My favorite low budget restaurants in Malta

I usually don’t write blog posts about food and restaurants, but today I’d like to make an exception. After living in Malta for more than 3 years I’ve gotten plenty of opportunities to try out both tasty and cheap restaurants. And who doesn’t like this combination? So, today I would like to share my favorite low budget restaurants in Malta with you.

KuYa, St. Julians

KuYa started out as a food truck in the Ta ‘Xbiex area. KuYa is known for their healthy, tasty and cheap Japanese food. Right now you can not only go to their food truck, but also to their very own restaurant in St. Julians (closest bus stop: Ross). At first you might glance over the restaurant because it’s very small and narrow, and frankly not that easy to spot. However, it’s definitely a must when visiting Malta.

I personally love KuYa because it’s not only cheap and tasty, but they also serve super fresh food with tons of vegetables. You can choose between dishes like “Bang Bang Chicken” (with peanut butter and chilli, my personal favorite), “Yellow Curry” and “Baby Pork Ribs with BBQ sauce”. They serve about 10 different dishes, which are all to die for. The starters are also amazing, with tasty appetizers like “duo fries” (normal and sweet potato fries!) and “Tori Karage Chicken with sweet chilli”. And the best of all is that all the mains are less than €11 (except for the special)!

Tip: make sure to book a table beforehand. KuYa is very popular and since it’s a tiny restaurant you might not get a table without booking first.

Zero Sei, Valletta

When visiting Malta, you’ll notice that the majority of restaurants are Italian. This makes it difficult to figure out which ones are worth visiting and which ones are not. However, one of my personal favorite Italian restaurants is located in Valletta. Zero Sei is a small Roman trattoria which serves some of the best pasta I’ve ever tasted. The menu is also quite small, however the food is incredible.

The staff is extremely friendly and helpful and thoroughly enjoys introducing you to their delicious Roman food. My favorite is the pasta all’amatriciana (the best one I’ve ever had). Other very good dishes are: pasta carbonara and pasta bolognese. At Zero Sei you will mainly find pasta dishes and some meat dishes, so don’t go here if you want to try Italian pizza.

One of the main selling points of Zero Sei is their wine cellar. When choosing wine, you will be asked to go downstairs to the wine cellar to pick out a bottle of your liking.

Sotto, Valletta

It took me a very long time to find a pizzeria I actually liked in Malta. However, this year I finally managed to find one! Coincidentally, Sotto is owned by the same people as Zero Sei. So if you were a bit disappointed Zero Sei doesn’t serve pizza, Sotto is the place to be! Also located in Valletta, this restaurant is very cosy and lively. We went there for a Sunday lunch and were greeted by tons of other people who had the same idea (which is always a good sign!).

The pizza at Sotto is also Roman. This means that the crust is slightly crunchier. They have an endless list of pizze on offer which will make it very hard for you to decide what you want! One thing I really liked was that you can order pizza with the same sauce as the pasta’s they serve at Zero Sei. This obviously meant that I had to try out the pizza with amatriciana sauce. And it has to be said, it was one of the best pizza’s I’ve ever had!

One of the other “bests I’ve ever had”, is the “crème brûlée” that is served at Sotto. It’s literally out of this world.

La Vida, Sliema

Before moving to Malta I had never tried tapas before. Probably because I’ve never actually been to Spain before (I know, shocking right…). However, there’s a very good tapas restaurant in Sliema, which you should definitely visit. Since tapas is more of a group experience, I’d advise you to go there with a group of at least 4 people. La Vida is also quite a small restaurant, so it’s best if you book in advance.

They have tons of tapas on offer which are all mouth-wateringly good. My favorites were the chorizo, the patatas bravas, the prawns and the sweet potato fries. However, not only the tapas are to die for, the desserts are also amazing! We tried the brownie with ice cream, and I have to admit I’m actually not a brownie person, but this one blew me away. I would recommend it to anyone!

La Vida is a bit pricier than the other restaurants on this list, which is why it’s best to go with lots of other people. However, it’s definitely a must when visiting Malta!

Pepperoncino, St Julians

This restaurant is located in Balluta Bay. During Summer you can sit on the steps outside of the restaurant and admire the beautiful and picturesque bay whilst trying some of their amazing Italian food. Pepperoncino offers various pasta’s, fish, and tons of meat options.

My personal favorite is the pasta with duck leg confit and pistacchio’s (yes, it is as good as it sounds). Most of the pasta’s cost less than €10 and are extremely tasty. As usual, the main courses (fish and meat) are a bit more expensive. The service is always impeccable and you will genuinely have a good time when eating at Pepperoncino!

These were my top 5 favorite low budget restaurants in Malta. Of course Malta has many more other good restaurants, but these are the ones I particularly enjoyed. If you’re more into fine dining, stay tuned because I will introduce you to these kind of restaurants too!