Malta's walled capital packs most of its best bars into a few streets: the limestone steps off St Paul's Street, Old Bakery Street and Strait Street, once the island's sailors' quarter and now its bar street. Across the Grand Harbour from Valletta, the old fortified towns of Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua.
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)
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
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
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
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
Pub
A small, traditional Valletta pub on Archbishop Street, best known as the place where the actor Oliver Reed had his last drink. It has become a post-theatre hangout, where small theatre companies have even staged Shakespeare.
📍 Archbishop Street, Valletta
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
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Start with Cafe Society, KAMY Cocktail Bar, AKI, Yard 32 and Bridge Bar. Our full list has 13 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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