For many of us, indeed for the ‘best’ of us, our days, weeks, perhaps lives function around that first mesmerising cup of coffee in the morning. Admittedly, having a good cuppa’ can make one’s day brighter, less daunting; it gives you a little kick of much-needed energy. Problem is, a bad, or even worse, burnt coffee, can have the absolute opposite effect. Which is why, you cannot, and should not compromise on coffee. Ever.
Here’s our curated list of best coffee shops in town (tried and tested), which will have you on a caffeine high all day long, after licking your lips, and scooping out the dregs in your cup.
Valletta – we had to start with the capital city, where some of the best restaurants, gelaterias (that’s a list for another blog post), and cafes on the island can be found. Top on the list has got to be Lot 61 Coffee Roasters, tucked in a little road just off Merchant’s Street, this little gem of a place has just been included (for the second time) in Europe’s Top 50 Cafes list. The hype is real. This place is a must for any serious coffee lover.
Next is definitely Caffe Cordina – one of the oldest and most charming cafes in Malta, Cordina is a distinctly Italianate in style, more elegant than hipster, but decidedly worth a visit. Select a flakey mini pastry to accompany your hot beverage, for optimum experience.
Last on our mini Valletta list, is Café Berry, which is a must if you think that coffee and anything containing / including pistachio is genius. We highly recommend sampling their pistachio cappuccino.
Next, we head to Msida, where we find two phenomenal cafeterias which deserve to be included in this list. The first is Busy Bee, which ranks up there with Cordina, although it cannot boast the same history. Their Msida outlet was the first to open; located on Msida promenade, this tiny place keeps getting better with time. We also recommend their in-house cakes, pastries and ice-creams.
Coffee Circus is another special place which ranks up top – having launched at University, and debuting from a truck, lots of Circuses have sprouted around the island, ever since. The Msida outlet has to be our favourite, and sitting inside their bay window, people watching or reading one of their books, whilst savouring their creamy cappuccino, is quite the experience.
We had to include at least one café in the Sliema / St Julian’s area, and the prize has to go to Manouche. With 4 outlets in this busy central region, Manouche use the locally roasted coffee beans supplied by Lot 61. We also recommend sampling at least one small decadent chocolately item on the menu.
Finally, our last recommendations are for two spots found in Mosta, and another in Iklin. Mumenti is a tiny café, a few metres away from the iconic Mosta Dome, which is a surprising revelation. We recommend getting your coffee to go, and savouring it in the sunshine on the church’s parvis.
Finally, we wanted to include Baker Street – which is a charming café located beneath an art gallery in Iklin. Whilst absolutely delicious, their coffee can be sampled in the company of some gorgeous artworks, elevating your experience and making it truly unique.
Also worth a mention, are Pascucci and Pastrocchio (same ‘family’). Although a franchise, their fare is consistently delicious.
