The best restaurants Valletta

At Nenu the artisan baker, the Debono family brings the traditional Maltese pizza, ftira, up to date. This former bakery has been restored and supported by the European Union to become a kind of bakery museum-restaurant. A film is shown continuously to tell the story of Valletta's bakeries and the Debono family. Generous pizzas with homemade dough, baked in a traditional oven and a variety of tasty toppings are on the menu. Be careful not to overindulge in the appetizers of Maltese bread, tomato sauce and beans, as you'll find it hard to finish your ftira. Doggy bags are available, however. Also, typical island dishes: soups with baked potatoes and local meats. For dessert, don't miss the sfinec, the local profiterole topped with ricotta cheese. The Maltese restaurant to try at least once!

If we had to choose just one, it would certainly be Guzé Bistrot. Located in an alleyway away from the hustle and bustle of Strait Street, this small family-run restaurant, taken over by the father in the dining room and the son in the kitchen in 2010, is set between rough stone walls and exposed wooden beams supporting the cellar, which is dug out below street level. The charm is instantaneous. The charm is enhanced by the limited number of covers, 20 maximum. You'll appreciate all the more the small gestures of the attentive staff, and the tapenade offered by the chef as an appetizer.
All around you, on the shelves, a host of marine objects echo the call of the sea on your plate. Every day, the fish caught in the nets will end up under your greedy forks. At the time of our survey, the fillet of grouper finely paired with a carrot mousse and baked golden potatoes was the highlight of the evening. The white vermentino wine, straight from Gozo, also played a part. The uncluttered menu also includes classics such as rabbit stew and marinated octopus. You won't find better in Valletta. Don't forget to make a reservation, it's so popular.

It goes without saying that the superb decor is the first pleasure of the restaurant installed since 2019 in the Muza's premises. Inside room with windows overlooking one of the museum rooms or entrance patio that houses a few tables, in front of the well. So much so that the place has become a must for selfies or photos, very kindly taken by the servers. The menu is based on a few suggestions such as black risotto with goat cheese, spaghetti with seafood, but also a very beautiful burger or a poached fish fillet, with a neat presentation whose visual must recall one of the museum's paintings, illustrating the menu. The dishes are extremely copious. Unless you're hungry like a wolf, don't hesitate to choose the "starter" format, the volume of which could already be split in two. A light classical music in the background completes the picture. Staff attentive to ensuring that the service runs smoothly.

Here is a furiously anti-vegan proposal that will delight rebellious souls. Opened in 2017, this grill is a temple of meat. No menu, we go to the back of the room where the different pieces are presented both behind a window and explained on a blackboard, at the back. The opportunity to review your knowledge of beef, mutton and pork, the different pieces served, and their names in English. You choose your "starters", rather delicatessen, but also grilled, and your "hands" (main courses), the price being indicated for 100 g. Serve with your choice of grilled vegetables or potatoes. And the order is made by the minute. At your table, you will be brought everything on a hot plate. The meats are of the highest quality and served with a good peppery sauce. For desserts, we will present you with a selection, regularly renewed. For our part, we really enjoyed the panna cotta with red fruits. A real treat. And as the grill says at the entrance: Becoming a vegetarian is a big missed steak. Notice to amateurs.

A few metres from the cocathedral, you can reach this refreshing address where young Maltese people hurry every lunchtime to compose their salad or have a sandwich. And the flavours are there with the "Prosciutto Cheese Toast" prepared with Parma ham and cheddar cheese, all in a toasted Maltese bread. To take away or to enjoy on site, on one of the small tables installed in this pedestrian street. All orders are made indoors and will be served to you afterwards. Recommended for those who like to eat at a low price.

This restaurant can be used as a stopping-off point after visiting The Malta Experience, which is located right next door. First of all, you'll appreciate the restaurant's large, long terrace, with its breathtaking view of the sea and the three cities. Depending on the time of day, you can opt for a full breakfast, savour a traditional Maltese ftira or opt for the excellent homemade pasta. Those with a sweet tooth may be tempted by the carrot cake.

This small restaurant is discreet and has a rather dark room, but it offers a nice terrace where it is nice to sit in the evening, when the cars are no longer circulating. A la carte, you will be able to appreciate excellent seafood and good fish such as lampuki, in season. The philosophy of the house is to bet on market cuisine, well cooked and served at an affordable price, which will be tested through a wide selection of daily dishes. A good address that can be savoured from the delicious bruchettas offered to accompany the aperitif.

You will discover a Mediterranean-inspired cuisine prepared by Christopher, the chef and owner of the restaurant. Given the quality of the preparations, the prices are very honourable. The dish of the day is displayed at the entrance to make you salivate. Fish and pasta are the main courses and hot starters (such as the delicious goat cheese soufflé) are highly recommended. We also recommend a Maltese speciality, rabbit with dates, which is very successful. The décor, which mixes ancient and modern, is very pleasant. An excellent address.

It is the King's Own Band Club headquarters and a very recommendable address for those who want to taste Maltese cuisine in a local atmosphere and at very soft prices. You will soon recognize those who come to talk, watch television or play. It is family with good and plentiful Maltese cuisine, fish specialities and continental dishes. The servings are more generous (large salads and risottos), the more wanted dishes and the very careful presentation (the whole hippurus and the rabbit in stew take advantage of large coloured plates). And the rates were still very modest. Recommended by Petit Smart and several readers.

On the first floor, a small restaurant with good Maltese pasta, in an original setting, since it is a space of the first Maltese political party. Photographs of politicians adorn the stairs. «Tourists Welcome», dixit the sign. Two noisy televisions. Billiards, bar.

Close to the Grandharbour Hotel, this Italian restaurant is open only at noon with a clientele of businessmen and office staff who give it a nice club atmosphere. The terrace in height is very pleasant. A reduced card and simple, well-made dishes, including fish. Excellent pasta and good desserts. Small prices.

An interesting address. The restaurant is located just a stone's throw from the Grand Masters Palace. Under elegant vaults, you can enjoy huge pasta or risottos dishes accompanied by sometimes original sauces (at Amaretto, Pernod, fresh vegetables, etc.). The dish of tortellinis scatolati surrounded by a delicious crust is particularly rich. Huge and varied pizzas are also on the menu.

The cheapest restaurant at the Waterfront Promenade. Basic dishes (pasta, pizza, salads…), but rich. Decorated like a large boat, the frame will please children. Good service.

It combines the ambience of an old bistro with an arty decor, featuring weathered woodwork, vintage bottles, antiques and contemporary art canvases. The menu features exceptional spontaneous market cuisine, with dishes that vary according to the season and the inspiration of the chef, who favors local sourcing. The restaurant also boasts a top-notch wine list, as well as a very small terrace, which is much sought-after and often crowded in fine weather.

A good Italian house where it's better to book the day before. Lots of atmosphere and an opportunity to rub shoulders with the Maltese. Grilled fish and some wonderfully prepared local dishes, all accompanied by chardonnay or transalpine wines. No menu but a market cuisine composed according to the arrival of fish and starters in a showcase. The dishes are all excellent (rabbit and lobster ravioli in particular), the fish is very fresh and the antipasti varied. Keep a place for the chocolate pie on a biscuit crumble base.

Open since February 2016, this pizzeria (owned by the same Roman family as the trattoria of the same name) is a pure success story. The room looks like a wine cellar with an open kitchen where you can admire the pizza maker in action. This is the best pizza in Malta, without a doubt. Fine dough, fresh products, golden crust.

Smart tip: if you're looking for an experience of your own, take the pizza to go (preparation time 5-10 min maximum) and then head for the Hasting gardens next door. And there you can enjoy your meal with the Three Cities lit up under an omnipresent moon.

It is the restaurant of the hotel Casa Ellul that opens its doors in the evening. At its head, Steve Scicluna who took possession of the place after many years of practice in starred restaurants in London and Dublin. His bias: to combine a French inspired cuisine with Japanese techniques and ingredients. This will result in, for example, shrimp dumplings with a coconut sauce or a tomato and green bean tart with Alsatian bacon. All this via a menu that changes every week. Great art.

Opened at the beginning of 2022, this restaurant aims to break away from traditional offerings. Here, the focus is on products and their freshness. And they are prepared in the style of international cuisine, with the right amount of reference to Asian trends and the prevalence of burgers. The menu is meant to be a sensory journey that can be enjoyed, for example, by tasting a hamburger served with fried brie or an octopus terrine. You can also have breakfast and later discover the many cocktails concocted in-house.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated and housed in the King's Own Band Club, a band that received royal assent from Edward VII in 1903. The menu features traditional Maltese dishes (fried goat cheese, fish soup) as well as freshly caught fish and seafood (octopus, tuna, sea bass, swordfish). And for dessert, you can opt for imqaret. Lovers of open-air terraces should go there in the evening. Excellent welcome.

This is the latest restaurant to move into the prestigious Vederlin Hotel, a baroque-style palace built in 1650, in 2020. With since March 2022 a new chef, Tom Peters, recruited from a prestigious London restaurant. His ambition: a modern reinterpretation of classic dishes such as king crab, tuna tartar, celeriac pie with salt and a mushroom and truffle compote or pavlova for dessert. In the end, a pleasure for the eyes and the senses in one of the tables of Valletta not to be missed.