Qbajjar Restaurant

Qbajjar Restaurant stands on Triq ix-Xwejni at Qbajjar, the small bay that gives it its name. The cooking is traditional Maltese and Mediterranean with a modern edge, served with sea views and a team that takes service seriously, and diners have the use of a private car park. Our page on restaurants in Marsalforn covers the rest of the resort, and our list of restaurants across Gozo takes in the whole island.

The kitchen and its approach

A team of chefs works from fresh local ingredients, and the menu combines a long à la carte list with specials that change every day. Fish depends on what the boats bring in, so the daily catch is the dish to ask about first, and live lobsters are kept in an aquarium in the restaurant, ready to be cooked to order. The menu is written in Italian with English descriptions, and it moves from raw seafood and shared antipasti through fresh pasta and risotto to grilled meat, Gozitan classics and pizza, with a children's menu at the end.

Lunch runs until 3:30 pm, so the mix of seafood, rabbit and pasta suits a long, unhurried meal after a morning by the sea.

Starters, soups and salads

Seafood leads the opening course. Fresh oysters cost €4.80 each and crudo di mare, raw fish dressed simply with olive oil and local sea salt, €14.50. Pepata di cozze, mussels steamed with white wine, garlic, parsley and cracked pepper, is €15.00, and a dish of mixed shellfish, prawns, octopus and calamari in a cherry tomato and prawn broth with garlic bread costs €15.50. Grilled octopus with potatoes, romesco and sour cream is €13.50, and fried calamari with a hint of chilli and aioli €14.50.

For something lighter, bruschetta with aubergine, buffalo mozzarella and roasted cherry tomatoes is €5.00, roasted aubergine with buffalo mozzarella and basil pesto €9.50 and a caprese €11.00. Baked Brie with honey, balsamic, grapes and walnuts costs €12.50, beef carpaccio with Parmesan and rocket €13.50, and a board of cold cuts and cheeses for two €25.00. The traditional aljotta, a Maltese fish soup with fresh fish, shellfish and rice, costs €11.50, and the soup of the day €9.50. Both salads, a chicken Caesar and a beetroot and dill cured salmon salad with feta and pistachio, cost €15.00.

Fresh pasta and risotto

All the pasta is fresh and comes in starter or main portions. Local sheep's cheese ravioli in tomato and basil sauce and gnocchi with spicy nduja, Gorgonzola and Italian sausage are the lightest on the purse at €13.50 or €16.00. Spaghetti with rabbit, tomato, peas and garlic, a nod to Maltese home cooking, costs €14.50 or €17.00, as do garganelle with chicken, sundried tomatoes and walnuts, and casarecce with beef, mushrooms, truffle and pistachio. Wild boar tortellacci with pea purée and crisp cured ham are €16.00 or €18.50.

The seafood pastas sit at the top: linguine with clams, mussels and cherry tomatoes, and spaghetti pescatore with mixed seafood and shellfish, each €17.00 or €19.50. The one risotto, made with wild mushrooms and aged Parmigiano Reggiano, costs €14.50 or €17.00.

Gozitan rabbit, meat and fish

The meat list starts with island tradition. Coniglio alla Gozitana, rabbit fried with garlic, peas, herbs and white wine and finished with gravy, costs €22.00, and pork cheeks slow-roasted in beer with local herbs €22.50. Lamb shanks in red wine jus and duck breast with blackberries and port are both €24.50, pan-seared boneless quails with grapes, honey and hazelnuts €25.00, and chicken thighs with wild mushrooms and Parmesan €23.00. For steak, a 350g Angus ribeye from the chargrill costs €30.50 and a flank steak tagliata with roasted pumpkin and truffle cream €28.50, while two Black Angus burgers, one with pancetta and smoked cheese and one with mushroom and truffle, cost €16.50.

On the fish side, grilled sea bass with olives, cherry tomatoes and basil is €24.00, salmon fillet with grilled asparagus and prawn bisque €24.50, calamari pan-fried in garlic and white wine €25.00 and octopus in garlic, tomato and white wine €26.50. The fresh fish of the day, king prawns flamed with brandy and the live lobsters are all priced by weight at market rate. Meat and fish mains come with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables or with fries and salad.

Pizza, desserts and the children's menu

Ten pizzas cost from €11.00 for a capricciosa or diavola to €13.50 for the seafood Al Mare, the mortadella and pistachio, or the Sorriso, an open calzone with cured ham and burrata. The Patate e Salsiccia, with potatoes, Maltese sausage and rosemary, costs €11.50, and extra toppings are €1.00 each. Desserts are homemade and change daily, and artisan ice cream is €2.60 a scoop. Children can choose penne with cream or with tomato and Parmesan at €7.50, or breaded chicken with fries or a small sausage pizza at €8.50.

The room, the view and the service

The dining room is bright and open, with a long run of windows down one side, and the restaurant's own photos show it busy with tables of all sizes at lunchtime. The sea is in view from the restaurant, and service is professional and attentive, which suits both a relaxed family lunch and a slower dinner. Presentation is careful: the restaurant's photos show a whole sliced steak served on a wooden board with salad and roasted vegetables, a seafood risotto heaped with mussels and clams, and a raw seafood platter decorated with citrus and flowers. Since pasta comes in two sizes, a starter portion followed by fish or meat makes a sensible way through the menu, while one of the larger shellfish starters with bread can stand in for a light lunch on its own.

Qbajjar Bay and the battery

Qbajjar is a small bay on the western edge of Marsalforn, between Xwejni Bay and Marsalforn Bay, and it falls within the limits of Żebbuġ. The bay itself is about 300 metres away, and its rocky shore holds a few salt pans where locals still collect salt. On the promontory between Qbajjar and Xwejni, also about 300 metres away, stands Qolla l-Bajda Battery, built by the Order of St John in 1715 and 1716; it is one of only two batteries left on Gozo and the most northerly fortification in the Maltese islands, though it is now abandoned. Xwejni Bay, about 450 metres away, has a small pebbly beach popular with swimmers and divers. In the other direction, Marsalforn Bay, about 850 metres away, is the heart of one of the busiest resorts on Gozo, with a small sandy beach. Our pick of the best beaches in Malta includes more swimming spots on both islands.

Along the north coast of Gozo

The coastline either side of Marsalforn is dotted with sea caves, and one theory holds that the second half of the town's name comes from forna, a fishermen's word for such caves. The best known is Għar Qawqla, about 1.0 km away, a former natural arch whose span collapsed in the 20th century, leaving a pillar about 3 metres tall that swimmers jump from. Marsalforn Tower, about 1.6 km away, is the name given to two lost towers, one built in 1616 and one in 1720, that once guarded the bay. Further west, Giordan Lighthouse, about 3.0 km away, is still active on its hill above Għasri. Our Gozo guide helps plan a day around the island, and our guide to hotels in Gozo covers places to stay.

Hours, booking and nearby

Qbajjar Restaurant serves lunch from noon to 3:30 pm and dinner from 5:30 pm, with last orders at 10:30 pm, every day except Tuesday. Bookings are made through the form on the website, and a table is held only once a confirmation reply has arrived. Pearl Accommodation, a newly built block of nine apartments at Qbajjar with sea and country views, is run alongside the restaurant and lets for short and long stays. Close by, Horizon cooks Maltese and Mediterranean food, Kartell is another seafood address, Otters Bistro is under a kilometre away and Pizza Stop suits a quick bite. To ask about a table or anything else, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the restaurant.