Italian Food in St Julian’s
Why comfort food always works
It starts as a craving. Not hunger, a craving. Carbonara, specifically. Or a pizza with a proper base. Or that one dish your nonna made, the one no menu ever seems to get quite right.
Italian food at Matto, in short
- Pizza, pasta and plates for the table, all handmade
- Open daily, 12:00 to 23:00
- St George’s Bay, St Julian’s, a few minutes on foot from Paceville
- Set lunch Monday to Friday, two courses €19.50 / three €24.50
- Walk-ins welcome, reservations recommended
- Contact us to reserve a table
So where do you find Italian food in St Julian’s that actually ends the craving? Somewhere that cooks it properly and doesn’t hurry you. That’s us: Matto, on St George’s Bay, St Julian’s, Malta, a few minutes on foot from Paceville. A little bit crazy, a lot Italian.
Italian Dishes in Malta
What makes Matto’s plates so satisfying
You know the plate. The one that lands in the middle of the table and makes everyone reach across. Italian comfort food is food you already know you’ll love: tomato, cheese, pasta and bread, cooked with time. At Matto, on St George’s Bay, that’s the whole idea.
It works for three reasons.
Slow, not rushed
Sauces that sit and reduce. Bread that arrives warm. Pasta rolled by hand that morning. Comfort food takes time, and we give it time, because you can taste when someone didn’t.
Familiar on purpose
Tomato, cheese, pasta, bread. Flavours you’ve known since childhood, done properly. No surprise menus, no ingredients you need to Google. Just the dish you were hoping for, cooked right.
The craving, dealt with
You walked in thinking about carbonara. You leave having eaten carbonara. Not a salad with carbonara energy. Not a deconstructed version. The dish you had in your head, in front of you.
Italian Food in Malta
Which craving is it?
You’ve got that craving for Italian food… we get it! It’s been gnawing at you all day, and a salad won’t touch it. No worries, we get it. Find yours below, and we’ll point you at the dish that does the job, here at Matto on St George’s Bay.
It’s 7pm and only pasta will do
You want warm, saucy and unhurried. Our pasta is handmade, so it holds the sauce properly, and the Bolognese is slow-cooked. Pick your mood:
- Rich and slow: Pappardelle Bolognese (€16.00). Slow-cooked, finished with aged pecorino.
- Silky and simple: Rigatoni Carbonara (€15.50). Egg yolk, guanciale, aged pecorino.
- A bit of theatre: Cacio e Pepe al Carrello (€17.00, vegetarian). Finished tableside, minimum two portions.
- From the sea: Spaghetti Nero Vongole (€17.00). Squid ink pasta, fresh clams, white wine, cherry tomato.
More in our guide to Italian pasta.
You’ve been thinking about pizza since lunch
You want flavours you already know, done right. Every pizza starts with a hand-stretched base, given proper time to rise, so you taste the dough before anything else. Pick your mood:
- Simple: Margherita (€9.50, vegetarian). DOP San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, fresh basil, oregano.
- Spicy: Diavola Ribelle (€15.00). Spicy nduja, mozzarella, stracciatella, Gozo honey.
- Cheesy: Formaggiosa (€14.50, vegetarian). Mozzarella, provola, sweet gorgonzola, ricotta, grana.
- Something unexpected: Mortazza (€18.00). Fior di latte, Pistachio di Bronte, mortadella, burrata.
Planning the whole night? Our pizza night guide has it.
Sunday at nonna’s, minus the washing up
You can’t quite name it, but you’ll know it when it lands on the table. Baked layers, tortelli, sage and butter. Comfort that doesn’t need explaining.
- Layered and baked: Lasagna (€15.50). Bolognese sauce, rosemary bechamel, parmesan.
- Sunday vegetables: Parmigiana di melanzane (€11.50, vegetarian). Fried eggplant, basil tomato sauce, parmesan.
- Pasta pillows: Tortelli Ricotta e Spinaci (€15.50, vegetarian). Spinach and ricotta, lemon sage butter, amaretti crumbs.
- A proper main: Saltimbocca (€19.00). Tender chicken breast, Parma ham, fresh sage.
It was like being in Italy, and as an Italian, I felt right at home. Excellent pizza and delicious carbonara pasta.
Tony Musumeci, Google review
Ready to join us?
Reserve your table today and experience handmade Italian food at its best.
Italian Restaurant in St Julian’s
Made by hand, given time
Behind every plate at Matto, on St George’s Bay, is the same rule: make it properly, and give it time.
Our pizzas start with a hand-stretched base, and the dough gets proper time to rise before it goes anywhere near the oven. The pasta is handmade. So is the focaccia, and so are the desserts. All of it from scratch.
Then the ingredients: burrata from Puglia, Pistachio di Bronte, local Gozo honey, DOP San Marzano tomato. We name them because we chose them.
And some of it happens in front of you. The Cacio e Pepe al Carrello is finished tableside, and it takes a minimum of two portions. Spaghetti alla chitarra, a creamy Pecorino sauce, cracked black pepper.
Italian Dishes to Share
Plates for the table
Plates in the middle of the table, per il tavolo, and people reaching across each other: that’s the other half of comfort food. Every dish here is built to be passed around. One plate, four forks, zero negotiation.
Start with bread. Obviously.
The Focaccia & Olives lands with extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic. The Bruschetta Acciugatella piles stracciatella, anchovies and local Gozo honey onto grilled bread: salty, creamy, sweet, gone in ninety seconds. The Bruschetta al Pomodoro keeps it simple, with local tomatoes, garlic and basil.
Carbs first. Extra ten minutes of spinning tomorrow. Worth it.
When nobody can decide, let the Antipasto Misto decide
24-month-aged Parma ham, grana Padano, burrata from Puglia, pancetta, balsamic onions, Sicilian caponata, spicy nduja, homemade focaccia, music bread and rosemary grissini.
Order it the minute you sit down. It ends the “what should we get” conversation before it starts.
Still room? Good.
The Arancini are Sicilian rice balls stuffed with spinach and smoked mozzarella, with a spicy tomato sauce. The Parmigiana di melanzane layers fried eggplant, basil tomato sauce and parmesan. The DOP Burrata Pugliese arrives with grilled new-season asparagus and toasted hazelnuts.
Then the drinks
The Il Vaso sharing cocktail is built for the middle of the table too. And there’s a full Negroni selection, if you’d rather start with an aperitivo.
Italian Dinner in St Julian’s
Dinner on the bay, night out after
Italian food in Malta works best when the evening has somewhere to go next. We’re on St George’s Bay, a few minutes on foot from Paceville.
Dinner here, night out there
Eat first, properly. Then walk. Dinner here, night out there, and no taxi in between. We’re open daily from 12:00 to 23:00, so the evening can start early.
A weekday lunch
Midweek and hungry? Our set lunch menu runs Monday to Friday, 12:00 to 15:30: two courses for €19.50, three for €24.50. Same handmade kitchen as dinner.
A big table
Coming with a crowd? Groups are welcome. If you’re eight or more, contact us before you come and we’ll sort the table. More in our group dining guide.
Pick your craving. We’ll save the table.
Open daily 12:00 to 23:00. Walk-ins welcome, reservations recommended.
Matto is an Italian restaurant on St George’s Bay, St Julian’s, Malta (St George’s Mall, Triq ix-Xatt ta’ San Ġorġ). We’re open daily from 12:00 to 23:00. Walk-ins are welcome, reservations are recommended, and parties of 8 or more should contact us in advance.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as Italian comfort food?
Dishes you already know you’ll love, cooked with time and made to share: pasta in a rich sauce, a properly made pizza, baked layers of lasagna, bread and plates in the middle of the table.
Where can I eat Italian food in St Julian’s?
At Matto, on St George’s Bay, a few minutes on foot from Paceville. We serve pizza, pasta, seafood and regional Italian dishes every day from 12:00 to 23:00.
Where can I find Italian food in Malta that’s made from scratch?
Here. Our pizzas, pasta and desserts are all handmade, made from scratch, and the focaccia is homemade too.
What should we order to share?
Start with the Antipasto Misto: 24-month-aged Parma ham, grana Padano, burrata from Puglia, Sicilian caponata, spicy nduja and homemade focaccia. Add the Arancini or the Parmigiana di melanzane, then pick your pizzas or pasta.
Are there vegetarian options?
Yes. Look for the (V) on the menu: the Margherita, alla Norma, Formaggiosa, Tartufata, Tortelli Ricotta e Spinaci, Risotto Verde, Parmigiana di melanzane and Cacio e Pepe al Carrello, among others.
Do I need to book?
Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are recommended. You can book a table online.
Can we come as a big group?
Yes, groups are welcome. For parties of 8 or more, please contact the restaurant in advance. There’s more in our group dining guide.