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Where to Eat in Valletta: 8 Restaurants Worth Your Time
- Updated
- 29 September 2026
- Reading time
- 6 min
- Written by
- Henry G
From Malta's only two-Michelin-star restaurant to hand-rolled bagels and fresh pasta on a stepped side street: the eight Valletta restaurants from my top 10 lists, and what to order at each.
Valletta is small enough to walk across in fifteen minutes, but the question of where to eat in Valletta has a surprisingly rich answer. Within a few streets you will find Malta's only two-MICHELIN-star restaurant, two more starred kitchens, a harbourside fish restaurant with more than a century of history, and some of the best cheap lunches on the island.
This guide covers the eight Valletta restaurants that made it onto my top 10 lists. They are sorted by occasion, so you can pick quickly whether you want a once-in-a-lifetime dinner or a quick bite between museums. For each one I have added what to order, when it is open and what to know before you go. Every review page has the full menu, photos and a map link.
Where to eat in Valletta for fine dining
Valletta is home to three MICHELIN-starred kitchens, including Malta's only two-star restaurant. All three need a booking, so reserve as early as you can, especially for weekend evenings. Two of them are closed on Sundays and Mondays, which is worth knowing if your trip starts at the weekend.
ION Harbour by Simon Rogan
ION Harbour is number 1 on my Luxury list and number 2 overall. It sits on the fourth floor of the Iniala hotel on St Barbara Bastion, looking out over the Grand Harbour. Simon Rogan's farm-to-table kitchen works with produce grown, reared or caught in Malta and turns it into a long tasting menu of inventive, modern courses. The service is friendly and knowledgeable rather than stiff.
ION Harbour by Simon Rogan
- Cuisine
- Contemporary tasting menu
- Area
- Valletta
- Price
- €€€€
- Ranking
- No. 1 Luxury
What to order: Full tasting menu
Ordering tips: go for the full menu rather than the shorter one, because it is the complete experience. Ask for a table with a harbour view when you book.
Good to know: dinner is served daily, and there is a lunch sitting on Fridays, which is the easiest way to see the harbour in daylight. It is the most expensive meal on this site, and a few diners felt it did not live up to the price, but for most it is the dinner of their trip.
Noni
Noni is number 3 on my Luxury list and number 5 overall. Chef Jonathan Brincat's restaurant on Republic Street, Valletta's main street, reinterprets Maltese and Mediterranean dishes with classic French technique. Reviewers keep mentioning the scallop with Iberico ham and the octopus tagine with malefante pasta.
Noni
- Cuisine
- Modern Maltese & French
- Area
- Valletta
- Price
- €€€€
- Ranking
- No. 3 Luxury
What to order: Slow-cooked octopus tagine
Ordering tips: the octopus tagine is a signature, with tender octopus and lemon, and you should leave room for the light gin baba. You can choose between a full and a short tasting menu.
Good to know: Noni opens for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday. Most diners rate it among the best meals in Malta, while a few found it less memorable than expected.
Under Grain
Under Grain, number 4 on my Luxury list, is set in the vaulted cellar of the Rosselli hotel on Merchants Street. The décor is dark and atmospheric, the service is impeccable and the cooking is technical and creative. Unusually for a starred restaurant, it offers an à la carte menu next to a tasting menu and a seafood menu, which makes it the most flexible of the three.
Ordering tips: the bread soup is the dish reviewers remember most, and one diner ranked it among the three best soups of their life. Order à la carte if you want to build your own meal around it.
Good to know: open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and the dress code is smart casual.
Seafood by the harbour
Scoglitti
Scoglitti, number 8 on my Fish list, dates back to the First World War. It sits right on the water's edge in Marsamxett Harbour, on the quieter side of Valletta, looking across to Manoel Island and Sliema. It is run by people from the fish trade, and the Sicilian-style menu is built on fresh fish and seafood.
Scoglitti
- Cuisine
- Fish & seafood
- Area
- Valletta
- Price
- €€€
- Ranking
- No. 8 Fish
What to order: Fresh fish of the day
Ordering tips: ask what came in that morning, and go at lunch for the set menu, which reviewers single out as the best value. Most praise the setting and service, though a few have been disappointed. Check the website for current opening hours before you go.
Il Pirata
Il Pirata, number 10 on my Fish list, is the Valletta branch of a small Maltese group of Italian seafood restaurants, tucked away from the busy streets on Santa Lucija Street. Reviewers give it top marks for food and cleanliness and praise the artistic presentation and great value.
Ordering tips: frutti di mare is what regulars order, and the fresh mussels and slow-cooked octopus are good alternatives. The staff are happy to adapt dishes for dietary needs.
Good to know: Il Pirata is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and serves only lunch on Sundays.
Casual lunch and quick bites
Not every meal needs to be an occasion. These three are perfect for a relaxed lunch while you explore the city, and all three have excellent ratings on Wolt.
Grano Pasta
Grano Pasta is number 3 on my Italian list and scores 9.4 on Wolt. It is a small, popular spot on Merchants Street, known for freshly made pasta and generous sandwiches at fair prices, and the outdoor tables on the stepped street are pure Valletta.
Grano Pasta
- Cuisine
- Fresh pasta
- Area
- Valletta
- Price
- €€
- Ranking
- No. 3 Italian
What to order: Pesto Genovese Fusilloni
Ordering tips: the pesto pasta costs €13 and reviewers call it clearly high quality. The rabbit ragù sedanini is a nice nod to Malta's favourite meat. Grano is open every day from late morning until 23:00, but it gets busy and service can feel rushed at peak times.
Burgers Ink
Burgers Ink is number 5 on my Fast Food list and scores 9.2 on Wolt. Expect big, well-seasoned burgers, hot dogs and over-the-top pancakes on Old Theatre Street, with tables out on Valletta's narrow streets and plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.
Ordering tips: the truffle burger (€14.99) is the crowd favourite, so save space for a pancake. It is open every day from 11:30, which makes it a safe choice on a Monday when some other places are closed.
The Bagel Hole
The Bagel Hole is number 3 on my Fast Food list and scores 9.6 on Wolt, the highest of any Valletta spot in this guide. It is Malta's first proper New York bagel shop: a tiny pink hole in the wall on Melita Street, where bagels are hand-rolled, boiled and baked in the basement throughout the day.
Ordering tips: pair the salmon bagel (€10.90) with a specialty coffee. For something cheaper, the grilled cheese bagel toastie from the breakfast deal costs €5.50. There is room for only three people inside, it is closed on Mondays and closes in the afternoon, so plan an early visit and take away.
A perfect food day in Valletta
If you only have one day in the city, this is how I would plan it:
- Breakfast: a salmon bagel and coffee from The Bagel Hole, then walk it off along Republic Street.
- Lunch: fresh pasta at Grano Pasta, or the seafood set lunch at Scoglitti if you want a view of Marsamxett Harbour.
- Dinner: ION Harbour for the big occasion, Noni for modern Maltese cooking, or Under Grain if you prefer to order à la carte.
Tips for eating out in Valletta
- Book the starred restaurants early. ION Harbour, Noni and Under Grain all fill up, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.
- Plan around Sunday and Monday. Noni and Under Grain are closed on both days, Il Pirata is closed on Monday and Tuesday, and The Bagel Hole is closed on Monday. Burgers Ink and Grano Pasta are open every day.
- Wear comfortable shoes. Many of the best small places are on steep, stepped side streets.
- Go at lunch for value. Scoglitti's lunch specials and the Friday lunch at ION Harbour are the best-value ways to try two of the city's top restaurants.
- Check the hours before you go. Opening hours can change with the season, so confirm them with the restaurant.
Want more choice? The rest of my picks for the whole island are in my overall top 10.
Frequently asked questions
Which restaurant in Valletta has two Michelin stars?
ION Harbour by Simon Rogan, on the fourth floor of the Iniala hotel, is Malta's only two-MICHELIN-star restaurant.
Where can I get a cheap lunch in Valletta?
Grano Pasta, The Bagel Hole and Burgers Ink are all good-value options. A pesto pasta at Grano costs around €13 and a burger at Burgers Ink around €14.
Is there a seafood restaurant by the water in Valletta?
Yes. Scoglitti sits right on the water's edge in Marsamxett Harbour and serves a Sicilian-style menu built on fresh fish. Go at lunch for the set menu.
Which Valletta restaurants are open on Mondays?
Grano Pasta, Burgers Ink and ION Harbour (for dinner) are open on Mondays. Noni, Under Grain, Il Pirata and The Bagel Hole are closed. Always check current hours with the restaurant.
Do I need to book restaurants in Valletta?
For the MICHELIN-starred restaurants, yes, as early as you can. Casual spots like Grano Pasta usually work without a booking, but expect a wait at peak times.
