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1.

St Julian’s most theatrical dining experience. Mamachi operates somewhere between a serious restaurant and a performance – the kind of place where the presentation is half the dish. Their sushi platters are legitimately excellent (fresh, premium quality, not Malta-adjusted), and the signature bathtub cocktail is as ridiculous and enjoyable as it sounds.

Book ahead for weekends. Dress up slightly – the room rewards it. Best for birthdays, anniversaries, or impressing someone who thinks Malta doesn’t do serious food.

2.

Direct Mediterranean waterfront, one of Malta’s most reliable high-end restaurants. The daily fish changes depending on what comes in – sea bass, grouper, whatever the local boats brought that morning. Their seafood pasta is outstanding. For sunset dinners, ask for an outside table when booking; the bay view at golden hour is the kind of thing that makes people consider moving to Malta permanently.

3.

A St Julian’s institution. Barracuda has been doing premium seafood in a historic villa setting for decades, and it shows – in the confidence of the kitchen, the knowledge of the front-of-house team, and the genuinely oceanfront tables. Best for traditional fine dining and business dinners where you need somewhere that reliably impresses without surprises.

4.

One of very few Thai restaurants in Malta that actually gets the flavours right. The green curry is rich, properly fragrant, and not dumbed down for European palates. Beautiful space – either sea view or elegant indoor depending on weather. Surprisingly peaceful for a restaurant attached to a casino hotel.

5.

The most popular Maltese restaurant in St Julian’s, and with good reason – they sit right on the water at Spinola Bay and the menu covers everything you should eat in Malta. Pan-fried rabbit, Bigilla dip (a local broad bean paste you’ll find nowhere else), and their signature spaghetti with rabbit sauce. Finish with a shot of Bajtra, a traditional prickly pear liqueur that tastes like Malta smells.

6.

Named for the people of Gozo – Malta’s smaller, quieter sister island – this restaurant serves dishes you won’t find everywhere. Horse meat, suckling pig, rabbit prepared in the Gozitan style. It’s not a place for vegetarians, but for adventurous meat eaters it’s one of the most interesting meals you’ll have in St Julian’s. The menu changes seasonally based on what’s available.

7.

You know the scene in Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts bites into a pizza in Naples and practically levitates? That pizza is from L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele – the most famous pizzeria in the world, founded in 1870, with queues that snake around the block in Naples just to get a table. That same restaurant has now opened in Malta. No queue. No booking scramble. Just walk in and order the pizza that made Julia Roberts close her eyes.

They served exactly two pizzas for most of their 150-year history: the Margherita and the Marinara. The St Julian’s kitchen maintains those standards faithfully – soft, slightly charred crust, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh fior di latte. Eating here without the Naples queue might be the single best argument for visiting Malta.

8.

Hidden inside a garden with a 400-year-old palace as the backdrop – this is possibly the most beautiful place to eat pizza in Malta. The menu goes beyond tradition: their chili crunch specialty with Japanese chili pepper, artichoke hearts, and black sesame is creative in the best way. One of the most pleasant surprises in St Julian’s.

9.

A completely different style from the Neapolitan places – Roman pizza al taglio means you choose your slices from a display, they cut by weight. Light, crispy, and genuinely quick. Local tip: grab a couple of slices from Alice Pizza and walk five minutes to Portomaso Marina for an accidental waterfront dinner that costs almost nothing.

10.

The best all-round breakfast and brunch spot in St Julian’s. Crust does everything from a proper English fry-up to genuinely interesting dishes like miso croque madame. The coffee is good, the service is fast, and the portions are honest. If you only have time for one breakfast here, make it Crust.

11.

Australian-owned and it shows – the brunch here has that particular Aussie quality of being both casual and genuinely good. Pancake stacks, perfectly poached eggs with hollandaise, crispy bacon. The view over Spinola Bay from the terrace is one of the nicest breakfast views in Malta. Order a smoothie alongside whatever you eat.

12.

20 different pancake varieties. That sentence either makes you excited or deeply concerned, and your reaction tells you everything you need to know about whether Shoreditch is for you. The Kinder Egg pancakes are the signature move. Also on the menu: Snickers, Reese’s, Lucky Charms. This is not breakfast for the faint-hearted.

13.

KuYA has received Michelin recognition but operates with the energy and pricing of a casual pub. Japanese, Thai, and Chinese influences all showing up on the same menu, handled with skill. The Bang Bang Chicken is the dish that gets repeated, the bao buns are excellent, and the value for money is genuinely remarkable. This is the best restaurant in St Julian’s that most tourists never find.

14.

The concept sounds like a fever dream – Brazilian-Japanese fusion – but Picco makes it work. The reality is simpler than you’d expect: very good steaks anchored with a few Japanese touches. The two-person meat platter (which I ordered for myself, no regrets) comes loaded with rib eye, sausages, potatoes, and Shishito peppers. The cocktails are creative and worth exploring.

One tip: ordering “rare” in Europe means raw. If you want a pink centre, order medium-rare.

15.

Yes, it’s a chain. And yes, it’s reliably good. For ramen, stir-fry noodles, or a solid vegan-friendly meal without the stress of finding the right local spot, Wagamama delivers consistently. Particularly useful if you’re travelling with people who have different dietary needs.

16.

Build-your-own pasta done properly. Choose your pasta shape, your sauce, your additions – and unlike some choose-your-own places, the kitchen actually executes each combination well. The truffle pasta is the standout. Strong vegan options. Fast without feeling rushed.

17.

The Portomaso Marina view from here is exceptional – particularly at sunset when the yachts catch the light and the whole bay goes gold. The food is solid Mediterranean and Turkish fusion. It’s the kind of place where the setting is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but that’s sometimes exactly what you want.

18.

A family-run restaurant serving Northern Indian recipes passed down through generations – and you can taste that history. The lamb rogan josh is outstanding, the cheese naan oozes as it should, and the curries are not watered down for tourist palates. One of those meals that you find yourself thinking about weeks later.

19.

Unpretentious Greek food in a good location on Spinola Bay. The souvlaki is properly marinated, the Greek salad is exactly right (which is harder than it sounds), and the outdoor seating makes it one of the best options for a relaxed lunch in the sun. Nothing flashy, nothing disappointing.

20.

A Swedish restaurant in Malta sounds improbable. It works. Owned by a Swedish couple and clearly beloved by the Swedish visitors who seek it out – every time you pass the place you hear Swedish being spoken. The meatballs are the obvious order; the Skagen toast (shrimp, mayonnaise, dill, on toasted bread) is the better one. Worth it for the curiosity alone, worth returning to for the food.

21.

Soft French music, attentive service, and Coq au Vin that falls off the bone. Brasserie Rodin is one of the most genuinely relaxing dining experiences in St Julian’s – a meal here feels unhurried in the best way. If you want Paris without the journey, this is probably as close as Malta gets.

22.

Not primarily a restaurant, but the small plates here are better than they have any right to be. The homemade spicy sausage with chili sauce is a proper snack. Chicken wings, a generous beer platter, mozzarella sticks – ideal for when you want to eat while drinking rather than the other way round.

23.

Nine burgers on the menu, from classic beef to chicken to Impossible patties. The truffle burger is the order. Also does pizza if your table is divided. No-fuss, does what it says.

24.

Japanese soufflé pancakes are nothing like regular pancakes – they’re impossibly light, cloudlike, and about three inches tall. Fuwamai does them well, freshly made and worth the wait. A completely unique dessert experience that you won’t find anywhere else in Malta.

25.

French pastries done properly. The halloumi fries are crisp and excellent, the Croque Madame is textbook, and the pistachio cronut (part croissant, part donut, stuffed with pistachio cream) is genuinely one of the best things I ate in Malta. Everything on the menu appears to be made with the same care.

26.

Easy to miss – very small, on Main Street, no big signage. Originally a chocolate shop before evolving into a café. They still sell some of the best chocolate on the island alongside excellent coffee and pastries. The practical regret: I found this place on my last day. Don’t make the same mistake. Walk slowly down Main Street and look for it.

Know the Neighbourhoods

St Julian’s isn’t one place – it’s several