Today Michelin launched the second Malta Michelin Guide, announcing the list of restaurants that made it in this year's edition. The new Michelin Guide recognises the outstanding restaurants, breadth of cuisine styles and culinary skills found in Malta, Gozo and Comino. Established in the late 19th century, Michelin has maintained its benchmark of international food for more than 120 years, recognising some of the greatest restaurants in the world.
Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta is establishing itself as a gastronomic destination which serves up a wide range of dishes influenced by the many civilisations that made these islands their home. In a bid to embrace the long standing and diverse culinary history of these islands, the Malta Tourism Authority has been championing local, sustainable gastronomy that tips its hat to traditional methods within the context of a modern and buzzing restaurant scene.
The restaurants receiving the most prestigious rating, the Michelin Star, this year are:
- Bahia, Lija (New)
- De Mondion, Mdina
- ION - The Harbour, Valletta (New)
- Under Grain, Valletta
- Noni, Valletta
The three existing Bib Gourmand restaurants all retained their award for ‘good quality, good value cooking' for another year: Terrone, Commando and Rubino.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, said "the last year has created enormous challenges for the hospitality industry around the world and our hearts go out to all those facing difficulties in these trying times. Our inspectors, like the restaurants themselves, have had to adapt, but we were very pleased that they were able to spend time on the islands and find two new Michelin Stars and 5 new Michelin ‘Plates' to add to the Guide".
These restaurants are: The Fork and Cork in Rabat; Chophouse and Fernandõ Gastrotheque, both in Sliema; Zest in St Julian's; and Mezzodi in Valletta. The Plate symbol denotes restaurants where you'll experience "fresh ingredients, capably prepared; simply a good meal".
Moreover, The Harbour Club in Valletta, Noni in Valletta, Briju in Gżira, De Mondion in Mdina, and Tmun in Mġarr have been singled out for their sustainable practices, a promising achievement which is closely tied to The Michelin Green Star which highlights the efforts of those operating at the forefront of their field with sustainable gastronomy practices.
"This is a stamp of quality that indicates how our restaurant sector is upgrading its levels. Up till not that long ago, we did not have any Michelin star restaurants, today we have five with now more than thirty included in the Michelin guide. The gastronomic sector is an important stakeholder in the Government's vision of making Malta a home of tourism excellence where quantity and quality need to walk together in everything that we do," earmarked Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo.
The Chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, Dr Gavin Gulia, added: ‘The MTA welcomes the second edition of the Malta Michelin Guide which is yet again, another step in the right direction for our quality restaurants. Malta has, over time become known for its gastronomy, which oftentimes goes beyond Mediterranean Cuisine. This second edition of the Malta Michelin Guide is another reason, why people should look forward to coming to Malta in the coming months, for the holiday they need after the months of sacrifices which we all had to endure."
The CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, Johann Buttigieg said that ‘despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Malta's restaurants continued operating and working hard to maintain a high-level in the quality of the food they serve and in the service they provide, even though their operations throughout the past year were mostly limited to takeaways. It is with this in mind, that the MTA has also continued to support Malta's restaurants through the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as we look forward to the reopening of Malta's restaurants, and subsequently, to welcoming tourists once again, the second edition of the Malta Michelin Guide is the right dose of motivation our Restaurants need as they prepare to welcome clients very soon.'
More Information: https://guide.michelin.com/mt/en