5 Best Restaurants in Malta

Leading politicians and the fashionable alike dine here on haute Maltese-Italian cuisine. Dishes hit the heights with pan-seared boneless quail and veal chops, and the day's catch is usually reliable. Tables on the open balcony-style terrace overlook the Sliema waterfront, but if it's too hot outside, try the table just inside the open full-length windows to get the best view combined with a little cool air. There is a lounge downstairs; the restaurant is on the fifth floor.

An elevator only takes you part of the way; you'll still have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the restaurant.

This inventive Maltese trattoria has a menu that takes traditional, seasonal ingredients and tries to do something a little different with them, from a tempting starter of pork cheek lasagne to rabbit done "three ways." It's set in a 400-year-old vaulted stone building, with a series of small, simply furnished and elegantly lit dining spaces. When the restaurant is full, space can be a little tight.

You'll find refined service and classic cuisine in this old limestone farmhouse. Using produce from its vegetable garden, a seasonal menu includes boat-fresh seafood dishes, fresh pasta, and a fine suckling pig. Signature dishes err on the traditional side and some are cooked tableside, including steak Diane (flambéed in Cognac), and a chateaubriand for two. And while the actual building is in simple traditional Gozitan style, the dining room is embellished with fine drapes and table settings to match the elegant cooking.