Showing 1-14 of 14 results
-
Agius Confectionery & Pastizzerija
Follow your nose to a couple of friendly, hole-in-the-wall places on Triq San Pawl where you can pick up a fresh hot pastizzi (a small parcel of flaky pastry filled with either ricotta cheese or mushy peas) for loose change. Agius Confectionery & Pastizzerija is opposite the Church of St Paul's Shipwreck.
-
Ambrosia
A close contender for our favourite Valletta restaurant. The standards here are high and the welcome is warm (the chef might just pop by to see how you enjoyed your meal). The blackboard menu changes daily; on it you'll find Mediterranean dishes making great use of fresh local produce, produced according to the Slow Food philosophy (eg spaghetti with sea urchins, goats cheese soufflé, a salad of grilled Gozo asparagus).
-
Café Jubilee
A feel-good place you can drop in to anytime, for bacon and eggs or breakfast the Maltese way (coffee and a pastizzi ), a lunchtime baguette, or a simple dinner of salad, pasta or risotto. It's a convivial continental-style bistro, with low lighting, cosy nooks and poster-plastered walls. It's also a good option for a late-night drink.
-
Caffe Cordina
There's some prime people-watching on Misraħ ir-Repubblika, where several cafés command the ranks of tables around the statue of Queen Victoria. The oldest (and busiest) option is Caffe Cordina, established in 1837 and now a local institution. You have the choice of waiter service at the tables in the square or inside, or joining the locals at the zinc counter inside for a quick caffeine hit. And be sure to look up; the ceiling is exquisitely painted.
-
Carmelo Azzopardi Pastizzerija
Follow your nose to a couple of friendly, hole-in-the-wall places on Triq San Pawl where you can pick up a fresh hot pastizzi (a small parcel of flaky pastry filled with either ricotta cheese or mushy peas) for loose change. Carmelo Azzopardi Pastizzerija is at No 310.
-
Carriage
A consistently polished performer, but considered expensive by local standards. Come for the good-value lunch deal for three courses, including a glass of wine), when your fellow diners could include local power-lunchers or a Japanese tour group. Entry is through a nondescript office building next door to Cocopazzo, and the restaurant is on the top floor enjoying a great Marsamxett view.
-
Dates Kiosk
Cheap and tasty fare can be found at the kiosks beside City Gate bus terminus. Next door to Millennium (the first kiosk on your right after you exit City Gate), the Dates Kiosk sells traditional mqaret - these are delicious pastries stuffed with spiced dates and deep-fried.
-
Fusion Four
For us, this stylish, well-hidden restaurant is the culinary highlight of the capital. It houses a small bar, funky furnishings, a dining room under vaulted ceilings and perfect, private courtyard. Icing on the cake is a small but innovative menu of fusion dishes such as sweet chilli prawn cakes, chicken breast in a red Thai curry, or pancetta-wrapped pork fillet on a bed of red apples. Finish with a delectable white chocolate and honeycomb mousse.
-
La Cave
In a 400-year-old cellar beneath Castille Hotel, this busy restaurant churns out crunchy pizzas big enough for two - the pizza Maltija is topped with goat's cheese, olives and Maltese sausage. There's also a good assortment of pasta dishes (and a few salad options best avoided), and you can wash your food down with a selection of local wine - you might need more than one bottle though, as service can be slow.
-
La Sicilia
You're sure to find something to fill a rumbling tum at this tiny, unpretentious eatery, which spills out onto a little sun-trap of a square. There are lots of hearty Italian pasta dishes, grilled meats and fish, plus burgers, omelettes and salads. The setting is lovely and the prices are easy on the wallet.
-
Advertisement
-
Millennium
Cheap and tasty fare can be found at the kiosks beside City Gate bus terminus. Millennium - the first kiosk on your right after you exit City Gate - sells hot pastizzi (a small parcel of flaky pastry filled with either ricotta cheese or mushy peas).
-
Papannis
This cosy bistro combines a good-looking menu of pasta, risotto and seafood with cheerful, friendly service. The traditional soup is a hearty, rustic delight, full of local sausage, beans and vegies, so you can feel virtuous when you order another glass of local wine and move on to the tiramisu.
-
Rubino
Rubino earns rave reviews for reinventing Maltese cuisine while staying true to its roots. There's no menu, just a selection of the day's dishes depending on seasonal produce and local tradition. Leave room for dessert - the house speciality, cassata siciliana, is particularly recommended. Tuesday night is usually fenkata (a communal meal of rabbit) night, for which bookings are advised.
-
Trabuxu
The name means 'corkscrew' and this intimate little cellar passes itself off as a wine bar, but we like it equally for its superbly presented meals. The short menu offers pâté, dips and other colourful platters perfect for wine-time grazing, but also all-to-yourself dishes such as a first-rate vegie lasagne. Local wines by the glass are a pleasingly inexpensive.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
