Malta is ninety kilometres from Sicily. It shows. Pizza here is generally good, often very good, and almost never expensive. The problem is not finding a decent one. It is that the worst pizza on the islands is served in the places with the best views.
What to look for
You should be able to see it
Wood ovens are common here and usually visible from the room. If the oven is electric and hidden away, the base will be uniform and dull.
A visible fire is the single easiest thing to check before you sit down.
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A short menu is a good sign
A short list made well beats a long one made carelessly. A kitchen also offering curry, burgers and grilled fish is not specialising in any of them.
A large share of the best pizza on the islands comes from Sicilian families who moved here, and the menu usually tells you.
Eating well for less
Walk away from the seafront
Inland streets in Sliema, St Julian’s, Msida and the Three Cities have better pizza at two thirds of the price.
Maltese dinner runs late, so a pizzeria empty at eight and full at nine thirty is the right one.
Where to stay
Signals worth trusting
- A wood oven you can see
- Common here and usually visible from the room. If the oven is electric and hidden, the base will be uniform and dull.
- A short menu
- Twelve pizzas made well beats forty. A kitchen also offering curry, burgers and grilled fish is not specialising in any of them.
- Italian or Sicilian ownership
- A large share of the best pizza on the islands comes from Sicilian families who moved here. The menu usually tells you.
- Away from the seafront
- Inland streets in Sliema, St Julian’s, Msida and the Three Cities have better pizza at two thirds of the price.
- Busy with locals at nine
- Maltese dinner runs late. A pizzeria empty at eight and full at nine thirty is the right one.
Many places do a Maltese pizza with ġbejniet (small dried sheep cheeses), sundried tomato, olives and sometimes Maltese sausage. It is usually the most interesting thing on the menu and rarely the most expensive.