Country dossier
Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries across Malta in the En Primeur Club guide.
Accolades in Malta
Valletta holds the deepest concentration of starred dining and wine-led rooms in Malta.
ION Harbour by Simon Rogan holds 2 Michelin stars in Valletta and offers a tasting menu with an exceptional, sommelier-led wine program. The restaurant’s extensive list and farm-to-table format place it at the top of Malta’s fine-dining tier, with Star Wine List recognition in 2026.
Under Grain in Valletta holds 1 Michelin star. The restaurant runs tasting menu and a la carte formats from a vaulted stone cellar, with an exceptional sommelier-led wine program and an extensive list weighted toward Italy and France. The kitchen handles Maltese produce through modern European cooking.
Noni in Valletta holds 1 Michelin star and a Star Wine List for 2026. The restaurant serves a tasting menu built on Maltese seasonal produce, with a sommelier-led wine program. It occupies a converted bakery, with tables on a ground floor and in a stone-walled cellar.
59 Republic in Valletta holds Michelin Plate recognition and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. The list covers 570 selections across 5,100 bottles, with particular depth in California, France and Italy, alongside a la carte and tasting menu options.
The Plate and Bib Gourmand restaurants here are in Valletta, Rabat and Gzira. Each has a wine list. Across these restaurants, formats include a la carte, small plates and tasting menus.
Grain Street in Valletta holds Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for 2024, 2025 and 2026. The restaurant serves modern Mediterranean cooking in a la carte and small plates formats, with an extensive wine list. Chef Steven Tan works from a streetside room in a boutique hotel.
Rubino in Valletta holds Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for 2025 and 2026. The restaurant is a historic family-run bistro serving traditional Maltese cooking a la carte, with an extensive wine list. The interior is a preserved period room, and the cooking includes fenek moqli and risotto rosmarino.
The Golden Fork in Rabat holds Michelin Plate recognition and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The wine list spans 285 selections and over 1,200 bottles, while the tasting menu and a la carte formats frame Chef Letizia Vella’s modern Mediterranean cooking.
AYU in Gzira holds Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for 2024, 2025 and 2026. A wine list sits alongside craft cocktails, and the cooking is global fusion, with vegan and vegetarian options drawn from the owners' travels. The formats are a la carte and small plates.
These rooms carry Malta’s tasting-menu side outside Valletta. They combine formal dining with cellar depth, rooftop views or historic interiors.
The de Mondion Restaurant in Mdina holds 1 Michelin star and a La Liste score of 85 points in 2026. It offers tasting menu, a la carte and set menu formats with an exceptional, sommelier-led wine program and an extensive list. The restaurant sits atop Mdina's bastions, with panoramic island and sea views, inside The Xara Palace.
Le GV in Sliema holds 1 Michelin star and a Star Wine List for 2026. The restaurant serves a tasting menu with a sommelier-led wine program and an extensive list. It sits on the 11th floor of Le Soleil Hotel, in an Orient Express-inspired room with a panoramic terrace.
Rosamì in St Julian's holds 1 Michelin star and a Star Wine List. The restaurant runs blind tasting menus of six and eight courses, with an extensive wine list that includes global labels and Maltese bottles. It occupies a historic villa overlooking Balluta Bay.
These restaurants hold Michelin Plate recognition and extensive wine lists in Gzira, Marsaxlokk and Kalkara. The Seafood Market Grill and Tartarun cook seafood, Marea pairs Japanese sushi with Mediterranean seafood or exceptional.
The Seafood Market Grill in Gzira holds Michelin Plate recognition and a wine list. The seafood display and open kitchen set the tone, while the a la carte format and extensive list make it one of the area’s more closely watched fish-focused rooms.
Tartarun in Marsaxlokk holds Michelin Plate recognition for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and a Star Wine List. The restaurant is a family-run harbourside room with an exceptional wine program and an extensive list. A la carte and small plates formats focus on the daily fresh catch.
Marea in Kalkara holds Michelin Plate recognition and a La Liste score of 82.5 points in 2025. The restaurant serves a Mediterrasian menu of Japanese sushi and Mediterranean seafood, a la carte and in small plates, with an extensive wine list. The room has a waterfront terrace with Grand Harbour views.
Valletta is the strongest neighbourhood for serious wine lists in Malta. ION Harbour by Simon Rogan and Under Grain run exceptional sommelier-led programs there. Noni and Risette hold Star Wine List recognition, and 59 Republic holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, with 570 selections across 5,100 bottles and particular depth in California, France and Italy.
In our guide, Malta has 7 Michelin-starred restaurants with 8 Michelin stars in total. The starred rooms are concentrated in Valletta, Sliema, St Julian's and Mdina, with ION Harbour by Simon Rogan holding 2 stars and the others holding 1.
Tasting menus cluster most clearly in Valletta, Sliema, St Julian's and Mdina. In Valletta, ION Harbour by Simon Rogan and Noni run tasting menus, and Under Grain pairs a tasting menu with a la carte. Le GV in Sliema, Rosamì in St Julian's and The de Mondion Restaurant in Mdina also use tasting-menu formats.
Two places on this page hold Wine Spectator awards. 59 Republic in Valletta holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, and the list has particular depth in California, France and Italy. The Golden Fork in Rabat holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and the list has a strong France focus.
By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
City atlas
Malta
Selected entries from the current guide for Malta.
Valletta, Malta
ION Harbour by Simon Rogan occupies the fourth floor of the Iniala Harbour House in Valletta, holding two Michelin stars in both 2024 and 2025 and a La Liste score of 76 points in 2026. Led by Chef Oli Marlow, the kitchen operates within a contemporary format that places it at the summit of Malta's fine-dining tier. The setting, above the Grand Harbour, frames among the more consequential restaurant views in the Mediterranean.
Mdina, Malta
Perched atop Mdina’s bastions, The de Mondion Restaurant delivers Michelin-starred classicism with panoramic island-and-sea views, refined tasting menus, and a pedigreed cellar within the storied Xara Palace Relais & Châteaux.
Valletta, Malta
Noni holds the only Michelin star on Republic Street, operating from a converted Valletta bakery with a tasting-menu format that draws heavily on Maltese seasonal produce. Tables across two floors, a quieter ground level and a stone-walled cellar, are scarce, and evening sittings run Tuesday through Saturday only. Among Valletta's €€€€ tier, it is the city's most decorated address for modern Mediterranean cooking.
Sliema, Malta
Fernandõ Gastrotheque holds a Michelin star and seats around 30 across two floors on a quiet Sliema side street. The kitchen, now under head chef Hiram Cassar following a late-2024 transition, delivers a focused Mediterranean menu built on restraint and balance. A wine list exceeding 700 labels, with a strong by-the-glass programme, makes this one of Malta's more serious fine-dining rooms.
Sliema, Malta
Perched on the eleventh floor of Sliema's 1926 Le Soleil Hotel and Spa, Le GV holds a Michelin star earned in 2024 and pairs an intimate, Orient Express-inspired interior with a focused menu that leans on precision over volume. The panoramic terrace adds a seasonal dimension to a dining ritual that rewards patience and attention. In Malta's growing fine-dining tier, it represents one of the more considered addresses in the country.
St Julian's, Malta
Rosamì holds a Michelin star (2024) and sits within a Maltese-style villa overlooking Balluta Bay in St Julian's. The kitchen runs two blind tasting menus, six and eight courses, built around modern dishes with international range, local cheeses from small producers, and a wine list spanning global labels and Maltese bottles. Dinner is served Wednesday through Saturday from 6:30 PM, priced at €€€.
Valletta, Malta
Reached by lift from the Rosselli hotel on Valletta's Merchants Street, Under Grain occupies a vaulted stone cellar where Maltese produce, local catch, rabbit, seasonal ingredients, is handled through sophisticated international technique. The tasting menu and limited à la carte run parallel to a wine list weighted toward Italy and France. Dinner runs Tuesday through Friday, pricing at the €€€ tier for the capital's fine dining bracket.
Rabat, Malta
The Golden Fork occupies a quiet stretch of Triq L-Isptar in Rabat, Malta, where Chef Letizia Vella delivers a French-inflected Mediterranean menu with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions behind it. Wine Director Marcos Loureiro oversees a list of 285 selections spanning over 1,200 bottles, with a strong France focus and a corkage fee for those bringing their own. At the €€ price point, it represents one of the more accessible entries into serious modern cooking in the Maltese interior.
Gzira, Malta
AYU holds consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025), placing it among Malta's most consistent value-driven dining addresses. For the price point, the recognition is difficult to match in this corner of the island.
Mellieħa, Malta
Commando holds consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for 2024 and 2025, placing it among the small tier of recognised value-led restaurants on the Maltese archipelago.
Valletta, Malta
Grain Street holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for 2024 and 2025, placing it among Valletta's most consistent value-driven modern tables. Chef Steven Tan's kitchen on Merchants Street works within a price band that sits a tier below the city's starred fine-dining addresses, delivering considered modern cuisine without the ceremony or the bill that typically accompanies it.
Valletta, Malta
Rubino holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025), making it one of Valletta's most consistently recognised addresses for traditional Maltese cooking. Priced at €€ on Old Bakery Street, it sits in the moderate tier of a city where fine-dining bills have risen sharply, offering serious cooking without the premium-counter price tag.
Birgu, Malta
On the tip of Vittoriosa's waterfront, Terrone holds a 2025 Michelin Bib Gourmand for its Mediterranean fish cooking that draws equally from Maltese and Italian traditions. Chef Adrian Hili's menu leans into local catch, with dishes like turbot with Sicilian clams and cannellini beans anchoring a tight, confident repertoire. At the €€ price point, it represents among the more credentialed seafood addresses on the Three Cities waterfront.
Mgarr, Malta
Verbena suits Mgarr’s agricultural edge: a simple, modern bistro-trattoria in a village better known for fields, parish life and produce routes than polished dining theatre. The appeal is context: Maltese ingredients, Italianate framing and a Northern Region setting that makes sourcing feel less abstract than it can in harbourfront restaurants.
Valletta, Malta
A two-time Michelin Plate recipient on Old Theatre Street, Risette sits in Valletta's mid-to-upper modern cuisine tier at the €€€ price point. The address places it inside the capital's increasingly competitive fine-dining corridor, where the physical space and culinary approach carry as much weight as the plate.
Marsaxlokk, Malta
Tartarun sits on the Marsaxlokk waterfront at the address where fishing boats unload each morning, making it among the more direct expressions of port-to-plate seafood dining in Malta.
Valletta, Malta
A Michelin Plate-recognised steakhouse on St George's Square in Valletta, 59 Republic pairs classic cuisine with a wine list of 570 selections across 5,100 bottles, with particular depth in California, France, and Italy. Priced in the mid-range tier for Valletta, it occupies a different lane to the city's tasting-menu leaders, making it the more approachable option for a serious meal in the capital.
Għajnsielem, Malta
Country Terrace in Ghajnsielem holds a Star Wine List #1 ranking for 2026 and a 2-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine Awards, placing it in a small peer group of wine-serious dining rooms in the Maltese islands. Its terrace faces directly across to Comino, making it one of the few places on Gozo where the view and the wine list are equally deliberate. Worth a lunch stop on any Gozo itinerary.
Gzira, Malta
The Seafood Market Grill holds a Michelin Plate (2025), placing it among the more closely watched seafood addresses in Gzira. The €€ price point makes Michelin-recognised seafood accessible in a country where the top end skews sharply toward €€€€ tasting-menu formats. Book ahead, particularly for evening sittings.
Kalkara, Malta
Marea sits on the marina at Kalkara with a Michelin Plate in consecutive years and a La Liste score of 82.5 points, holding its own against better-known Maltese restaurant addresses. Chef Molly Nickerson works an Italian-Asian menu at mid-range prices, making the waterfront dining room one of the more coherent fusion propositions on the island. Open seven days a week from midday.
Valletta, Malta
The menu spans Maltese and Italian traditions across land and sea, priced at the accessible €€ tier. Homemade desserts and a beef fillet wrapped in Parma ham with king prawns round out a menu rooted in local cooking habits.
Valletta, Malta
The open kitchen runs Asian-inspired dishes with a clear Japanese focus, and Michelin inspectors have called out the salmon tiradito and scallop roll as standout choices. At the €€ price point, it occupies a distinct position in the capital's fine-casual dining tier.
Balzan, Malta
Bahia at Corinthia Palace in Balzan holds consecutive Michelin Plate recognition for 2024 and 2025, placing it among Malta's more considered creative dining addresses. The setting inside a historic hotel property in San Anton brings a particular formality to the island's growing fine-dining scene.
Naxxar, Malta
Giuseppi's sits within the Salini Resort on Salina Bay, holding consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, a signal that Malta's modern cuisine conversation extends well beyond Valletta. At the €€€ price point, it occupies the middle tier of the island's serious dining scene, where cooking ambition and waterside setting meet without the full tasting-menu formality of the island's starred addresses.
Malta
Selected entries from the current guide for Malta.
Valletta, Malta
Four restored 17th-century townhouses on St Barbara Bastion give Iniala Harbour House its address and its character: 23 rooms spread across Valletta's most sought-after harbourfront street, with a two-Michelin-star rooftop restaurant, spa in the ancient stone vaults, and a La Liste Top Hotels score of 92 points for 2026. Rates start at $414 per night.
Floriana, Malta
Malta's sole Leading Hotels of the World member sits at the fortified edge of Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in a 1939 Art Deco property refreshed through a multimillion-dollar renovation.
Mdina, Malta
The only hotel within the walled city of Mdina, The Xara Palace is a converted 17th-century palazzo carrying Relais & Châteaux membership and a 2025 World Travel Awards recognition as Malta's Leading Boutique Hotel. Rates from US$335 per night place it at the summit of the island's boutique tier, with panoramic countryside views and Mediterranean dining inside one of Europe's most preserved medieval citadels.
Valletta, Malta
A 17th-century Baroque palazzo on Merchants Street, Rosselli - AX Privilege compresses 25 individually designed rooms, Michelin-starred dining at Under Grain, and a rooftop lounge into one of Valletta's most architecturally ambitious hotel projects. Six distinct interior schemes, each named for a figure from the building's history, sit inside a structure that has stood since the era of the Knights of St. John. Rates from around $336 per night.
Valletta, Malta
Domus Zamittello sits on Republic Street at the centre of Valletta's baroque streetscape, recognised by Star Wine List in 2026 for the depth of its wine program. The address places guests within walking distance of the city's major monuments, while the building itself offers the architectural contrast Valletta does well: formal stone exteriors giving way to warmer, more intimate interior spaces.
Mellieħa, Malta
One of Malta's few luxury boutique hotels outside Valletta, Lure Hotel & Spa occupies a quiet corner of Mellieħa village in the island's north. Twelve adults-only rooms and suites blend Art Deco elegance with modernist furnishings, starting at around $250 per night. The in-house dining room and terrace hold their own against the broader restaurant scene surrounding the village.
Attard, Malta
A converted villa originally built for Malta's chief justice, Corinthia Palace sits in the quiet residential enclave of Attard, roughly 15 minutes from Valletta and equidistant to medieval Mdina. The Italianate architecture and formal English gardens set the tone for a property where the wine list earned Star Wine List recognition in 2026, and dining spans two distinct restaurant formats under the same roof.
Valletta, Malta
Grand Hotel Excelsior occupies a commanding position on Great Siege Road in Floriana, just outside Valletta's historic gate, placing 429 rooms within direct reach of the capital's fortifications, harbour views, and cultural institutions. Among Malta's larger full-service hotels, it operates at a scale that smaller Valletta boutique properties cannot match, making it a reference point for group travel, conferences, and visitors who prioritise proximity to the city over intimate room counts.
Valletta, Malta
A 19th-century Valletta townhouse converted into a boutique hotel, Casa Ellul occupies a handsome address on Old Theatre Street where the original Ellul family facade remains intact. Inside, the property layers contemporary design over Baroque bones, placing it within a small cohort of character-driven stays that define the city's growing reputation for considered heritage hospitality.
St Julian's, Malta
Set on the south shore of Balluta Bay, Malta Marriott Resort & Spa reopened in winter 2020 following a nearly $33 million renovation, earning Star Wine List recognition in 2026. The property's 12-floor tower places seafront rooms and the M Lounge terrace directly opposite the neo-Gothic Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with the Cala Lido pool complex and Myoka Lotus Spa rounding out a full-service offer at the centre of St Julian's social promenade.
Valletta, Malta
A Michelin Selected boutique suites property on Valletta's historic Saint Paul Street, 1926 Le Parisot occupies a carefully restored palazzo in Malta's UNESCO-listed capital. The address puts guests within walking distance of the city's principal baroque monuments, harbour views, and the concentrated restaurant scene that has made Valletta one of the Mediterranean's more compelling small-city destinations.
Valletta, Malta
A Michelin Selected boutique property on one of Valletta's oldest streets, 66 Saint Paul's occupies a restored Baroque townhouse that places guests inside the fabric of a UNESCO World Heritage capital. The address sits within walking distance of the city's principal monuments, and the property's selection by the 2025 Michelin guide positions it among a small cohort of independently minded stays in this rapidly evolving Mediterranean capital.
Sliema, Malta
AX The Palace occupies a central position in Sliema, one of Malta's most active resort towns, with 149 rooms including Designer Suites themed around the five senses. A five-minute walk from the Mediterranean, it pairs full-service amenities, spa, pools, restaurants, gym, with an interior approach that places design at the centre of the guest experience.
Valletta, Malta
A 17th-century merchant's townhouse on Merchant Street, AX The Saint John occupies one of Valletta's most historically layered addresses. The property earned recognition from Star Wine List in 2026, placing its wine program among Malta's noted hotel offerings. Positioned within walking distance of the Maltese capital's UNESCO World Heritage Site core, it sits in the smaller, design-led tier of Valletta's boutique accommodation scene.
Sliema, Malta
Barceló Fortina Malta sits on Sliema's Tigné Sea Front with floor-to-ceiling views across the harbour to Valletta's domes and spires. The hotel holds a 2026 Star Wine List award, signalling a drinks programme that operates above the standard resort tier. For travellers prioritising harbour position and a credentialed wine offering, the Fortina address is among Sliema's stronger arguments.
St Julian's, Malta
Corinthia St George's Bay sits along the waterfront in St Julian's, earning Star Wine List recognition for 2026 and placing itself within Malta's top tier of resort hotels. The property combines a seafront position with the scale and facilities expected of the Corinthia group, making it a reference point for longer stays on the island's northeast coast.
Senglea, Malta
Occupying a 16th-century shipbuilding hall on the Senglea waterfront, Cugó Gran Macina Malta places guests inside one of the Grand Harbour's most architecturally significant structures. The hotel commands unobstructed sightlines across the marina, Valletta, and the Three Cities, a vantage point that few properties in Malta can match. For travellers seeking historical texture alongside harbour access, it sits in a category of its own within the Maltese luxury tier.
St Julian's, Malta
Fitch Hotel on Wilga Street in St Julian's holds both the Regional Luxury Hotel award and the Country Luxury Design Hotel award, placing it among Malta's most recognised design-led properties. The address sits at a remove from the bay-front hotel strip, signalling a format that prioritises interiors and atmosphere over seafront position. Travellers comparing boutique options in St Julian's will find Fitch operating in a distinct tier from the large resort properties nearby.
St Julian's, Malta
Overlooking the Portomaso Marina in St Julian's, Hilton Malta is a large-format resort with 413 Mediterranean-influenced rooms and suites, a full spa, indoor and outdoor pools, and multiple dining and bar options.
St Julian's, Malta
A compact, art-filled boutique property on Fabri Lane in St Julian's, HOLM Boutique & Spa sits within walking distance of Spinola Bay and the Paceville dining strip. Its Star Wine List recognition for 2026 places it in a different competitive register from the large resort hotels that dominate St Julian's Bay. For travellers who want a smaller footprint without leaving one active part of Malta's coast, it represents a considered alternative.
St Julian's, Malta
At Triq Sqaq Lourdes in St. Julian's, Hyatt Regency Malta sits within reach of St. George's Bay, where modern design runs through the property from patterned common-area wallpaper to tiled entrance details. The hotel holds a 2026 Star Wine List recognition, signalling a drinks program that earns independent notice in a competitive Malta hotel market.
St Julian's, Malta
Positioned on St George's Bay with a private sandy beach and lagoon-style pool, InterContinental Malta puts a full portfolio of dining options within reach of Valletta's capital in under ten minutes. Six restaurants and six bars span Neapolitan pizza, bistro fare, and fine dining at SKYBEACH and Paranga, placing it among St Julian's larger resort properties for guests who want scale alongside beachfront access.
San Lawrenz, Malta
Set on seven acres of semi-tropical gardens in San Lawrenz village, Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz has anchored Gozo's premium hospitality for more than two decades. Three outdoor pools, a ten-treatment-room spa with a dedicated Ayurvedic centre, and limestone architecture that mirrors the island's vernacular building tradition make it the reference point against which other Gozo properties are measured.
St Julian's, Malta
ME Malta is a MICHELIN Selected 2025 property on Triq Gort in St Julian's, bringing the ME by Meliá brand's design-forward, socially activated hotel format to one of the Mediterranean's most active hospitality districts. The property sits in a distinct tier from Malta's heritage boutique hotels, prioritising architectural drama and social programming over historical vernacular. It works best for travellers who want contemporary atmosphere alongside Michelin-verified quality standards.
Malta
Selected entries from the current guide for Malta.
L-Imġarr, Malta
Bottega Frawli holds a Star Wine List recognition for 2026, placing it in serious company for a village setting on Malta's northwestern edge. The address in L-Imġarr signals a deliberate remove from the island's busier dining corridors, and the wine programme carries the weight of that recognition. A focused visit rewards those who seek it out.
Naxxar, Malta
Onella sits on Pjazza Vittorja in Naxxar, a Maltese town square where the pace of village life still sets the tempo for an evening out. Recognised by Star Wine List 2026, the bar positions itself inside Malta's growing tier of wine-focused drinking destinations. It is the kind of address that rewards those who approach Naxxar as a destination rather than a detour.
St Julian's, Malta
Valletta, Malta
Ark Bar sits in Valletta’s compact bar circuit, where hotel-lobby drinking rooms, rooftop terraces, and late-night lounges compete less on size than on mood and cocktail discipline. With no public awards or pricing listed, it reads as a planning choice for travellers who want a central city bar setting rather than a destination built around formal accolades.
St Julian's, Malta
Broadside Terrace puts St Julian’s terrace dining in its natural setting: sea air, hotel-quarter footfall, and a plate style that makes sense only when Mediterranean sourcing is treated as the main event. With few public signals on chef, pricing, or awards, the useful reading is contextual: this is a St George’s Bay address for diners weighing waterfront atmosphere against the more formal restaurant circuit nearby.
St Julian's, Malta
Eclipse is an adult-only rooftop cocktail bar in St Julian's, Malta, positioned within a Paceville-adjacent scene that has grown considerably more ambitious in recent years. The format suits an evening that begins late and ends later, with cocktails as the clear priority. Visitors looking for a drinks-led experience above the Mediterranean shoreline will find the rooftop format here fits that brief.
Malta
Selected entries from the current guide for Malta.
Girgenti L O Siggiewi, Malta
Ta’ Betta is a small Maltese wine estate in Girgenti, set on a terraced four-hectare hilltop with vineyard and countryside views toward Mdina. The experience is shaped around private, guided tastings, still red and white wines, and a quiet estate format that suits visitors who want Malta’s wine culture at close range rather than as a city-side add-on.
