Bugibba Restaurants

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We had a couple of choices for dinner and we opted for Incognito after reading some good reviews on it, It was opened in 1974 and now takes up quite a bit of space as it has a bar area with live music as well as cafe and the alacarte restaurant further up. Seating was out in the street, we had not booked but we got a table without a problem. The menu is nice and I had been fancying a Prawn Cocktail and a steak all day so that is what I chose, the reviews we had read said their steaks were great and indeed it was but then it should be for £18.50 for a Ribeye, (without sauce) I had Prawns with avocado to start and it was lovely, When we gave our order we were asked if you wanted Chips or potatoes and if you wanted veg, we both opted for chips and veg.
Evan had a prawn salad to start followed by Shrimps and Octopus, it looked lovely (and it tasted lovely as well) with plenty of Octopus and 3 really large shrimps. My steak was lovely, cooked just right and was really tender, it came with a tomato and half a lemon the chips and veg coming separately in 2 bowls. I really enjoyed the steak although the veg was not up to much.
A couple of nice touches were the way they came around with fresh bread (and later with profiteroles) .
I was a bit disappointed when the bill arrived though as i noticed we had been charged extra for the chips and veg, only 1.50 each but i would have thought that when you’re paying 18.50 for a steak with a tomato and half a lemon that chips and veg would have been included.

It was however a really nice meal and i would certainly recommend the food, it is just a little too pricey if you’re on a budget.

If you are looking for midiocre, run of the mill Chinese food, I would highly recommend going to Little Wok Restaurant. We ate their buffet, which was average, at best. Small selection of items in a steam table, and what was there was just OK. However, the price was higher than other places we had been in Bugibba. All in all, this was one of the great disapointments of our whole trip.

Favorite Dish: My favorite dish was the Bottled Water.

This restaurant was the best food we had on our entire Malta trip. In fact, it is perhaps the best Chinese food I have ever had. Not what I was expecting to find in Malta.

Shanghai is one of several Chinese restaurants in the same area of Bugibba. For dinner on the weekends (Friday - Sunday) they serve what they term an "At the Table Buffet", which is basically an all you can eat menu, but it is made to order, instead of sitting out in steam trays. They have a very extensive menu of starters and main dishes, and all where amazing. For under 40 euro, we fed five people (3 adults and 2 kids), and everybody agreed it was excellent. And I am not talking good for the price, or good for a buffet, but I am talinkg about an excellent meal that I would have been happy had I paid twice the price.

The next evening we went to another of the chinese buffets just down the block from Shanghai, and were very disapointed. There, we got mediocre food for a much higher price. Save yourself from these others, and just go to Shanghai. We loved it.

Favorite Dish: Too hard to pick one, but we especially loved the Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Hot and Sour Soup.

The restaurant has both some outdoor tables and indoor tables, maybe about half a dozen of each. The bar is just off to the side, with its own sitting area and tables.

The atmosphere is very casual and relaxed, with soft lighting and simple decorations. The focus here is the food.

Opening Times:
11.00 - 24.00 November to June Tue - Sun
17.00 - 24.00 July to October Mon - Sun
Closed over the Christmas & New year & Good Friday

Favorite Dish: During lunches, they serve lighter meals, like sandwiches and burgers.

Dinner service includes just about everything, but the local dishes are both reasonably prices and quite tasty. The stewed rabbit, chicken Cordon Bleu and bragioli were particularly good.

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Located in the White Dolphin Apartments, located on Dawret Il-Qwara (see Hotels and Accommodation tips), the Il-Garra Trattoria is an Italian restaurant specialising in, naturally, pasta and pizza, although many other dishes are available. Part of the restaurant is indoors, but there is seating outside, however this may be noisy early on as it is right near the sunbathing area and pool of the hotel, and also the balconies of the rooms overlook this area, however it is usually quiet. There was some trouble on the first night with a group of people playing a game on their balcony and making a lot of banging noise, but they were told and they apologised and went inside straight away.

The service was first class, the waiter was extremely friendly and the service was fast (maybe a bit too fast). All the pastas are available as either a starter or main course, and they also do take-away.

We came here to eat on three occasions. The first was for a standard meal, the second was a Maltese Night and the third was a barbeque on our last night, and all three were thouroughly enjoyable.

Favorite Dish: We both had Bruschetta to start, a pasta dish for main course and the ‘Maltese Trifle’ for desert. The Bruschetta was two pieces of toasted ciabatta with tomato, oregano and cheese, and was delicious. I had Penne Matricciana which was also lovely. The sauce was tomato, herbs, chilli and pancetta. My dad had Penne with Seafood and Feta Cheese, advertised as the ‘Chef’s Favourites’ and he really enjoyed it. The trifle was three, brightly coloured layers, and was also delicious.

The Maltese Night was €13 each and was a set menu. All three courses were several small portions of Maltese food. The starter was a platter of sun dried tomatoes, Maltese sausage, local crackers, olives, a tomato relish and an olive paste. Everything was very delicious, and the main course certainly didn’t disappoint. There were several different types of meat, including chicken and pork, but also local Rabbit, the Maltese national dish. The desert was three different things. There was a small portion of the Maltese Trifle we had had on our first visit, a Maltese fruit cake and two other traditional deserts which I don’t quite know how to describe, but I remember them being delicious.

The BBQ was a wide selection of meats, including beef, pork, chicken, sausage and fish. There was also a selection of salad and sauces. All the meat was cooked perfectly on the barbeque by the chef, and the salad and sauces were all delicious. There was tomato sauce, chilli sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet and sour sauce and a garlic olive oil.

Having read the previous review of this restaurant we decided to give it a go. We were welcomed very warmly by the owner who from beginning to end gave us first class service. We started our dinner with a Caesar salad, very tasty with lots of freshly cooked bacon and croutons. We then had the Coq a Vin which was absolutely delicious which unfortunately I could not finish due to the generous helping given. We enjoyed our evening so much we returned a couple of nights later and I had the same meal again and it was as good. Later we chatted to the owner and his lovely wife and were introduced to his family who were making the most of the warm evening outside. This really was the best restaurant we visited in Bugibba and on our return to Malta next year will without doubt call on again (hope they keep the Coq a Vin on the menu). Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

Da Nicole occupies a prominent corner of Bigibba main square, and you will receive a warm welcome from the head waiter. Unfortunately, that just about sums it up for the plus points. We were sat at a table on the square, and left with menu's. We were not invited to order drinks at all. After around 10 minutes, a waiter finally came to take our order, and we were able to ask for drinks. We only ordered 2 starters, the garlic mushrooms were well prepared. As a non-cheese eater, I had welcomed the Spaghetti Carbonara on the menu made without cheese, and ordered it. It was especially frustrating therefore that it arrived covered in parmesan! It was however replaced very quickly however and again was quite acceptable.
There was again a long delay before our main courses arrived. When ordering a rack of barbeque ribs for my 11 year old daughter (who is no longer happy with the chicken nuggets and little else available from the childrens menu) we requested a 'reduced portion' for her. We were advised that they 'can't do that'. When her dish arrived, it was especially annoying to see there was one rather large rack - that would have been adequate for her, with another - equally large, sitting on top of it! It was not that they 'couldn't' offer childs portions, just that they wouldn't - something that every other restaurant in Buggiba that we sampled, was happy to do! My own and my son's dishes - a fresh fish, was listed on the menu as being accompanied either by chips and salad, or by potatoes and vegetables. I requested the latter, and received salad and vegetables - my son received nothing at all. Both dishes were cooked adequately but were liberally covered with a fried garlic and pepper mixture - a fact once again omitted from the menu. My wife's pizza - supposedly piquant, was distinctly sweet, and a second round of drinks ordered on arrival of the main courses just never arrived.
In short, the food was nothing special but mainly not bad, but the service was shocking!
I felt strongly enough that - for the first time in my life, I complained! The waitress felt I should speak to the manager, who duly arrived and listened to my list of problems, with the occasional argument. He then just walked away without a word. We sat waiting for him to return, for approaching 20 minutes without any sign. We finally asked for the bill, and were gruffly informed that the wine (the 7 Euro house red) was free!
That was it - no apology, no explanations - just the free wine! We were still charged full price for two fish without accompanyment, a sweet flavoured pizza, an unwanted super-sized rack of ribs and abysmal service.
This was the only time we received anything other than excellent service in Malta, and I would urge everyone to give this place a miss and to enjoy Maltese hospitality without exception as a result.

After reading a review on VT, we decided to give this Restaraunt a go. Initially we almost turned around and didn't go in, as there was noone else eating there. Please don't make that mistake as it really is worth giving it a go.

A quiet, clean restaraunt, playing some Maltese 'Muzak', the waiter also doubles as your chef, so any questions about the food or requests just let him know.

The food is simple, nutritous, and tasty. We started off with a complimentary leek and potatoe soup, followed by toasted bruscheta with cheese and tomato, and a Maltese Salad. The Maltese salad had a bit of a strange combination, indluding pickled egg, cheese, capers, tomatoes, and loads of olives. Was gorgeous though and I have to admit the pickled flavour contrasted perfectly with the cheese. For mains, we had a Ham Pizza (Fonatella), swordfish (with a lovely tomato and caper sauce), Salmon (two large fillets) and I had the rabbit in a tomato and garlic sauce. This has to be the best meal I have had on Malta. Total with drinks 63 Euros.

Only one other couple arrived when we were there, only reason I can think of it being quiet is it is just off of the main beachfront. Please don't let this put you off, it is worth going.

Favorite Dish: Has to be the rabbit in a tomato sauce. Served with a side of roast potatoes, carrots, and grilled corgette, the whole meal was delicous. Oh and I almost forgot the complimentary Maltese bread to mop up the last of the juices.