Culture tales from Malta: The jewel of the Mediterranean

Everyone likes visiting new countries for the views, the places, etc., but I always love getting culture tales. The culture tales from Malta will present the restaurants we visited both on the island of Malta and on Gozo. Our holiday was a fairly short one—7 nights, 4 people. Normally, when we’re on vacation, we either choose a place with breakfast included or we buy the breakfast items ourselves. This holiday, we decided to get our own breakfast as we had 2 nights in Gozo and 5 in Malta.

Come with me to explore all the amazing flavors that restaurants in Malta and Gozo offer!

NOTE: The restaurants presented below are the ones we visited during an early October holiday this year. I am in no way affiliated with or sponsored by these restaurants. Me and my family have chosen them based on availability, reviews both on Google and TripAdvisor, and what we have seen on their menu from their website (if they have one).

1. The first step in our culture tales from Malta: Lantern Restaurant & Bar

We had an early flight. And as soon as we arrive, we take our rental car and go straight for the ferry towards Gozo.

When we arrived at our first place, we were so hungry! So we searched for restaurants around and found Lantern Restaurant & Bar. We wanted to eat something familiar, so two of us went for the fish and chips and two went for the beef burger.

Me and my husband always choose two different meals so we can eat them half-and-half. So my first choice was the burger. What an amazing combo! The bun was soft, the beef patty was hot, and it was just the right amount of chewy. The burger also had one sauce inside; I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was a ketchup-mayo combo. It was the perfect meal after the flight.

My husband chose the fish and chips. The chips were the frozen kind, as expected in most places. As for the fish, we normally prefer a light batter. And here it was thicker than we liked it. But we were very impressed because the fish was not oily and mushy; it was crispy and tasted very fresh!

For the first of our culture tales from Malta, we totally nailed it!

The Lantern Restaurant & Bar has a 4.6 rating on Google out of 160 reviews. The reviews also include a lot of photos of yummy food. We left the restaurant with full stomachs and a 50-euro setback (12.5 euros/person).

Here is their website if you want to visit: https://lanterngozo.com/product/lantern-restaurant-bar/

2. Second one up: HOT WOK

Short extra info: in our hometown, there were 15-20 degrees when we left. We arrived in Gozo at a whopping 34 degrees, and we really felt the difference. After a few hours of swimming and laying in the sun, we decided to go back to the apartment. I wasn’t feeling the best, so we all decided to get some takeout.

Around the building, there was this beautiful restaurant called HOT WOK Chinese Restaurant. I am crazy for Asian food, so my husband went and got some takeout. The picture was just a quick snap when the food arrived, and it’s not very representative. But let me tell you!

We got three different types of dumplings, a wonton soup, one Szechuan spicy chicken dish, and some shrimp chips. The dumplings were absolutely amazing. The filling was chewy and aromatic, and the outside was crispy and salty. Me and my husband enjoy eating spicy food (to a certain degree), and the Szechuan spicy chicken did not disappoint.

A great second choice, an amazing burst of flavors!

The HOT WOK Chinese Restaurant has a 4.5 rating on Google out of 142 reviews. You can check out what their menu includes in photos on Google. It was a quick late snack of 60 euros, and it was totally worth it! (15 euro/person).

Here is their website if you want to visit: https://hotwok.business.site/

3. Our third choice: Il-Kcina Ghawdxija

On our second day, we decided to drive around and see different viewpoints around Gozo. We saw the turtle rock, and near the sea we found this beautiful restaurant with a few tables outside: Il-Kcina Ghawdxija.

As we were a bit tired, we decided to grab a snack. There were just a few people around us, and the staff promptly came to greet us. We took a table and were immediately ensnared by their menu, oh boy, oh boy!

We decided to go for the Gozitan caprese with fresh tomatoes, fresh Gozo cheese, and basil, and the Deep-fried Gozo sheep’s cheese glazed with honey. But we also made an on-the-spot change when the waitress told us they had fresh fish, particularly lampuki. We decided to go for a fried lampuki as well, served with sauce and fries.

4. May the fourth be with us: Ping’s Dynasty

Oh, ramen, my ramen. I cannot stress how amazing their ramen is. For my in-laws, it was their first time trying this type of soup, and I’m so happy this was their first experience!

The egg was soft, the beef/pork was cooked so perfectly, and the soup was so flavorful! The noodles were soft and just a bit chewy, and the lime gave the soup the final oomph it needed to be nominated best in the whole trip!

I also had some sushi and loved it! The itty bit of kewpie mayo on top was like the cherry on top. The pickled ginger was exactly how I love it; the sourness was on point so that it did not steal the spotlight from the ingredients inside the sushi. I am salivating right now, just thinking about the food!

Ping’s Dynasty has a 4.7 rating on Google out of 1048 reviews. Just take a quick peek on Google, and you’ll see all the deliciousness they create. The entire meal was 80 euros, 20 euros/person.

Here is their website if you want to visit: https://pingschinesegozo.com/

5. The first of the culture tales from Malta, on the island of Malta: Kebab Factory (Mellieha)

I cannot begin to explain how much I loved this restaurant! The menu was so simple, I regret not snapping a photo of it. Choose the sides, choose the type of dish, and wait for the magicians in the kitchen to prepare it.

We opted for the following dishes: chicken thighs on grill, one beef shish kebab, one lamb-beef-chicken kebab and one beef pide.

Our side dishes for the trio meat kebab were sautéed mushrooms with veggies, lettuce, jalapenos, cabbage slaw, and red onion with sumac. The pide came with three sauces: hummus, a very flavorful tomato sauce, and a yogurt-dill sauce. We also got an extra side dish, a tabbouleh salad.

First things first, the meats. I meant it when I said there were magicians in the kitchen. My, oh my, how awesome they were cooked! The meat was cooked to perfection for all dishes. The sides, bursting with flavors—fresh, tangy, zesty, I’m almost running out of adjectives here.

I now understand why they have multiple restaurants on the island, you got to give credit where credit is due!

Kebab Factory (Mellieha) has a 4.5 rating on Google out of 1076 reviews. Be careful if you search for it on Google, because your mouth WILL water when you see the photos! Our dishes were a total of 76 euros, 19 euros/person.

Here is their website if you want to visit: https://kebabfactory.com.mt/

6. Wagamama, oh mama! (St. Julian’s)

Because my in-laws loved the ramen soup from Ping’s Dynasty, they asked us to find a restaurant that serves it in Malta too. As we were visiting the Saluting Battery in Valletta, we searched lots of restaurants, and a lot of people recommended Wagamama. 80% of the comments stated that the soup was as close to authentic as you can get in Malta. So we had to give it a try!

We drove a bit from Valletta to Saint Julian’s and found it quite easily. As we were already hungry, we ordered a few appetizers. We ate them so fast that I did not get to take a picture… and they were amazing! We had dumplings and two baos with duck breast. And for the main dish, we all got the chicken gyoza ramen, two of us spicy, and two of us not spicy. The greatest surprise in this dish, for me, was the tea-infused egg. The subtle nuances of that egg were mesmerizing. The egg was creamy, the gyozas were crispy and chewy, and the soup was the most creative amalgamation of flavors!

The only minus, in our opinion

My only downside to the soup was the “spiciness”. Although I enjoyed a good spicy kick, I think the red sauce was store-bought; it was very, very salty, and the spiciness just felt chemical, you know what I mean? It lingered on and on. It did not ruin the soup, but it added too much to it.

Wagamama (St. Julian’s) has a 4.4 rating on Google out of 1377 reviews. It is located somewhere in the center, so I would recommend walking there if possible. The recommendations from the people did not disappoint, the soup was indeed amazing! We paid a total of 77 euros, 19.25 euros/person.

Here is their website if you want to visit: https://www.wagamama.com.mt/

7. Happy Pigs, me and you! The most expensive of our Culture tales from Malta

After another days of sightseeing, swimming and enjoying a warm weather, we decided we wanted some hearty food. Something that reminds us of home. So after searching for East-European-themed restaurants, we happened upon Happy Pigs. A family-run establishment in it’s last days (at that location).

We went in and the décor was so interesting. All the walls were painted in a matte black, and had writings in chalk. Any client who wished to do so could write on the walls. While we were waiting for the food, I read many comments, and they were so lovely! “Best meal ever”, “Thank you for existing”, “We left here happy pigs ourselves”, and so on. It made me eager to test what they created.

And soon enough, it was time for the main dish – slow-cooked beef for the ladies and pork knuckle for the guys. I did not need a fork, the beef was basically breaking itself apart that’s how tender it was. The sauce was made with a few mushrooms and was so light that it was a very balanced meal.

I kept looking at my husband’s face—nothing but smiles! “Oh, this is amazing!”, “The meat is so good!”, “I don’t think I can eat the whole thing!”, although he did. This was the most silent meal of them all, as we were just enjoying the flavors.

Happy Pigs has a 4.8 rating on Google out of 514 reviews. If you enjoy meats, they are all made in-house and it’s definitely a restaurant we will go to again! We paid a total of 97 euros, 24.25 euros/person.

They do not have a website right now, but they post frequently on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happypigs.tavern.malta

8. Our last meal quest: Peking

We were so impressed by the Asian restaurants that we tested this holiday that for our last night, we wanted to do the same. One last Chinese restaurant to end our vacation and our culture tales from Malta.

We did not want to drive a lot, or go very far, so we decided to go closer to our location. There were many restaurants, but one stood out for us: Peking.

As appetizers, we went for a wonton soup and some fried chicken crispy wontons. For the main dish, we got beef in ginger and onions, chicken in garlic sauce, beef in garlic sauce, and stir-fried vegetables.

The vegetables were my dish, as I was already feeling anxious for the flight the next day. I wanted something light, and these veggies were definitely a good choice. But of course I tested all the other dishes as well!

As well as the chicken and beef, the pork was served with a very rich ginger and onions combo. The sauce was sweeter, the onions were crispy, and the pork was a good-type of chewy.

The final restaurant was a win as well! Peking has a 4.5 rating on Google out of 709 reviews. The food came out fast, and it was delicious! You can also find a fair share of photos from clients on Google if you want to check out their creations. As for us, we paid 82 euros (20.5 euros/person).

Here is their website if you want to visit: https://www.pekingmalta.com/

Final thoughts on the Culture tales from Malta

We are so pleased by the quality ingredients and extraordinary flavors that we have encountered in these restaurants. We have tried different cuisines, and had pleasant surprises. Our favorites dishes of the trip were: the deep-fried Gozo sheep’s cheese glazed with honey from Il-Kcina Ghawdxija, the ramen soup from Ping’s Dynasty and the meat platter from the happy Pigs. All the food was amazing, but these ones in particular made our eyes sparkle with joy and made me dance a bit with excitement.

This was indeed an amazing holiday, and we’re now ending our culture tales from Malta!

Read more of our culture tales from around the world by clicking here or by clicking the “culture tales” tag below. And if you have any suggestions of restaurants to visit in Malta, please let me know and I will take them into consideration for future holidays!