Being so close to Italy, Italy heavily influences Malta’s cuisine. Pasta, cannoli, and pizza are everywhere in Malta, and we ate a lot of it. However, I kept thinking that it was just not as good as Italian food; a second best so to speak. However, when we dined at Sotto Pizzeria, I was completely blown away and had, by far, the best meal of the entire trip!
Malta on a map.
Sotto Pizzeria is located in Malta’s capital, Valletta, in a nondescript basement with only a small sign announcing the restaurant.
Dan Dan at Sotto Pizzeria in Valletta, Malta.
We were not expecting much from a pizza restaurant, but made reservations before we left just in case (thanks, Amex Platinum Concierge). In fact, we almost skipped our reservation in favor of another restaurant. Since we had a reservation, we were seated promptly on a Tuesday night and greeted by the a friendly waitress. Side note – while reservations aren’t always required, I would make one. Sotto is quite popular!
The interior. Casual.
Upon being seated, we were given the menus, which oddly featured pictures of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un, and complimentary bruschetta, which were delicious! I knew we were in for a good dinner after trying the bruschetta.
Odd menus. Still cannot place the top person. My guess is he is a dictator.
Complimentary bruschetta.
We also ordered a bottle of the house red wine, as there was no formal wine menu, only a selection of wine on shelves. The house red was pretty good for the price.
Wine & Beer selections.
The house wine du jour – a Merlot and Cabernet blend.
For food, since this was a pizza restaurant, we both ordered pizza! I ordered the Amatriciana (a type of pasta specific to Rome, as a learned earlier this year on my Rome Food Tour) and Dan ordered the Diavola with fresh buffalo mozzarella. My pizza consisted of tomato sauce, mozzarella, pork cheek (guanciale) and pecornio. Dan’s was tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella (an upgrade from regular mozzarella), and spicy sausage. Both pizzas were totally amazing and some of the best pizza that I have ever eaten (and that says a lot!). We both finished our entire pizzas. I still think about mine.
The Amatriciana. OMG SO GOOD!!
The Diavola. EQUALLY GOOD!
Even though we were full from the pizza, we split a set of cannolis topped with pistachios, a Nutella custard dessert, and espressos – I mean, when so close to Italy, right?
Pistachio cannoli and Nutella custard.
Espresso.
In sum, this was 100% my favorite meal of the trip and I regret that we did not go back a second night! Don’t miss this gem if you are in Valletta.
STEAL OUR TRIP
Sotto Pizzeria: 32 South St, Valletta, Malta. Open Tuesday – Sunday 12:00 – 14:45, 19:00 – 23:00. Closed Monday. Reservations recommended, as this place is popular! Casual attire.
Very few things rival how awesome a great pizza is! This one looks awesome!