Our main event: the Malta bars where the cocktails are the reason to go.
Last checked 14 November 2026. No bar paid to be included.
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Cocktail bar
A small neon-lit bar on the corner of St Paul's Street, where people sit out on cushions on the limestone steps. It is known for regular live jazz, sunset seats outside and house drinks such as the Cafe Society Spritz and the Mediterranean Mule.
📍 13 St John's Street, Valletta
Cocktail bar
An art-filled bar run by Bulgarian owner and mixologist Iliyan Iliev, himself an artist. Alongside classic and tiki drinks there is a menu of house specials based on famous works of art, plus signatures like the KAMY Old Fashioned and regular live music.
📍 60 Old Bakery Street, Valletta VLT 1454
🕒 Mon to Sat 5pm to 1am; Sun 5pm to 1.30am (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Speakeasy
Fodor's Choice
Malta's first speakeasy. You walk in through a British phone box into a 1920s barbershop, with Prohibition-era cocktails at about €8 to €12, live music and a smart casual dress code. A Fodor's Choice pick.
📍 Ball Street, Paceville, St Julian's
Japanese restaurant and lounge bar
Listed in the Michelin Guide Malta
A sleek basement Japanese restaurant on the corner of Strait Street and Santa Lucia Street, listed in the Michelin Guide, with a cocktail bar along one side of the room. Try the Sumotori: Japanese whisky, umeshu and vermouth, smoked with green tea.
📍 175 Strait Street, Valletta VLT 1455
🕒 Daily noon to 1am (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Gin and tapas bar
A gin and tapas bar on Strait Street, Valletta's old nightlife lane. Staff know their gins and the menu runs to drinks like the Valletta Mule and the Malta Spritz, with tapas to share and live music some nights.
📍 132 Strait Street, Valletta
Rooftop bar
On the 20th floor of the ME Malta hotel beside Mercury Tower, with 360-degree views, DJs and Japanese sharing plates. The short cocktail list includes the Byakuren, made with sake, triple sec, lychee and jasmine. Go from golden hour into the night.
📍 ME Malta, Mercury, St George's Street, St Julian's
🕒 Daily 6pm to midnight (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Bar
One of Valletta's best-loved bars, with views over the Grand Harbour and live jazz on most Friday nights, when people spill out onto the steps. Get there before 8pm for a seat for the jazz.
📍 St Ursula Street, Valletta
Tequila and mezcal bar
A tequila and mezcal bar on Tower Road. Order the La Luz Margarita or the Mezcalito and check for live music nights.
📍 139 Tower Road, Sliema
Whisky and cocktail bar
An underground, cellar-like bar on Strait Street with more than 140 whiskies, one of the biggest selections on the island, plus cocktails and bistro food. An acoustic duo plays on Fridays. It is small, so it can feel snug when busy.
📍 Strait Street, Valletta
Rooftop bar
Up several flights of stairs in Victoria, Gozo, with two roof terraces: one looks over St George's Basilica, the other over the Citadella. Sharing dishes and cocktails.
📍 Circolo Gozitano, 6 Triq Sir Adrian Dingli, Victoria, Gozo
Mezcal and taco bar
Right next door to KAMY and run by the same owners, this Mexican bar pairs mezcal and tequila drinks with tacos and small plates to snack on between rounds.
📍 Old Bakery Street, Valletta
Cocktail and craft beer bar
A relaxed bar on Old Bakery Street with open taps for craft beer and a cocktail list known for its smoked margarita, a spicy margarita and a well made Cosmopolitan.
📍 67 Old Bakery Street, Valletta
🕒 Mon and Tue 5pm to 11pm; Wed noon to 11pm; Thu and Fri noon to midnight; Sat noon to 1am; Sun noon to midnight (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Café and cocktail bar
Belle époque decor inside and tables outside on busy Republic Street. Sit out with a cocktail and bar bites and watch the city go by.
📍 Republic Street, Valletta
Hotel terrace bar
The terrace bar at The Phoenicia hotel, just outside the city gate in Floriana, looks out over the Grand Harbour. Cocktails cost about €12 to €16. Book ahead in the evening and ask for a front-row seat.
📍 The Phoenicia Malta, The Mall, Floriana
Bar and grill
A bar and grill on the Strand looking across to Valletta, with signature drinks such as the Black Sheep Old Fashioned and the Malta Mule, food from the grill and live music.
📍 72 The Strand, Sliema
Gastro bar
A fusion gastro bar on the Tigné seafront with cocktails all week and an Asian-inspired brunch at weekends from 11am to 2pm, with a bottomless Prosecco option.
📍 33 Tigné Seafront, Sliema
🕒 Mon to Thu 5pm to 11pm; Fri midnight to 11pm; Sat and Sun 11am to 11pm (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Rooftop cocktail bar and grill
A cocktail bar and grill on the 14th floor of the Preluna Hotel, with wide views over the sea. It is at its best at golden hour. Book at weekends.
📍 Preluna Hotel, 124 Tower Road, Sliema
Speakeasy
The hidden speakeasy inside the Mercury development in Paceville. Finding the entrance is part of the fun and the menu is all adventurous, theatrical cocktails.
📍 Mercury, St George's Street, Paceville, St Julian's
🕒 Daily 7pm to 2am (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Gin bar
A gin specialist near Spinola Bay with a long gin cocktail list and staff happy to recommend. Ask for a gin flight to try several side by side.
📍 Spinola, St Julian's
Cocktail and cigar lounge
A lounge and cigar bar down at Portomaso Marina with a menu of classic and new cocktails made with premium spirits and live jazz many nights.
📍 Portomaso Marina, Level -3, St Julian's
Hotel cocktail bar
A classy cocktail bar at the Hilton Malta overlooking Portomaso Marina. Signatures include a Singapore Sling and a Thai Tea Mojito. The bartenders will make a drink to your taste.
📍 Hilton Malta, Portomaso, St Julian's
Sky bar and club
On the 22nd floor of the Portomaso Business Tower, with views over St Julian's and the sea. Go after 10pm at the weekend, when it turns into a club. Order a Martini.
📍 Portomaso Business Tower, Level 22, St Julian's
Rooftop bar
Opposite St George's Bay, with two bars, VIP sofas, a dance floor and DJs, open from noon to 2am every day. Busy most nights and packed at weekends. Smart casual dress.
📍 St George's Bay, St Julian's
Music bar
A reggae bar with frequent live music, a terrace with sea views in the evening and drinks like the Reggae Rum and the Island Mule, at some of the friendliest prices in St Julian's.
📍 7 St Joseph Street, St Julian's
Bar in a cave
A bar set inside a cave in Mellieħa, with views over Mellieħa Bay lit up at night and inventive cocktails. Good value outside the peak season.
📍 Adenau Street, Mellieħa
Whisky and cigar lounge
Gozo's only dedicated whisky and cigar lounge, hidden in the old alleyways of Victoria. A good spot for a nightcap.
📍 Victoria, Gozo
Harbour bar
A bar dating back to the time of the Knights, above Mġarr Harbour, where people watch the ferries come and go at sunset. Known for the best Aperol Spritz on Gozo.
📍 Mġarr Harbour, Gozo
Rooftop pool and lounge
On the 19th floor of the InterContinental Malta: an infinity pool by day that turns into a lounge at sunset, with grill dishes, cocktails and wine. Open from mid-April to the end of October.
📍 InterContinental Malta, St George's Bay, St Julian's
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Start with Cafe Society, KAMY Cocktail Bar, The Thirsty Barber, AKI and Yard 32. Our full list has 28 bars.
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. Malta is next. We put this guide together from our own research and trusted local guides, ahead of bringing Cocktail Week to Malta.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Cocktail Week in Malta
Run a bar in Malta that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.
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