Food guide Malta
Malta Food Guide: What to Eat in Malta and Where to Find It
What to eat in Malta, where to find it, and why it matters.
National dish
Stuffat tal-fenek
First bite
Pastizzi
Seafood stop
Marsaxlokk
Sweet
Imqaret
On this page: What it’s about · What to eat · Where to eat · Cook at home · Tips · FAQ
Malta is one of those places where food slowly pulls you in. At first, it feels familiar — Mediterranean, simple, sun-soaked ingredients — but the longer you stay, the more you realise it’s something else entirely. It’s a mix of cultures, histories and habits that have settled into something uniquely Maltese.
This Malta food guide is how I experienced the island through food for Tone & Taste. Not just what to eat, but how it fits into the island, where you’ll come across it, and what makes it worth trying.
What Maltese Food Is Really About
Before getting into specific dishes, it helps to understand what Maltese food actually is.
Malta sits between Sicily and North Africa, and that position shows up in everything you eat. There’s a clear Italian base — pasta, tomatoes, olive oil — but layered with Arabic spices, slow cooking methods and a practical, almost British approach to hearty meals. It’s not refined in the fine-dining sense, but it’s balanced, seasonal and built around real ingredients.
What stood out most to me is how unpretentious it is. Food here doesn’t try to impress. It just works.
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What to Eat in Malta
You don’t need a list when you arrive in Malta — the food finds you. But there are a few dishes that define the experience and are worth looking out for.
Pastizzi
Pastizzi are usually the first thing you’ll try, even if you didn’t plan to. Small, flaky pastries filled with ricotta or mushy peas, sold in almost every bakery. They’re warm, cheap and incredibly satisfying. I started grabbing them in the morning with coffee, but they quickly became something I’d eat at any time of day.
Ftira
Ftira is another staple, but in a different way. It’s a traditional Maltese bread, often turned into a sandwich with tuna, tomatoes, capers and olive oil. It sounds simple, but eaten fresh, it’s one of the most complete meals you’ll find on the island.
Rabbit stew (stuffat tal-fenek)
Rabbit stew is where things slow down. This is a proper sit-down dish, cooked in wine and herbs, rich without being overwhelming. It’s traditionally shared, and you can feel that when you eat it. It’s less about the dish itself and more about the moment around it.
Timpana
Timpana goes in a different direction. It’s baked pasta wrapped in pastry, heavy and comforting, the kind of dish that feels like it’s been made the same way for generations. It’s not something you eat lightly, but it’s worth it.
Lampuki
Lampuki is the fish that really connects Malta to the sea. When it’s in season, you’ll see it everywhere — grilled simply or baked into a pie with vegetables and olives. It’s fresh, clean and one of the best ways to experience the island’s coastal side.
Imqaret
For something sweet, imqaret are hard to miss. Fried pastries filled with spiced dates, often sold at markets or small stands. Warm, slightly sticky, and just sweet enough to finish a meal without feeling heavy.
Where to Eat and How to Find It
One of the best things about Malta is that you don’t need to plan too much to eat well.
Valletta
In Valletta, you’ll find a mix of restaurants, small bakeries and casual spots where you can try most of the traditional dishes. Walking through the streets, it’s easy to stop for a pastizz, grab a coffee, and move on without thinking too much about it.
Marsaxlokk for seafood
For seafood, places like Marsaxlokk stand out. It’s a fishing village where the catch of the day still defines the menu. Sitting near the water with a simple fish dish feels very much like Malta at its core.
Village restaurants
If you want something more traditional, it’s worth moving slightly away from the main tourist areas. Smaller restaurants and village spots tend to focus more on local dishes like rabbit stew or baked pasta, often cooked in a way that feels closer to home than to a restaurant.
Markets
Markets are also a good place to explore. You’ll find fresh produce, local cheeses, breads and sweets — and it gives you a better sense of how people actually eat on the island.
See our favourite restaurants in Malta →
Maltese food you can cook at home
Bring Malta Into Your Kitchen
What I appreciated most about Maltese food is how approachable it is.
Most dishes are built around a few core ingredients — olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, herbs — and don’t rely on complicated techniques. It’s more about letting things cook properly and keeping flavours balanced.
If you want to bring Malta into your own kitchen, a few good starting points are pastizzi, ftira-style sandwiches, rabbit stew or lampuki pie. Even without exact ingredients, the structure of the dishes translates well. It’s not about recreating it perfectly, but about capturing the feeling of it.
Travel Tips for Food in Malta
A few things that made a difference while exploring food in Malta:
- Eat where locals go. The smaller, less obvious places often have the best food.
- Try seasonal dishes. Fish like lampuki is much better when it’s in season.
- Don’t overplan. Some of the best meals come from spontaneous stops.
- Mix it up. Street food, bakeries and sit-down dinners all offer something different.
Malta Food Guide: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the national dish of Malta?
Rabbit stew, or stuffat tal-fenek, is generally considered the national dish of Malta. The rabbit is slow-cooked in wine, garlic and herbs and usually shared at a family table or ordered at a village restaurant. Try our fenek recipe to make it at home.
Is Maltese food similar to Italian?
Partly. Maltese food has a clear Italian base of pasta, tomatoes and olive oil, but it also uses North African and Arabic flavours like dates, aniseed and warm spices, plus hearty British-style baked dishes such as timpana. The mix is what makes it its own cuisine.
Is Malta good for food lovers?
Yes, especially if you enjoy simple, traditional cooking with strong flavours. You can eat well cheaply on pastizzi and ftira, find fresh fish in Marsaxlokk, and get slow-cooked dishes like rabbit stew in village restaurants.
What food is Malta famous for?
Malta is best known for pastizzi (flaky ricotta or pea pastries), ftira with tuna and capers, rabbit stew, timpana, lampuki pie, aljotta fish soup, bigilla bean dip, ġbejna cheese from Gozo and imqaret date pastries.
What should I eat first in Malta?
Start with pastizzi from a local bakery, ideally warm with a coffee in the morning. They are cheap, sold almost everywhere and the quickest way into Maltese food.
Where is the best place for seafood in Malta?
Marsaxlokk, the fishing village in the south, is the classic stop. The catch of the day still shapes the menus, and you can eat simple grilled fish by the water, with lampuki the one to look for when it is in season.
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