ALWAN Grill . Cafe . Bistro — Restaurant in Ta' Xbiex

🥰 Today we (wife and I) visited this wonderful little bistro, opposite the Rotunda in Mosta, for probably the seventh or eighth time since it opened. On each occasion we have tried something different from their genuinely authentic Lebanese menu. First of all, the menu is inclusive, in other words there is plenty to choose from if you are not carnivorous. Secondly, we are always made to feel very welcome by whichever member of the charming team serves us. The surroundings are comfortable and nicely cooled for this raging summer heat and the view out of the huge front windows is beautiful. So for lunch we both ordered wraps. I chose a chicken Shwarama and my wife had the Falafel version. Both came in good time and was neatly presented, fresh and piping hot with a small but more than adequate fresh, crisp side salad. Upon opening my wrap, I was hit by a wave of the most delicious and exotic Middle Eastern aromas, putting me in mind of the Old Souk in Dubai. I bit into the very well proportioned and tightly packed delicacy to experience the most wonderful combination of spices and citrus tangs accompanied by a delicious smokiness that ran through the entire wrap. Exotic and sensational the flavours lingered on and on, the crisp vegetables and the french fries soaked in Tarator added to the texture and the flavour in an unusual but very satisfying way. This was a most satisfying lunch that made me smile inwardly and outwardly for some time. Its that feeling you get when something you purchased was actually even better than you thought it was going to be. I have to be honest, this is generally my experience in this chic little bistro. Value, service and quite excellent food. I have lived here for ten years and I would say the food these wonderful professionals produce and serve, is amongst the best anywhere on the island and also represents excellent value for money. I do not write on my wife's behalf as she has her own opinions but I do know we were equally happy. PS: Well done on being one of the few establishments on either island that take decaf coffee seriously; an exquisite brew to cap off a wonderful experience. Thank you, we will be...

Excellent location, right in front of the gorgeous Rotunda church, and main traffic square in Mosta. Lots of action to observe while sipping coffee or munching on something. The WC is clean and functional. Service was fast and friendly. Seating outside is comfortable, inside seating as well. Lots of space. But that's the good news.

The food was uninspiring, almost boring. The lahmacun was nearly tasteless, nothing at all like the interesting spiced flavorings of a Turkish (and authentic Beirut) meat pie. The meat, while abundant, was piled on thick, like hamburger crumbs. Totally boring and uninviting. No color, no spice, amorphous squishy texture, zero mouthfeel, not even an odor of cooked meat to be found! Nothing interesting at all. The meat was hot but not crunchy meaning the pie seemed heated in a hot-wall oven, not under flames. The bread was soft and squishy; it should be crunchy and thin. The only garnish was a cut lemon. Added some desperately needed zing to the pie but it was not nearly enough.

I ate it, I was hungry (after 1hr jammed arm-pit-to-nose on bus 41 MPT at 5pm on a weekday, standard service for crowded Malta, even in offseason December), but it wasn't easy. Sadly, the 9E price is easily double what you pay for superior lahmacun in Antalya or Athens. The kibbeh was also plain and unexciting; it came with next to nothing in spice, sauce, garnish, on a small simple plate. For 6E.

Friendly, fast service, great location, WC ready for service (!), are fantastic...but wow, this is a restaurant, supposed to be serving excellent food, interesting, inviting, tasty, memorable, tantalizing odors and textures, garnishes, side-dishes, sadly completely...

The restaurant itself has good placement in front of the church but that’s as far as it goes. I had to wait 20 minutes or so for my drink because the staff forgot, which can happen so didn’t think much of it. But when the food arrived after half an hour it was burnt and most of the food that was not burnt had zero flavor. I’m sure that the good reviews are from people who have not had lebanese food before… When the staff checked in we informed them that the food was burnt and showed him that it was inedible and he shrugged it off and apologised but did not offer any solutions. When the bill came we requested that they not charge us for the dish that was burnt but he said that we should have asked for a replacement dish earlier as they will not remove the food from the bill (even though we had told him earlier and clearly shown it to him). Generally disappointed as we sought out a Lebanese restaurant on the island and came from Valletta to eat here but feel let down by the food and...