Il Gabbiano Restaurant — Restaurant in Żebbuġ

I've thought long and hard about this review and believe it is 100% fair. I have three negatives and two positives, so have gone with two stars. The positives were the stunning location - our meal was in the dark, surrounded by candles on the rocks and with the sea splashing up against the rocks. The setting was just stunning. The second positive was the main course that myself and my girlfriend had - the pumpkin ravioli in a caramelised/brown butter. This was lovely and light as it should be. Now on to negatives: (1) Upon arrival we were asked if we wanted still or sparkling water. I chose still, and thought this was complementary as we were not asked IF we wanted water. I then saw an expensive bottle being opened and asked if it was being charged and it was (at 5 Euros). This is cheeky and maybe something that happens at very expensive restaurants, but not in Marsalforn. Be warned! If you want to charge me 5 Euros for water, then show the cost on the menu, OR at least ask me if I want water!! (2) We were quite a late arrival but inside serving time and the waitress (owner I think) was quite abrupt and straight faced. (3) We ordered Fried Calamari as is popular all around Marsalforn and Gozo. This is typically done in a light coating of flour/cornflour/semolina (or can also be done in a light Tempura batter), however we were served fried calamari in a really thick batter like a cheap Chinese takeaway (like sweet and sour chicken balls). I wouldn't be surprised if it was frozen. I've looked back at past reviews and have seen the same comment. This was so disappointing. Calamari should not be served like this. It just feels like a restaurant trying to be high end when they can't back it up with service or quality of food (in...

We should have read the most recent reviews before going to this restaurant… but we learned the hard way. We were simply looking to enjoy some good fish in Marsalforn… What an adventure!

We asked for the famous “fish of the day.” First surprise: the waitress didn’t even know its name. Fair enough, she went to ask. She came back with the name but no price. Second round trip, this time to the manager. And here comes the magic: after quite a wait, the manager returned, visibly annoyed, without the slightest smile or empathy. I found her attitude so arrogant that I honestly didn’t understand it, especially since we had shown absolutely no disrespect… but never mind, I won’t dwell on that detail.

Result: €88 for two tiny fish and two drinks. At that price, I was at least expecting a little warmth, or—dare I dream—a smile served with the bill. And to complete the experience, the fish were supposed to come with fries… which we never saw. Just another little “detail” forgotten.

As if that wasn’t enough, my wife had ordered a Sea Breeze cocktail—so watered down with ice that it felt like drinking plain water. When I asked for it to be replaced, the manager’s answer was priceless: “That’s the exact recipe.” No problem, we simply ordered another drink instead.

At least the restaurant is nicely located and tastefully decorated… which gave us the chance to enjoy a few rocks as consolation.

And finally, one last word for the manager: if you ever read this, please, with the utmost kindness, CHANGE JOBS. The restaurant business is truly a difficult one—I fully recognize that—but it’s clearly not for everyone....

The atmosphere and view was beautiful, for the food it took quite a long time We were seated at 9 pm at 22:30ish the food came out.

My mother and I had ordered calamari fritti, scallops and goat cheese which were from the starter menu for our main.

To begin with there were only 3 scallops which In fairness I get it is a starter so I did not mind, but for taste, it was clearly not cooked well (overcooked) It was rubbery and chewy.

As the calamari fritti they were just as rubbery if not more the smaller bits were a bit more manageable but not any better.

They also offered us bread in the beginning, which we said yes to when it arrived We cut one open and took a taste. It was raw the taste was fine in the beginning but at the end, you get a starchy raw taste.

My father and brother took rib-eye steak, and we asked if it included chips as it was not mentioned anywhere. It did not for a meal that is €32 I do not understand how you can expect someone to order a meal and only serve them a slice of meat with no sides.

At the end, we were charged for the bread (so keep in mind it is not included if you go there ).

Overall would not go again I personally bearly touched the food and ended up eating the last bit of meat my brother left from his rib-eye which obviously I was still...