La Nostra Padrona — Restaurant in Marsaxlokk

Imagine this: I was planning a day trip including Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga, and I wanted to get a nice lunch in Marsaxlokk, so I asked Chat GPT for recommendation, and the AI came up with the name of "La Nostra Padrona". To my surprise I realised that this was the very place where I already ate last year on my first visit to the town. I was very satisfied then, so I hoped for a similar treat this time, too. The waitress suggested some fresh fish, so I went for a sea bass, with some roast potatoes and grilled vegetables, while my wife chose paccherini with peeled shrimps in tomatoe sauce with burratina. The wine list offered some good choice of wines from many corners of the world, but we wanted to drink something local, so we picked 1919 by Marsovin, a blend of Chardonnay, Moscato and Girgentina. This turned out to be an excellent choice, because the wine was delicious both on its own and as the company to the meal. The food was excellent, we were hoping for something good, but I must say that the quality exceeded our expectations. The pachherini, in delicious sauce, with a generous addition of perfectly cooked shrimps, gently teased our palates, and the sea bass was soft, juicy and simply exquisite, together with the grilled vegetables and roasted potatoes, nicely seasoned with a tasty selection of herbs and spices. Oh, I would forget the lovely bread which we received before the meal, which tasted so good, with the olive oil and aceto balsamico. This was a real feast, and for an affordable price, too. We also felt very well taken care of by the team of waiters and the boss, skilfully managing the team. After the meal, he treated us with a glass of very good limoncello. We had a nice chat, and I told him that I would be recommending the restaurant to everyone. This is definitely a perfect place to visit, you will be served well, and your palate will be...

This restaurant needs to go back to learn what service and serving good food is all about.

First, the food: The linguini vongole was really too salty. The pasta which we love al dente was undercooked, you could still see the white crunchy part when you bite into it.

They brought a dessert which was a cheesecake with raspberries on top. The raspberries all had black mold spots on the outside. It was obviously not fresh. When we pointed that out, the waiter said: it’s like this, we can’t do anything about it, remove it yourself.

Our wine came and was poured in a glass that was dirty. When we mentioned it, instead of opening a new bottle, the waiter threw the wine away and changed the glass. Thus, we paid for the wine that was thrown away.

At no point did they apologize for the dirty glass or moldy food.

Second, the service: In this kind of “highly rated” restaurant, the waiters, out of courtesy, should let the customers go through first when you pass. This is definitively not something they care about. I was taking the small pathway to get to my table and I had to move aside to let the waiters through. It happened twice like that and I could see it was the way they were with all customers.

The restaurant has east-asian staff and they treat them differently than the other staff, seems like they are looking down on them and bossing them around rudely in front of customers.

They did not greet us when we left, the person in charge of this duty was too busy fishing for new customers.

So this is more like a pasta factory or fast street food outlet than a well reviewed restaurant.

Avoid this place, it’s the worst restaurant we have visited during our...

Definitely one of the best if not the best Seafood restaurant in Malta. The true rating would be 4.5 stars as I reserve 5 stars for a flawless meal and experience. La Nostra Padrona is close to this. Been going there at least twice a year for the past 3 years and the food was always excellent and consistent. A feat which should not be underrated.

For starters I would suggest the Prawn Tartare. Simply divine, cannot describe the pleasure you get from eating this dish. One comment/suggestion would be to replace the Prawn crackers with small pieces of toasted bread instead. The Prawn Tartare is served on a bed of rucola, some thinly sliced tarftufo and caviar on top, with a side spoon of lime jelly. Excellent combination and balanced flavours with nothing overpowering the other. The lime jelly is by no means to sweet, it's just right. Well done to the chef.

As for mains you are spoiled for choice, pasta is excellent, fish is marvellous and shellfish are always cooked to perfection. Would recommend grilled lobster if available as the taste is simply fantastic.

The service: I would say most of the staff are up to the task. As always some servers are better than others but that is no fault of the management.

The ambient: Dining outside in the summer is a pleasure. However dining inside in the colder is even more of an experience. The top floor has a couple of tables in the closed balcony overlooking Marsaxlokk. In my opinion the best seats of the house.

Summary: Food: 4.8 Service: 4.5 Ambient: 4.5

Well done to the staff and the owner....