Budget food, restaurants and places to eat in Malta

Budget food, restaurants and places to eat in Malta offer good food at great cheap prices, if you know where to find them. Malta is no known for catering to backpackers or budget travellers but there are cheap food places to eat. There is only 1 proper backpacker hostels with a kitchen on the island and that is the Balco Harmony Hostel, Cushcieri Street, Gzira.

Let the locals guide you to where the Maltese eat great local food at low prices, perfect for the traveller on a budget.

Budget food, restaurants and places to eat in Malta

The locals in Malta were brought up on a diet of cheap and filling Maltese food and this has produced a nation that matches the islands of Malta. Round and plumb but wonderful to be around and enjoy a great life in a wonderful climate. The cheapest places to get good budget food is from the many loved Pastizzeria's.

Budget food, buckets of food at ridiculously cheap prices - Pastizzeria's

Pastizzeria's are found around the whole island of Malta apart from in one of the "3 cities" that is too posh to have a Pastizzeria! The best are the chain called Maxims Pastizzeria that does by far the best pea pastizzi's (pea cakes) on the island of Malta and Gozo. Pastizzi's come with 2 fillings, mushy pea and ricotta cheese wrapped in flaky pastry. Perfect any time of the day but one of the greatest hangover recovery foods ever made. Pastizzi's only cost around 25 cents so are a great cheap budget food.

All of Malta's Pastizzeria's offer great value budget food including Timpana's and Ross (Ross il-Forn means rice in Maltese). The Timpana is a meaty pasta bolognese covered with a pastizzi pastry topping (what a perfect combination!) and the Ross is rice in a meaty bolognese. The best thing about this budget foods are they taste awesome (especially from Maxims), they are very cheap, under 2 euros, and they are a very large portion.

Malta's Pastizzeria's also do other budget food delights such as the burger pie (yes!) and the classic Maltese food. Greasy pizza slices with hard boiled eggs on them. These are amazing and are ambrosia.

Budget food places Malta - Paparukei

Paparukei on the corner of Triq Stuart and The Strand in Gzira is an incredible place to eat superb budget food. The food is not just cheap, it’s amazingly good and a large variety. Paparukei is a sandwich shop and bakery that sells cakes including proper English jam donoughts and English sausage rolls! The sandwiches include wraps and Ftira's (the local Maltese bread of bread with a tough rip your lose teeth out crust but soooo tasty). You must have the Maltese Ftira local style with Tuna, olives etc or you have not experienced Malta properly.

If this wasn’t enough for you budget travellers and eaters it does takeaway boxes where you can choose anything on display. Small boxes are around 2 euros, medium 4 and large 6. They will cram it with noodles, slices of chicken, beef, pasta, whatever is left on display. Don’t be shy keep asking for more stuff until they stop, they expect you to and keep asking you what you want.

WARNING: Paparukei is very. very popular with locals and workers so it will be very busy after midday and will run out of stuff by 1 or 2 of the clock. That’s how good it is.

Budget food places Malta - Step On

Budget food places Malta - Giordanos Bar and Restaurant

Budget food places Malta - Mama Mia's Restaurant

Mama Mia's Restaurant is famous for its great value monster portions of food and its rack o ribs. Now the choice does not seem hard now but wait until you get there. BBQ or Tennessee, half a rack o ribs or a full rack o ribs. The Tennessee ribs are sweet and spicy and immense. And its got to be a full rack o ribs, so large they have to cut the rack in half to fit in on your Alan Partridge plate.

Budget food places Malta - Charlie's Inn (rabbit restaurant)

You don't pay for the decor, you pay for the food, the great local chilled out atmosphere and the desert trolley to die for. You also get free snails to start with! The best way to eat the rabbit is to have 2 of you and you then basically get a rabbit chopped in half, eyes, brain and everything. The question being was it male or female and who was gay and ate the penis!

People take their time eating and the restaurant owners expect you to chill out. After you have finished your main course comes the best part of the night. Out comes the Trolley Dolly, like your Nan use to wheel it out overloaded with your favourite deserts.