Malta Food and Drink Guide: What to Eat and Drink

A taste of Malta

Maltese food sits at the crossroads of Sicily, North Africa and Britain. Centuries of trade left a kitchen that is hearty, rustic and unapologetically generous. Eating here is cheap, social and built around the family table.

Signature dishes

• Fenkata (rabbit stew) - the national dish, slow-cooked in wine, garlic and bay. Head to Mgarr or a village restaurant for the real thing.
• Bragioli - thin beef olives wrapped around minced pork, egg and breadcrumbs, braised in tomato sauce.
• Aljotta - a garlicky fish soup with rice and lemon, a Friday staple.
• Lampuki pie - made with dorado (mahi-mahi) caught between August and December.
• Kapunata - the Maltese take on caponata, with aubergine, capers and tomato.

Street food and snacks

• Pastizzi - flaky diamond-shaped pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas, usually 0.40 to 0.60 euro each. Try Crystal Palace in Rabat, open day and night.
• Ftira - a ring-shaped sourdough bread, often filled with tuna, olives, capers, tomato and Maltese gbejna cheese. The Gozo baked version is UNESCO-listed.
• Hobz biz-zejt - crusty bread rubbed with tomato paste and packed with tuna and olives.
• Imqaret - deep-fried date pastries sold hot from street carts near Valletta's City Gate.

What to drink

• Kinnie - Malta's bittersweet soft drink, made from bitter oranges and wormwood. Order one to feel local.
• Cisk - the classic Maltese lager, found everywhere.
• Local wine - look for Marsovin and Delicata, with native grapes Gellewza (red) and Girgentina (white).
• Bajtra - a sweet liqueur made from prickly pear, often offered as a digestif.

Practical dining tips

• Lunch runs roughly 12:30 to 2:30, dinner from 7:30. Many village kitchens close on Mondays.
• A 5 to 10 percent tip is appreciated but not obligatory; check if service is already included.
• Book ahead for a Sunday fenkata, when locals fill the restaurants.
• Marsaxlokk's Sunday fish market is the best place to buy and eat just-caught seafood.
• Tap water is safe but often desalinated; many prefer bottled.

Stay connected in Malta

A HelloSIM eSIM keeps you online for maps, menu translation and restaurant bookings with no roaming fees, so you can find that hidden village fenkata without hunting for Wi-Fi.