Michelin launched its first travel guide at the end of the 19th century to promote travel by car. The star rating system for restaurants appeared in 1926. Since then Michelin has rated about 30,000 establishments in three categories.
Michelin stars. A restaurant can receive from zero to three Michelin stars. The dishes are evaluated according to five criteria: quality of ingredients, taste and technique of cooking, uniqueness of the chef's style, value for money, and maintaining the declared bar of food quality.
Bib Gourmet. The category is named after Bibendum, the Michelin mascot. It includes restaurants that serve good food at affordable prices. An establishment will enter the category if it can order a three-course dinner - a starter, a hot meal and a dessert - for an amount within a set price range. In 2021, the price per dinner must be no more than €36 in Europe and $40 in the United States.
The Michelin plate is awarded to establishments that serve "simply delicious food" - made with fresh ingredients and well prepared.
The restaurant's interior and quality of service are rated on a separate Michelin scale. The rating of the establishment is reflected in the form of a crossed spoon and fork - from one to five.
The Michelin Guide to Malta first appeared in 2020. All the restaurants in the guide are listed on the official website.
Michelin-starred restaurants in Malta
Three Maltese restaurants received one Michelin star each for the high quality of their food.
⭐ «Noni» in Valletta
- Cuisine: modern Maltese, Mediterranean
- Specialties: octopus tagine, sliced rabbit meat with lemon and thyme sauce, Maltese dessert te fit-tazza
- Average bill for dinner: 54-80 €
The unusual name of the restaurant is the nickname of the owner and chef Jonathan Brinkat. The menu consists of traditional Maltese and Mediterranean cuisine in a modern interpretation. Local, seasonal produce is used in the preparation. The main menu is accompanied by a wine list with Maltese and Italian wines.
Guests of the restaurant can book a table in the main hall or on the basement, stylized as a wine cellar with stone decorations on the walls.
Interior of the basement of the Noni restaurant
Noni specialty - octopus tajine with Israeli couscous
Source: noni.com.mt
⭐ «Under Grain» in Valletta
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Specialties: salt-baked celery, mushrooms, and raw beef on toast; Kyiv-style mussels, bania cauda, and rosemary porridge; white chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit and marjoram sorbet
- Average bill for dinner: 70-95 €
The interior of the restaurant is inspired by the tailor's profession, and the chosen theme can be seen in every detail. For example, the menu is designed like a patte , the waiter marks the selected dishes with a tailor's crayon, and the receipt holder is a pincushion.
The chef, like a professional tailor, creates a unique canvas of flavors from Mediterranean cuisine.
⭐ «De Mondion» in Mdina
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Specialties: red shrimp with guanchiale, soy and fennel; rabbit with lardo and cassoulet; cannoli with pear, baked ricotta and Maltese bread
- Average bill for dinner: 70-96 €
The restaurant is located on the top floor of the five-star boutique Xara Palace Hotel, in a 16th-century building. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with paintings by Maltese artists. In summer you can order a table on the terrace overlooking the sea.
Mediterranean dishes are prepared in the restaurant using local products. Large selection of wines - French, Italian and Maltese.
Maltese restaurants with a delicious dinner up to 36 €
«Terrone» in Marsaxlokk
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Specialties: ravioli with langoustine, mullet, and topinambour; wood-roasted monkfish tail with tomatoes, fresh ginger, and roasted polenta; rum baba with fresh strawberries and citrus cream
- Average bill for dinner: 30-60 €
Bistro Terrone is located on the terrace by the sea, so it's perfect for a relaxing dinner. The cuisine is a mixture of Maltese and Southe Italian dishes, many of which are cooked on the open fire here. The specialties tend to be fish dishes. They are accompanied by local beer and wine.
Source: terrone.com.mt
«Commando» in Mellieha
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Specialties: aged parmesan gnollotti with winter truffles and fried onion cream; pork brisket with Maltese sausage, oyster mushrooms and fried cauliflower; apple pie with salted caramelized apples and ice cream
- Average bill per dinner: 29-47 €
The Commando Restaurant is a family business that has been around since the mid-1930s. And the name refers to the times when the grandfather of the current chef treated British marines at the establishment.
Traditional Mediterranean cuisine here is prepared exclusively from local products and with the author's approach.
Source: commandorestaurant.com
«Rubino» in Valletta
- Cuisine: Traditional Maltese
- Specialties: risotto with rosemary; pork in honey, lemon and thyme; Sicilian cassata
- Average bill per dinner: 28-56 €
The Rubino Bistro opened in the Maltese capital in 1906. Originally it was a pastry store where, among other things, they sold Sicilian cassata - a layered cake with ricotta, fruit and marzipan. The chef of the bistro still makes it according to the original recipe.
Second citizenship or residence permit - a vacation even in a pandemic
Russians are temporarily unable to travel to Malta by direct flight: the Maltese border is closed due to the pandemic. There are bypass ways, for example it is possible to get to the island via Turkey. But to use them, you have to overcome quarantine restrictions: take a PCR test for coronavirus several times and stay a specified number of days in quarantine.
Citizens and residents of Malta have the right to travel to the country at any time, regardless of the restrictions in force. The fastest way to get a passport or residence card is by investing.
Maltese citizenship can be obtained by naturalization on the basis of direct investment from 800,000 €. The foreigner first obtains a residence permit, and after a year or three years applies for citizenship. If the application is approved, he can become a citizen of the country.
Permanent residence permit in Malta is issued if a foreigner meets several conditions: pays administrative and governmental fee, buys or rents a house, transfers money to charity. The minimum investment amount is 112,000 €.
Residence permit in Malta can also be obtained by complying with the conditions: buy or rent accommodation and pay the administrative fee. After obtaining a residence permit card, a foreigner must spend at least 183 days a year in the country and pay annual income tax in Malta.
When Malta lifts entry restrictions, holders of a residence permit in Portugal or a residence permit in Greece will also be able to visit the country.
Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent of the European residence permit by investment programs. If you want to get a second passport or become a resident of a European Union member country, contact the experts of the investment programs for advice.
