In most seaside restaurants here the fish is not priced on the menu. It is sold by weight, off a display.
The number you care about is the price per kilo. Ask for it before you choose.
How it works
A waiter brings out a tray of whole fish on ice. You pick one, it goes on the scales, and the bill is the weight times the rate for that species.
A fish that looks like a nice size for one person can easily be a kilo.
At €40–€70 a kilo for the better species, one fish can be the whole bill.
The two questions to ask
What is the price per kilo, and what does this one weigh.
Ask both, out loud, before you nod. Nobody minds and it takes ten seconds.
If the answer is vague, order something with a number next to it on the menu.
Ask for it to be weighed in front of you if you want. It is normal here and no waiter will blink.
What is local, and when
Lampuki runs from late August to about November and is the one everybody waits for. Out of season it is imported or frozen.
Sea bream and sea bass are around all year, and a lot of what is served is farmed off the coast.
Swordfish and tuna peak in spring and early summer. Cerna (grouper) and dott are the expensive end.
Anything unusual in midwinter has probably been frozen. Frozen is not a scandal, but it should not cost fresh money.
Where to eat it
Marsaxlokk on a weekday, when the boats are in and the Sunday crowd is not.
The places one street back from the water often charge less for the same fish off the same tray.
St Paul’s Bay, Marsascala and Xlendi in Gozo all work the same way.
The fish market at Marsaxlokk on a Sunday morning is worth seeing even if you are not buying.
Reading the bill
The weight should be written on it. If it is not, ask.
Sides are usually charged separately, so a plate of chips and a salad add up faster than you expect.
A cover charge of €2–€3 a head is standard and legal. A service charge is not automatic, so check before tipping twice.
