The pleasure of dining in Malta is the result of the chefs of Malta drawing upon the diversity of the countries that surround us. Not only Maltese food, but the food cultures of Italy, North Africa and mainland Europe. From the rustic to the highly polished presentations of starred restaurants, a feast for your eyes, as well as the stomach.
We have, by now, been to many of the sites and sounds in Malta. Time to share with you some of our favorites when dining out. Not a comprehensive list. It would take way too long. Just a few restaurants that we would return to on a drop of the hat. Like the wines of Malta, the restaurant scene has been improving by leaps and bounds. Think about it, on this small island there are now five restaurants with Michelin 1-star!
The Lija Athletic Club’s Team Bar is located in a small street behind the Lija church. Located right next to it (until it recently moved to the Corinthian Palace hotel) was the Bahia restaurant. Both owned by one man. The former contains a bar, at least a half dozen large screen TV’s for watching football (soccer) games from all over Europe and the Middle East, as well as excellent pizza, pasta, hamburgers and rabbit. Bahia is one of five Maltese restaurants to earn the Michelin One Star designation. The Team Bar is reasonably priced, while Bahia’s prices were very affordable compared to Michelin starred restaurants on the Continent.
When you put yourself into the hands of a chef, highly skilled in his profession, Bahia is the end result. By the way, Bahia is also the name of the type of orange that happens to grow in Lija.
For the main course
But, we also love pizza. Malta being next to Sicily, pizza, along with most Italian food is quite popular. Our favorite spot for pizza is the St. Gabriel Band Club in Balzan. A good bottle of Nero d’Avola, a mushroom and anchovy pizza for me and ruccola and ham pizza for the other half, while sitting down in their inside courtyard, enjoying the warm evening while listening to the band practice for one of their numerous marches and concerts.
Two streets away from home is the Daily Grub . Providers of great tasting burgers, pasta and Indian food, not to mention great company from Fabian, the owner. He also does a mean eggs benedict for a Sunday brunch. Whether sitting inside to avoid the torrid summer heat or winter chill, or sitting directly opposite the Naxxar church on the outside deck, we stop by often. Our go-to place for spur of the moment meals, as well as plan-ahead times.
On the other side of the Naxxar church, is Cellini, home of some yummy Maltese and Italian food, with a good wine selection. Out in front, one floor up, they have a Maltese balcony, with just one table, for two people. In the summer evening, we like to sit in there, having dinner with the windows open, with a view of the Church and the village square.
Surrounded by water, sometimes we just want SEAFOOD. In those times, we just head on down to Gzira, to the Seafood Market, by Adam. Three things make this an outstanding choice. First, outside of dessert, everything on the menu is seafood. Second, not only does Adam serve great seafood from the waters around Malta, but he serves absolutely fresh seafood from around the world: Sea bass from Chile, crab from Alaska, stone crabs from Florida and oysters from France. And finally, and not least, his food and service are outstanding. And the price is reasonable. Give it a try.
Up until recently, we hadn’t dined very often. in Valletta. No particular reason. Or perhaps, we had many good restaurants nearby. We made up for that mistake recently with three choices: Nenu the Baker, Noni , and Rubino.
Located in a narrow street, between Republic and Merchants Sts., Nenu the Baker, is the reincarnation of an old Valletta bakery. Even today, the breads used here come from the old stone oven in their basement. Down a steep set of stairs from the street, the restaurant becomes a warm location for both tourists and locals alike. Serving a large selection of Maltese foods, and hefty portions to boot, it is both a great place for lunch and dinner.
And for the main
Some might call the traditional Maltese Ftajjar dish a Maltese “pizza.” Not so; and a disservice as well. This one is the Ta’ Karmnu I-Bidija. It is a rectangularly shaped bread dough, topped with pork belly, Maltese sausage, gravy, thin sliced potatoes and sesame seeds. Delicious. If you order this, or one like it, pass on the appetizer, or you have no chance to finish it. They do provide take away boxes.
Having had dinner at one of the five Michelin One starred restaurants in Malta, we also visited one of the three One star restaurants located in Valletta, Noni. Located going down the hill towards Fort St Elmo, Noni is located on the Republic Street. As expected, service, ambiance, food and an overall attentiveness marks Noni as one the very best restaurants in Malta. And, like Bahia, it did not break the piggy bank.
We are expecting friends to arrive from Seattle in a couple of weeks. They are on a cruise and will spend one day with us. Really looking forward to their visit. Since they will be docking just for the day on a Monday, that presented a small logistical hurdle. Most of the restaurants in Valletta are closed on Mondays. We went in search of a good restaurant to take them to, so they can really enjoy Maltese cuisine. That is how we chose Rubino, on Old Bakery Street in Valletta. To make sure we made the right choice, we decided to have lunch there ourselves. Glad we did. Formerly a hundred year old confectionary, it has been transformed into an excellent Michelin Bib awarded restaurant.
Perhaps our most favorite restaurant in Malta is the Opera Trattoria, located in Balzan, between a bakery and the police station. And without a doubt, the smallest restaurant we have eaten at in Malta. With three tables as you enter, the tiny kitchen in the back, and an enclosed courtyard (only open in the summer), plus two tables up the stairs, it is approachable only by reservation. Wonderful Italian fare (most Genovese style). The owner/chef is Adele Farrugia, a most wonderful and gregarious personality. She is also a lawyer and teaches Italian as well. And she can cook. After entering and chatting we sit down, and Adele comes over with a computer, open to go over everything on the menu. After choosing and the wine is opened, we can chat with her and her helper Marthe as Adele prepares our dinner. (Like home, without all the dishes to clean up). I give it top marks. Priced reasonably.
Il-ħajja hija qasira, tiekol deżerta l-ewwel.
(Life is short, eat dessert first.)
Seattle to Malta 6,087 miles (9,796 kilometers)...... And a lifetime. 