Fontanella Tea Garden — Restaurant in Mdina

Accidentally learned about the restaurant from a blogger's review and decided that since I would be nearby, it was worth a visit, especially considering the promised incredible views. However, the experience turned out to be far from expectations.

Service: Upon entering the restaurant, I encountered a queue of people, and it was unclear whether they were waiting for a free table or had already eaten and were queuing to pay. I had to literally catch waiters who were not eager to assist with seating. It seems it would be excellent to have an administrator who understands the availability of free tables and their locations. This problem accompanied me throughout my time in the establishment. The seating capacity was limited, especially on the open terrace, with constant groups of people moving in all directions, causing inconvenience to relaxation and dining. The presence of an administrator would help seat people faster, free up tables more quickly, and ultimately contribute to greater profit. Another issue with the service was the waitstaff, who seemed to ignore new visitors. I had to wait around 20 minutes just for the menu and an additional 10 minutes to place an order. Four different waiters approached me during the entire time, leaving me unsure whom to ask for the bill or place an additional order. Assigning waitstaff to specific tables would likely speed up service and reduce chaos.

Food: One of the factors influencing my decision to visit the establishment was the extensive selection of cakes, and indeed, the variety is considerable, catering to almost any taste. This can be considered a positive aspect, but I had concerns about the taste. I ordered a chocolate-orange cake and was dissatisfied. The sponge was excessively dry and crumbled like cookies, making it impossible to eat with a fork as it turned into crumbs. The orange filling was overly sugary, causing the sugar to literally crunch on my teeth. This reflected poor dessert quality. I also tried a bagel with salmon, which I didn't like either; the bagel itself was too dry and rubbery, and the amount of onion was confusing—it felt like a bagel with onions rather than with salmon. The slices were a centimeter wide, which is not the norm. The only positive aspect was the coffee; it justified its price, and the presence of a coffee maker helped maintain warmth, aided by heated milk. Overall, I was dissatisfied with the food.

Atmosphere: Enormous crowds of people searching for tables spoiled the atmosphere. Despite the splendid view, the terrace had limited seating, and constant movement around the tables caused irritation. In windy weather, it is preferable to choose a place under a canopy.

Conclusion: In conclusion, I would not recommend this place for leisure, except for a quick lunch visit to enjoy the beautiful view. Prices, on the whole, are not very high, but otherwise, there are...

is a popular tourist destination in Mdina, Malta, known for its stunning views of the Maltese countryside and its delicious snacks and drinks. The tea garden is located on the city walls, and offers panoramic views of the surrounding area.

The tea garden has a wide variety of seating options, including tables on the terrace, in the garden courtyard, and inside the cafe. The terrace is the most popular seating option, as it offers the best views. However, it can be crowded, especially during peak tourist season.

The tea garden serves a variety of snacks and drinks, including coffees, teas, cakes, pastries, sandwiches, and pizzas. The cakes and pastries are particularly popular, and are made fresh daily.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Fontanella Tea Garden, and I was very impressed. I ordered a vegan hummus and salad ciabatta and lemon cake. The cake was decadent, soft and tangy, and the ciabatta was filling! We shared between two, easily. I enjoyed while taking in the stunning views from the terrace.

The service at Fontanella Tea Garden was good. The staff was friendly and attentive. However, it can take a while to get served, especially if the tea garden is crowded.

Overall, I highly recommend Fontanella Tea Garden. It is a great place to relax and enjoy a snack or drink with stunning views of the Maltese countryside.

Pros:

Stunning views Delicious snacks and drinks Variety of seating options Friendly staff

Cons: Seats are very close together Can be crowded during peak tourist season It can take a while to get served Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Tips:

If you want to avoid the crowds, visit the tea garden early in the morning or late in the afternoon. If you are visiting during peak tourist season, be prepared to wait for a table. Try the cakes and pastries! They are made fresh daily and...

I was really looking forward to this place, based on some online recommendations and the amazing photos I've seen of the cakes, however, we were unfortunately a bit underwhelmed by the overall experience, and especially by the cakes.

As you can see in the photos, we tried the: chocolate orange cake, pistachio marzipan and strawberry meringue (pavlova?). They were quite average, despite looking delicious and enticing.

The chocolate orange one was so dry and crumbly with a dry and dense white cream in the middle; the marzipan one was a bit too sweet and you could feel the sugar grinding against your teeth when chewing: the meringue one was a bit better but nothing to write home about.

We also tried the cheese pastizi which had a nice texture but could have done with some extra salt in the cheese (tasted a bit bland).

Lastly I had a toasted sandwich with egg, cheese and ham which was like something you prepare at home when you're too lazy to cook.

The atmosphere is how you'd expect from a super busy place, with long queues of noisy tourists and the waiters running around like headless chickens to cope with the demand (not their fault). As you can guess, the service is really lacking and slow.

The view depends heavily on where your table is, we were fortunate enough to get a decent spot with nice views.

In conclusion, the place is a bit overhyped and not worthy of a second visit, in my...