I Pupi — Restaurant in Valletta

The heartbeat of Sicilian cuisine in the capital of Malta. Historic Sicilian culinary traditions come alive at I Pupi restaurant.

I rate this restaurant all stars for several reasons.

The Menu. So much tradition, thought, diligence, attention to detail, patience, right timing, skill, goes into the preparation of the food served here. From the authentic Sicilian recipe Pizza(27 variations), to the pasta dishes, to salads, to focacce, to desserts. So much skillful mise en plais goes into the preparation of their dishes. This is a restaurant that serves meals made from the heart, you can tell with every bite. Culinary fusion of ancient Sicilian tradition and modern cuisine. I had the cassata Siciliana and it was beautiful waltz on my palate.

The Environment. A cozy environment greets you as you walk through the doors. Elegant decor with a Mediterranean subtlety to it.

Many diners were in tonight but the space accommodated everyone well. Families, friends, single diners, groups, everyone found their special spot. The restaurant is sectioned in a way that provides space and privacy. I really give them kudos for that.

The light was warm and ambient not harsh or dim. The music played softly in the background. The environment is neat and fresh. The employees were all enthusiastic about the diners and moved around smartly without bumping into people.

Wait time is agreeable, meals are served with professionalism. Price is pocket friendly as well.

This place seems popular with tourists and locals as well, I noticed a mix of nationalities.

Experience ancient, original, historic, Sicilian menus with a...

Delicious food, awful service!

Taking the orders went fast an smooth and the food arrived very quickly, all this within 10 -15 minutes. Tasted wonderful! After finishing the dishes and drinks we had, the plates were takes away by the waiter. After a 30 minute wait, during which no one came to the apparently empty table with us waiting, in oder to ask if we would like any dessert, anything else to drink, or maybe to pay and go, while all other tables around ours were presented with and offered a variety of deserts, and asked multiple times if they need to order anything else, I needed to call a waiter myself and ask for the bill.

The words „was everything ok tonight?“ , „have a nice evening“ and other similar polite manners were to be heard everywhere around, as you would expect, but not in our communication with the waiters, which is unexplainable to me. Anyway - totally unacceptable for a restaurant trying to maintain an above average class.

Unfortunately, the great taste of the food was overtaken by the bitter taste of the bad service at the end and I am for sure not coming back...

INCREDIBLE.

My dad has been making Neapolitan style pizza from scratch using a pizza oven every weekend for the past few years, so he’s gotten it down pretty perfect. So whenever I get pizza from somewhere else, even if the reviews are good I’m always disappointed. But this place…. Holy hell I ate that like I hadn’t eaten for weeks.

The crust is light and crisp, yet fluffy on the inside at the crust which pulled apart just perfectly, with a beautiful char flavor. I could taste all of the individual ingredients’ high quality, and everything was in the right amount and distributed properly.

I cannot comment on the atmosphere and service because I got it delivered (which surprised me even more that it was so good). I will most definitely come visit in Valletta to get the full experience, and I recommended to my friends as well. Definitely one of the best...