Maltese food is a product of the island’s position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean. Sicilian, Italian, Arab, North African and British influences all appear on the plate, and the result is a cuisine that is hearty, simple and rooted in good ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes, capers, ricotta, fish and rabbit. You can eat very well in Malta without spending a fortune, as long as you know what to look for and when to go.
Start with pastizzi
The pastizz is the island’s favourite snack, a flaky diamond-shaped pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas, sold hot from small shops and bars all over the island. A pastizzeria will serve them for a small amount, and they are a staple of breakfast, a mid-morning snack or a late-night treat. Rabat is famous for its pastizzi, and the shops near the church in the town square are a good place to try them. Pair one with a cup of tea or a glass of Kinnie, the bittersweet orange soft drink that Maltese children and adults alike have grown up with.
Bread, tomatoes and ftira
Ħobż biż-żejt is a simple but delicious snack of crusty Maltese bread rubbed with ripe tomato, drizzled with olive oil and topped with capers, olives, tuna and sometimes the local sheep’s cheese. Ftira is a flat, ring-shaped sourdough loaf, filled like a sandwich with similar ingredients, and it is a speciality of Gozo, where it is often baked with toppings. Look for bakeries that still use traditional wood-fired ovens. Gbejniet, small round cheeselets made from sheep’s or goat’s milk, are another Gozitan treat, eaten fresh, peppered or dried.
Fish and seafood
With the sea all around, fish features prominently. Lampuki, or dolphinfish, is the great seasonal fish of the autumn, caught from the end of summer and served in a pie or fried or grilled. Swordfish, tuna, sea bream and sea bass appear throughout the year, along with prawns, octopus and squid. Marsaxlokk, the fishing village in the southeast, is the best place to eat fish, with restaurants lining the harbour and a Sunday market. Order the catch of the day, ask how it is priced, and avoid anything that looks like a tourist menu with photographs.
Rabbit and other classics
Stuffat tal-fenek, rabbit stewed slowly in wine, garlic and tomato, is often called the national dish, and it is worth trying at a traditional restaurant, usually served with chips or pasta. Timpana is a baked pasta pie wrapped in pastry, rich and filling, and bragioli are beef olives stuffed with egg, bacon and herbs. Soppa tal-armla, the widow’s soup, is a vegetable soup with ricotta that is a lovely lighter option. Finish with imqaret, deep-fried date pastries sold in Valletta, or kannoli filled with ricotta.
Wine, beer and drinks
Malta has a small but growing wine scene, with local grapes such as Girgentina and Ġellewża alongside international varieties, and tastings are available at vineyards and in Valletta wine bars. Cisk, the local lager, is the beer of choice, and it goes well with the island’s salty snacks. Kinnie is the soft drink to try, and the island’s herbal liqueurs and prickly pear drinks make fun souvenirs. In summer, a spritz at sunset on a bastion terrace is an experience in itself.
Where to eat
Valletta has a wide range, from casual bars on Merchants Street to elegant dining rooms, and the lanes around Strait Street fill with locals and visitors in the evening. St Julian’s and Sliema offer a huge choice, and Spinola Bay is lined with waterfront restaurants. Mdina’s bastion cafés are lovely for a late-afternoon cake. For a more local experience, head to the villages, where family-run restaurants serve home cooking at reasonable prices, and on Gozo, where farmhouse restaurants offer simple, fresh food.
Practical tips
Lunch is often the best-value meal, with set menus in many restaurants, and dinner starts late in summer, so book ahead for popular places on weekends. Service charge may or may not be included, so check the bill. If you are vegetarian, you will find plenty of options, including ricotta pastries, vegetable soups and tomato-based dishes, though rabbit and fish dominate traditional menus.
Make it part of your trip
Plan a market morning in Marsaxlokk, a pastizzi stop in Rabat after the catacombs, an evening aperitivo on a Valletta bastion, and a long Gozitan lunch after the Citadel. Food is one of the easiest ways to understand Malta, and the best meals tend to be the unplanned ones, a table found down a side street or a stranger’s recommendation at a bar.
