Xara Catering

Xara Catering takes the cooking of the Xara Collection out to events. The Xara name is known in Malta for its restaurants and hotel, and this arm applies the same kitchen and service team to weddings, corporate functions, conferences and celebrations, with bespoke packages built around each occasion.

Its base is The Xara Lodge in Rabat, close to the walled city of Mdina. Because it has access to some of the island's most historic and prestigious locations, and can also cater anywhere you choose, it suits hosts who want a distinctive setting as well as good food. It appears on VisitMalta.co.uk among the catering companies in Malta.

Weddings and private celebrations

Weddings are a core part of the service. The team plans seated celebrations, receptions and destination weddings, from intimate gatherings to large receptions, with menus designed around seasonal ingredients and a personal approach to service. A named weddings manager and an events manager look after the planning.

Whether your taste runs to timeless elegance, modern chic or rustic romance, the team can match the style of the day. Overseas couples can pair a wedding with a stay, and our guides to where to stay in Malta and hotels in Mdina and Rabat help with guest accommodation. If you also need help with the wider planning, the directory lists event planners such as 242.group.

Corporate events and MICE

For businesses, Xara Catering covers conferences, standing receptions, private functions, tailor-made lunches, staff parties, festive celebrations, business meetings, gala dinners, team-building days and yacht catering. MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, and the team treats it as a speciality, pairing professional service with historic venues.

Photographs from the business show conference rooms with rows of seating, banquet halls dressed for gala dinners and a hangar set for a long dinner. A director of corporate and a team of sales managers handle enquiries, and a quote can be requested for any event.

Careful planning is the point of this service: the team helps define goals, secure a venue and organise every detail, so attendees can focus on the programme and clients can focus on the conversation. Menus can be requested in advance, which lets an organiser compare options and budgets before committing to a date.

Venues across Malta

The venue list is extensive. Xara's own sites include The Xara Lodge in Rabat, The Xara Palace in Mdina and a villa in Balluta. Beyond these, the team works at heritage and garden locations such as the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the Grand Master's Palace Throne Room, the Upper and Lower Barrakka Gardens, Fort St Elmo and the Saluting Battery in Valletta, Fort St Angelo and the Inquisitor's Palace in Birgu, and several Mdina palazzos.

Each venue listing can be filtered and shows standing and seating capacity, indoors and outdoors, which helps when you are matching a room to a guest count. Settings range from rooftop spaces with wide views to countryside retreats, and the team helps you choose between them.

The list also includes wine estates in Attard and Siġġiewi, the Aviation Museum, Popeye Village in Mellieħa and the Gardjola Gardens in Senglea. Our guides to Valletta guide, Mdina guide, the Three Cities guide, Popeye Village guide and the Upper Barrakka Gardens describe several of these places, and the Knights of Malta guide explains the history behind the forts and palaces.

Food and the Xara Gardens

The kitchen is led by a director of culinary and an executive chef, and menus are tailored for each client. Behind them are the Xara Gardens, where a majority of the vegetables served across the Xara Collection's restaurants and hotel are grown on site.

The gardens use waste recycling, upcycled materials, rainwater harvesting, water-saving irrigation and companion planting instead of pesticides, giving a farm-to-fork approach with less transport. To plan your event, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Xara Catering.