The Malta Table: the back story

About The Malta Table: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Malta Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Malta’s food is the story of the islands on a plate: Sicilian and North African, British and Arab, with recipes kept alive in village kitchens. The MICHELIN Guide has covered Malta since 2020, and the 2026 selection holds one two-star restaurant, six one-star restaurants and five Bib Gourmands (MICHELIN Guide Malta 2026 (guide.michelin.com, read 25 October 2026)).

Morning: pastizzi

The day starts with pastizzi, diamond-shaped pockets of flaky pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas, eaten hot from a paper bag at a pastizzeria counter. They cost little and are best straight from the oven.

Sunday: rabbit

Stuffat tal-fenek, rabbit slow-cooked in wine, tomato and garlic, is the national dish. A fenkata is something different: the communal rabbit feast, a long lunch or supper shared at village tables, famously in Mġarr. Verbena, a Bib Gourmand on St Anne Street in Mġarr, is one of the places where the inspectors praise cooking rooted in the village (MICHELIN Guide Malta 2026 (guide.michelin.com, read 25 October 2026)).

Eat pastizzi standing up, rabbit on Sunday and fish by the water: then book one starred dinner.

Bread, cheese and Kinnie

Ftira, the flattened sourdough loaf, is on UNESCO’s list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Split it, rub it with tomato and fill it with tuna, capers and olives for ħobż biż-żejt. Ġbejniet are small sheep’s-milk cheeses, fresh or peppered, and Kinnie is the island’s bittersweet orange soft drink (kinnie.com).

The starred tables

Valletta is the centre of fine dining: ION Harbour by Simon Rogan holds two stars on the St Barbara Bastion, and Under Grain and Noni one star each. Elsewhere, De Mondion in Mdina, Rosamì at Balluta Bay, and Fernandõ Gastrotheque and Le GV in Sliema hold one star; Le GV is new for 2026 (MICHELIN Guide Malta 2026 (guide.michelin.com, read 25 October 2026)).

By the sea

For fish, go to Marsaxlokk, where Tartarun is on Fisherman’s Wharf, or eat at Terrone below Fort St Angelo in Birgu. On Gozo, Tmun and Level Nine are at Mġarr harbour.

Our advice: book ION Harbour or Under Grain weeks ahead, and keep one long Sunday lunch free for rabbit.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Malta Table: the back story before you go.