are traditionally filled with ricotta or mushy peas, and eaten throughout the day, including for breakfast, a light lunch or a snack on the go. You’ll find more flavours alongside the classic fillings these days, including chicken or sweet options like chocolate and Nutella, and you can pick them up at bakeries and snack-bars across the island.

Malta’s national meat in rabbit, or fenek, which you’ll find served in a whole string of ways. Stuffat tal-fenek, or rabbit stew, is one of the classics, cooked for hours until the meat is tender in a sauce made with red wine, garlic and tomatoes. You’ll also find rabbit in pasta, or sometimes fried in garlic.

Food for thought as you eat: the Knight of St John banned the hunting of rabbits at one point when they ruled the island, to leave game for the nobility to chase – although the number of rabbit recipes shows how unsuccessful the ban was!

This Maltese sourdough bread is so iconic in Malta that it has been listed as part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Traditionally baked in brick ovens, you’ll often find ftira served with tuna, capers, olives, tomatoes and onions, although if you’re grabbing any kind of sandwich from a bakery, you may find ftira being used

Called the national dish of Malta, hobz biz-zejt could hardly be simpler or more delicious, using Maltese bread with tomatoes. The bread is first soaked in oil, then in the tomatoes and tomato paste until it’s actually red in colour, and you’ll find it as a starter and side dish in restaurants.

This traditional Maltese fish soup is made with the smallest white fish you can find on sale, as they’re added whole as you cook it, although you may find the bones are strained out before serving. Made with tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Created for the period of Lent, when Christians weren’t permitted to eat meat, the whole fish gives it a much deeper flavour.

This Maltese sausage is made from pork and a mix of herbs and spices, including coriander seeds and you’ll find it used in a whole string of dishes. Traditionally, it’s spread on bread and eaten raw, but these days you’re more likely to try it as a topping on pizza, in pasta or sometimes in a stew.

Lampuki, or lampuka, is better known as dorado or mahi-mahi outside Malta, and is the country’s national fish. The shoals migrate past the island each autumn, where traditionally they’re caught using palm-front rafts, and it’s the key ingredient in torta tal-lampuki, a fish pie using various other ingredients, including green vegetables, tomatoes, herbs, capers, olives, even potatoes.

This dish translates as widow’s soup, and it’s designed as a simple, low-cost soup with a few additions to make it more exciting. The base is vegetables, usually cauliflower and potatoes, along with onion, garlic and tomato paste, but it can be padded out with other root vegetables and courgettes. To finish, it has an egg added and poached in the broth or the little round Maltese cheese known as gbejna, which is similar to ricotta – or even better, both.

Unlike plenty of other Maltese dishes, bragioli, or beef olives doesn’t contain any olives at all. Instead this is very definitely for meat lovers with slices of beef wrapped around minced beef, mixed with breadcrumbs and herbs. Like many other traditional Maltese creations, most families have their own variation, including some which use hard-boiled egg inside but the key is leaving the meat to simmer until it’s tender.

This super-sweet, super-sticky treat is very moreish, with pastry filled with dates and spices like cinnamon and cloves then deep-fried. The name itself is derived from an Arabic word meaning diamonds, and you’ll often find them cut into diamond shapes. A staple at celebrations and feasts, they’re often served with vanilla ice cream.

Finding somewhere tempting to eat and drink in Malta isn’t a problem, with everything from cafes and food markets to restaurants for all budgets. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got some tips on where to begin with our pick of the best places to eat and drink in Malta.

Not sure what you fancy, or trying to cater for several different tastes? Head to Is-Suq Tal-Belt, Valletta’s Food Market, which is also home to a succession of street food stalls. Merkanti Maltese Street Food is great for some traditional Maltese dishes, but you’ll also find Asian offerings, pizza, pasta, a lovely fish restaurant and market stalls, including ones selling charcuterie, fruit and vegetables.

Perhaps the prettiest harbour across the island, with its colourful luzzu boats floating in the harbour, their prows painted with eyes which are thought to watch over the fishermen. There’s a fish market by the seafront and one of Malta’s Michelin-star restaurants, Tartarun (book ahead), but also a string of waterfront restaurants where you can order delicious fish and seafood.

As two of the most popular areas for tourists to Malta, it’s no surprise that the seafront at both St Julian’s and Sliema are lined with restaurants overlooking the waves. While you’ll find more than a few touristy spots, there are also plenty offering great food, including Maltese classics. Peppino’s in St Julian’s is a celebrity favourite, while Gululu nearby is ideal for Maltese food, but you can also simply wander and choose your favourite.

While you won’t struggle to get great pastizzi across Malta, the Crystal Palace Bar in Rabat (near former capital Mdina) is regularly named one of the best. Also called Is-Serkin, it opened around the end of the Second World War and sells thousands of pastizzi each day.

If you want genuine traditional Maltese food, you can hardly do better than Ta Marija in Mosta, which is as packed with locals as tourists, especially at weekends. The award-winning family-run restaurant has been open for over 60 years, and you can expect folk music nights on some days of the week, but local specialities year-round.

The sister restaurant of the Michelin-starred De Mondion at the Xara Palace Hotel in Mdina, you’ll find homemade pasta, Maltese platters, salads and pizzas on the menu. When the sun shines, you can eat al fresco in the square behind Mdina’s cathedral, or there’s a cosy interior for cooler months. It’s named for the date the Knights of Malta arrived on the island

Given a Bib Gourmand award by the Michlin Guide for quality food at good value prices, Commando is named for the Royal Marines who were the main customers in the 1930s when the restaurant first opened. Set in a 300-year-old house, the current owner is a descendent and has given Maltese ingredients a more modern twist, with dishes such as risottos using gbejna cheese or Maltese sausage.

Malta was the second European country to which coffee was introduced, back in the 16th century, so if you’re looking for a quick drink or snack as you rest your feet between sightseeing, make it part of the experience at one of the best cafes in Malta.

Opened in 1837, Caffe Cordina sits between the Grand Master’s Palace and St John’s Co-Cathedral in the heart of Valletta, with a string of outdoor tables (overlooked by a statue of Queen Victoria) or inside, where you can try the café’s handmade pastries in a Viennese coffee house ambiance.

A drink at Museum Café is a little like stepping back in time, with vintage signs on the walls, quirky objects on display in cabinets, and over a century of history, with the fourth generation of the same family now running the café. With only a few tables inside, there are usually several more outside.

If you’re craving a really good cup of coffee, it’s hard to beat Lot 61 where they roast their own, served alongside pastries such as blueberry croissants. Alongside the Valletta café, there’s also a sister location in St Julian’s.

Another speciality coffee shop, Coffee Circus has branches in Sliema and Rabat, as well as Valletta, some with a nod to a location in Portugal (and a chance to get pasteis de nata with your drink), plus others named Sound, Smile and Joy, combining music with your coffee.

More than just somewhere to get a good cup of tea (although that’s a guarantee too with a series of teas to choose between), Fontanella Tea Garden is set in the old walls at Mdina, with fabulous views from its terrace. Arrive early for the best tables and come hungry if you’re ordering one of the huge slices of cake.

You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to good food in Malta, from fish caught in its harbours to international cuisine and fine dining. Here are a few of the best to whet your appetite.

Set inside luxury hotel Iniala Harbour House overlooking the Grand Harbour in Valletta, ION is Malta’s only two Michelin-starred restaurant. You’ll find Maltese wines among the wine pairings, as well as one-bite starters which pack an astonishing flavour punch, all complete with a panorama of the harbour from the terrace.

Marsaxlokk is known for its fish, with a string of restaurants set around the harbour and overlooking the colourful traditional boats. But Tartarun, with its Michelin star, is easily the best, with beautifully cooked fresh fish and classic dishes such as aljotta.

A meal and an introduction to Maltese capital in one, each of the dishes at The Harbour Club is named after a different street in Valletta. Your food comes accompanied by a postcard with a photo and description of the site; look out for Republic Street rabbit terrine or Merchant Street, octopus and pecorino cappellacci filled pasta.

After starting life as a wine bar, Legligin has transformed into a concept restaurant with a simple, rustic feel designed to transport you back in time. Expect mismatched plates and wooden chairs, surrounded by 14th century walls, and a tasting menu of Maltese dishes which grandma used to make.

Another of the island’s Michelin-starred restaurants, Root 81’s ethos is to take food back to its roots, with dishes inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. There’s a wonderful terrace looking out across the countryside, with a choice of a tasting menu or a la carte, all transforming simple local ingredients into something very special. Perfect if you love great food but prefer a more informal setting.

From historic spots to sea views, there are some fantastic places to stop for a drink in Malta. Look out for local wines, including those using Gellewza and Ghirghentina grapes, along with Maltese liqueur Bajtra, made from prickly pears. Cisk lager is a local favourite for beer drinkers, while if you’re looking for a soft drink, try a Kinnie, with its refreshing herby orange taste.

Malta’s first wine bar, Trabuxu is set in a 400-year-old cellar with more than 300 wines to buy, including Maltese vintages as well as international options. There’s contemporary art on the walls if you fancy a souvenir along with your drink, and you can get snacks, including oysters, to go with your wine as well. Book ahead.

Want a view with your drink? This beach club in St Paul’s, in the north of the island, looks out to the sea and makes a great point to watch the sun set over the waves. There’s a pool, live music and restaurant too.

One of the top craft brewers on the Maltese Islands, right on the harbourfront in Sliema, you can choose from a whole variety of in-house brewed beers, from fruit flavoured options to IPA, stout, porter and red ales.

If you fancy something a little stronger, this bar on Strait Street serves a list of 200 different whiskies – perfect for a relaxed post-dinner drink. There’s sometimes live music as well on the street outside the mood-lit cellar bar.

Another Strait Street speciality joint, Yard 32 is one for gin-lovers with more than 200 different types of gin on the menu, along with a variety of tonics for mixing, plus gin cocktails such as Negronis on the list.

For a cocktail with a twist, it’s hard to beat Kamy Cocktail Bar in Valletta, where each drink is inspired by a work of art, and comes complete with the edible artwork on top. The Scream, for example, contains gin, vermouth and Aperol.

While this isn’t your average bar, wine-lovers shouldn’t miss a visit to the Marsovin winery, which produces some of the island’s best wines. Owning five separate private estates across Malta and Gozo, the building housing their wine cellars dates back to the time of the Order of St John. Book ahead.

Street food’s popularity is growing across Malta, so it’s well worth looking out for individual food trucks dotted around the island, such as in Mosta, plus smaller street-food style restaurants like Tal-Fardal in Mellieha.

Valletta’s food market has its own street food area upstairs with a whole string of street food outlets. Merkanti Maltese Street Food is the best for traditional Maltese dishes but you’ll also find Filipino and Vietnamese food, curries, burgers, pasta and healthy options like poke bowls.

Although not a traditional street food market, Marsaxlokk is famous for its fresh fish and seafood sold on Sundays, as well as traditional Maltese sweets and cakes on sale throughout the week. You can also pick up local jams and honeys, among the other souvenirs.

Explore Malta's food markets, restaurants and cafes on a holiday to Malta