Palio’s Trattoria

Palio’s offers a splendid location with calming sea views. It has ample dining areas both indoors and outdoors, yet it still manages to create a private vibe for diners. Comfortable seating, good lighting, an enticing menu, all add to the feel-good aura of this trattoria. The service is discreet but very efficient, the bar area is elegant and the open kitchen with a wood oven seems frenetically busy yet is a wonder of organisation. Besides being spotlessly clean, the rest rooms are worth a visit to admire the traditional Maltese floor tiles in the anteroom.

The menu is extensive, and caters for all tastes, whims and requirements. The vegetarian and vegan selection is not just a few items randomly added to tick the right boxes but is extensive and obviously well-researched. Inventiveness in the use of ingredients and dishes makes Palio’s an interesting find on the gastronomy map. The bruschetta selection and the squid are appetite-inducing nibbles, and for a starter go for the Jerusalem artichoke risotto, a definite star in the menu. For mains the fresh fish comes perfectly filleted accompanied by delicious sides. The pork spareribs, the beef tagliata and the pizzas from the wood oven are other tasty alternatives. To finish, make sure to leave some space for the imqaret, traditional Maltese date-filled pastries served with ice-cream, a perfect end to a meal at Palio’s.