Low light, good drinks and somewhere to talk: the Malta bars we would pick for a night for two.
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)
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)
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)
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
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
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
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
Wine bar
Malta's first wine bar, open since 2002 in a 400-year-old cellar on Strait Street. More than 200 wines, with cheese and charcuterie boards and Mediterranean small plates.
📍 Strait Street, Valletta
Wine bar
A candlelit wine bar in a medieval cellar within a historic palace in Birgu, across the Grand Harbour from Valletta. One of Malta's most romantic wine bars.
📍 Birgu
Lido
The sea access lido at the Westin Dragonara in St Julian's, a long-standing favourite for a polished day by the water.
📍 Westin Dragonara Resort, Triq id-Dragunara, St Julian's
Wine bar
A Tuscan wine bar in a quiet corner of Victoria, Gozo, opened in early 2025 and named after a day of wine tasting in Montepulciano, with Italian food and well-priced dishes.
📍 Triq Dun Karl Bondi, Victoria, Gozo
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Start with Cafe Society, KAMY Cocktail Bar, AKI, Radio Rooftop and Bell & Bastion. Our full list has 17 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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