The Best Pastizzi In Malta

My goal is to find the definitive (albeit subjective) answer to where you can find the best pastizzi in Malta.

For those unaware, a pastizzi is a traditional Maltese pastry, typically filled with either ricotta cheese or a spiced pea mixture, wrapped in a flaky, crispy dough. It's a very popular savoury snack in Malta.

I'll be visiting a variety of pastizzerias across the island and document my findings. My favourite is the pea pastizzi (pastizzi tal-pizelli) so I'll be getting one pastizz(? somebody please correct me on the singular) of those each time. Lets start with the ones to avoid and work our way to my top recommendations.

Muscat Pastizzeria, Msida

The week before I visited here I had overdone it. Pastizzi for lunch too frequently doesn't leave you feeling the best would you believe it. But now with a fresh stomach I was ready to continue my search. This place can be found very close to Kullegg bus stop, which is also home to Jons Pastizzeria. I skipped Jons this time and continued round the corner to Muscat, which has a slightly lower 4.5 rating on Google but still good reviews.

As I arrived, a couple was ordering and a few people were walking away with grease soaked bags in hand - a good sign of its popularity. I ordered one pea pastizzi, a chocolate croissant, and a canned ice coffee for a total of €3.80.

The pastizzi was a little dry but interestingly had the strongest pea flavour of any I have tried so far. However that extra flavour didn't make up for the overall experience.

The croissant was warm and very soft. A nice texture, but incredibly sweet. The more I ate the more I noticed the chocolate filling had a strange tang to it.

And finally the coffee is of course a generic cheap canned coffee and not a reflection of the pastizzeria. I've had worse, but I would still save your daily caffeine limit for something else.

My Rating

⭐⭐
Despite the good Google reviews, this ain't it.

Jons Pastizzeria, Mdina

This is the closest pastizzeria to my home, so I really want it to be good. I've visited here twice now and both times have been a solid experience. The first time I got a pea pastizzi and a pea qassata. After walking 5 minutes back home with them they were still hot, fresh and certainly filling enough. On my second visit I got a pea pastizzi which cost 50 cents. This one was a little dry, but still enjoyable. It was late afternoon so maybe not the freshest and it had time to dry out, but there was still plenty of stock so who knows.

What lets this place down is the service. On both visits the employee seemed quite grumpy and did not speak much English. It certainly doesn't feel as welcoming as Muscat around the corner. You also have to battle your way through the large crowd waiting at the bus stop right outside. That said, the quality of the pastries are better and you'll spend more time enjoying them than placing your order so it's not a deal breaker.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐
With some friendlier service this could be a 5 star recommendation.

Is-Serkin, Rabat

This is it - the big one. The one that everyone's told you is the best and that you must try. It's conveniently located near the entrance to the walled city of Mdina, and even more conveniently is where the tours of Mdina will make a stop. I've visited a couple of times now, but only a few in recent memory so I'll focus on those.

My first visit was on a Sunday in August. It was mid afternoon and they had plenty of stock. I think the time of day was a good factor here because what I got was an absolutely delicious pastizzi. It was the perfect balance of flaky and greasy. I now believe the key to the best pastizzi is to be not fresh out of the oven, but not too old either. Give them some time for the grease to dry out and you have perfection.

However! I visited again just a few days later, at lunchtime, and was not nearly as impressed. This time I got both a pea and a ricotta pastizzi. The latter had the same perfect texture as my last visit but with my lesser favourite filling. The pea disappointed me this time. It was very wet and too hot to eat. Furthering my theory that timing is key.

Overall I see why it gets its reputation. At only 50 cents for one pastizzi even if you're not there at the optimal time it's certainly a Maltese rite of passage to eat here.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The first visit was perfect and was an easy five stars. But the second visit let me down. So I'm going to have to go with the average in the middle. For now. I will have to go back for more... research.

More to come.