Taverna Bistro Bugibba Malta — Restaurant in Saint Paul's Bay

We booked a table for 20, and the owner was very welcoming. It was also appreciated that no card or deposit was required to secure the booking.

The service felt a little challenging at times, which may have been due to the size of our group, but the waitress did her best. Most of our group seemed happy with their meals, although a few were less satisfied. Speaking personally, and as a Head Chef myself, I found the food below expectations — though I acknowledge my standards may be higher than most.

The oysters were fresh and enjoyable, simple and well presented. However, the octopus was tough, cold, and under-seasoned. My duck dish was the most disappointing: it arrived cold, unseasoned, and grey in appearance. For reference, cooking it sous vide at 59°C for 1.5 hours, then searing and finishing in the oven before resting it correctly, would ensure it is served properly cooked, tender, and red as it should be.

The date fritters were very tasty and well done. My wife ordered the rabbit stew, which was difficult to eat as it was served on the bone. Rabbit is naturally tough, and in this preparation, the meat was also quite bland. Serving it shredded off the bone with proper seasoning could elevate the dish considerably.

Overall, from a professional standpoint, I found the experience disappointing. That said, I recognize others in our group enjoyed their meals, so it may simply be a...

We went to Taverna Bistro as a group of four. We were a bit disappointed because the price-value ratio didn't feel right compared to other places in the area.

We had the seafood linguine, the rabbit stew, the salmon tartar, and the ribeye steak. The seafood linguini was fine. Nothing super spectacular but absolutely okay. The rabbit was rather dry and while rabbit on the bone tends to be a bit finicky, this one felt like there was a lot more bone than meat, which was a bit frustrating. The steak was fine but was meant to come with potatoes and vegetables, but ended up coming with chips, squash and sweet potato. While those are technically potatoes and vegetables, it wasn't quite what we expected. It was also not really cooked to the requested temperature. The chips in general were quite starchy.

The salmon tartar was the only dish that was really nice and exactly as the menu stated.

The service was quick to usher us in but then really slow for drinks and food orders after. I had to ask for a fiscal receipt which seemed to create confusion and took about 10 minutes to sort out, which was also a bit frustrating. But in the end it did all work out fine.

Average rating of 3 stars nonetheless as it was all rather average but to higher than average prices...

Went here to try their set menu, which I think its pretty good deal especially on first time trying this restaurant. Nice relaxing interior with some of Maltese character vibe. At start you will get served pieces of fresh Maltese bread with arioli dip (garlic, tomatoes, anchovies base) and a complimentary glass of wine. The starter that I took was calamari fritti, which is pretty good as the squid feels fresh with right amout of crispy batter served on top of tangy tartar sauces.

Continuing the same theme from the starter, I opted for the fish of the day which in my day was filleted sea bass pan fried on top of roasted potatoes and local veggies. The main course was the highlight of the set, as the fish was perfectly cooked with crispy skin and seared marks on the meat and also the roasted sides are no slouches either as they were perfectly seasoned like the fish with right amount of textures. Overall dish was bursting with flavour and i was really enjoying it. The meal was closed with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with crumbled pistachios. Last but not least, the services were good and attentive so I would recommend this place to anyone visitting...