If you’re wondering where in Malta to get food and drink from, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a good amount of choice and variety and you’re likely to find both things you’re familiar with and Maltese food you’ve never tried before.
This article is intended to guide you as to where you can get daily food and drink from, where to go for special types of food, local produce, options for vegetarians and vegans, etc.
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There are few locations in Malta where food is hard to come by, with all tourist hotspots being well served in terms of restaurants, supermarkets and greengrocers and even the smaller villages offering all the basics that you’ll need during your stay.
The type of food that’s available at supermarkets and greengrocers won’t be very different to what you’re used to if you come from Europe or the US, although the choice of products and brands will probably be smaller.
When it comes to restaurants in Malta, there’s a good variety of food available, although the most popular cuisine is Mediterranean food, with a choice of pizza and pasta and fish and meat dishes featuring on most menus.
You will find a few Indian, Chinese and Greek restaurants, for example, but these can often be counted on one hand. Nevertheless, the quality of food is good and prices reasonable.
If you’re looking for restaurants in a particular area, including restaurants serving authentic Maltese food, have a look at my personal recommendations for eating out in Malta.
There are a few options to get your daily groceries, mostly from supermarkets and their smaller variant – minimarkets – which are smaller grocery stores that will offer most of the basics.
Although prices are generally similar between larger and smaller supermarkets, a few chains import foodstuffs from elsewhere in Europe which tend to be cheaper (but also poorer in terms of quality sometimes). The main chains and supermarkets are:
If you know where in Malta you’ll be staying, you can find a section for local supermarkets, minimarkets and speciality food stores within my guides to the more popular localities, including maps. You can find them here:
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Besides the basic groceries, most supermarkets provide a variety of locally produced products. Here are a few tips of homegrown foods to try:
Have a look at my article 32 Examples of Typically Maltese food (and where to get a taste)
Prices of food in Malta’s supermarkets don’t vary much and are more or less in line with European averages, while restaurant food varies in price. As with most other travel destinations, prices in and around tourist hotspots tend to be a little higher than elsewhere in the country.
The below are sample prices to give you an indication of what you can expect:
(Last updated: February 2016)
The following are estimated average prices for regular restaurants, per person. No budget restaurants or high-end gourmet places were taken into consideration to give you a good idea of the cost of meals.
For a starter and main course meal (fish, chicken, beef) count on around €25-30 per person for a good quality restaurant (excluding drinks). Vegetarian options, pizzas and pastas as a main will obviously bring down the price.
A note on fish restaurants: Whenever fresh fish of the day is served, prices tend to be a little higher, usually between €20-25 including side dishes of vegetables or salad and roast potato).
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It didn’t take long for franchises like McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC to value the potential of Maltese consumers to tuck into their burgers and chicken, which means you’ll find multiple fast food places in all major places in Malta and Gozo. Since most will be familiar with these mainstream chains of “restaurants”, here are a few other examples of fast food that are perhaps a little less unhealthy.
Forget about what you might know about 5am quick kebabs. Turkish fast food in Malta is one of the few decent options around with good quality food and fresh vegetable sides, and not expensive either. Most of these guys prepare fresh cuts of lamb, chicken and beef daily, and offer a good selection of salad garnishes to choose from.
My personal favourite is Istanbul Kebab House in Naxxar but so far I haven’t encountered any that really disappointed. ozSofra in Bugibba is also a good choice.
Probably not the type of fast food most people think of, but a good alternative to greasy burgers and pizza, you’ll find juice bars in most of the tourist hotspots like Bugibba and Sliema. Dr. Juice are a franchise you’ll come across, and they prepare a set menu of juices with fresh ingredients at a decent price.
If you want something really genuine pay a visit to Pure in Sliema. These guys are truly passionate about health foods and offer some unique flavours, with super fresh ingredients and great service. Highly recommended.
I’ve got a list of restaurants that I can personally recommend in a separate article, but here are a few quick recommendations for types of food in case you’re looking for something particular.
Although I’m not exactly a “pasta connoisseur” if you will, whenever I’m in the mood for a great plate of pasta I go to the Trattoria at Xara Palace, Mdina.
My favourite place without second thought is Vecchia Napoli, whose two restaurants you can find on the seafront at Sliema (in Tower Road) and near the airport, in the Skyparks office building that can be seen when you exit the terminal.
With plenty of local produce being available when it comes to (very flavourful) vegetables and fruit, it’s not difficult to pick up fresh ingredients. Although most supermarkets have a selection of varying sizes available, you’ll get fresher and cheaper produce directly from hawkers.
Hawkers can be found in several places, usually near supermarkets and minimarkets where they’ve got their vans set up.
Although you’ll also find these guys in more touristy areas like Bugibba, you’ll likely end up paying more than you would anywhere else on the island.
If you’re hiring a car you can easily drive to the Ta` Qali farmer’s market, which is located quite centrally on main island Malta. You’ll find a few hawkers there on most days, during the day (mornings only on Sunday) but the biggest offer of fresh produce can be had there on Tuesday and Saturday mornings when the locals go.
Most of the hawker’s there speak English well and are friendly to deal with. Whether they’re honest with their pricing is usually hard to verify as a foreigner. You won’t find a chalk board with the day’s prices on there, but what I do know is that you spend a good amount less than you would in a tourist area or at the supermarket and you know it’s all local produce, fresh from the land.
Yes, tap water is generally safe to drink, although some hotels do warn against it because of their particular water supply system. Although it’s safe for consumption, tap water in Malta doesn’t taste great.
In fact, most Maltese people either have their own reverse osmosis system at home to filter tap water or buy bottled water instead. If you want to play it safe, you can find bottled water pretty much anywhere.
A six-pack of two-litre bottles of (local) still water usually costs less than €2.50.
If it’s fish you’re looking for, you’ll find fishmongers in most villages, although larger companies like Azzopardi Fisheries have a good reputation as well. You can find their shops in St. Paul’s Bay, Gzira (close to Sliema), San Gwann and Valletta.
Good meat is probably even easier to come by, with multiple butchers in every village and most offer a good variety of meats. In Sliema Meats and Eats has a good reputation while in Naxxar Brass & Knuckle are a personal favourite (also to dine out at for great steak). Most of the larger supermarkets also offer fresh meat.
Although restaurants that cater towards vegetarians and vegans specifically aren’t around in large numbers still, there are a lot more options now than there were five years ago, when only one or two items on a menu were suitable.
These places were recommended to me personally (as I’m neither vegetarian nor vegan myself) and were tried and tested:
Edward is the Founder and Editor of Malta Uncovered and author of two guidebooks on Malta and Valletta.
As a tourist-turned-expat with Maltese roots, he knows the islands inside out and helps thousands of visitors enjoy a memorable trip every year.
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