Hard Rock Cafe

For many travellers the last meal of a Maltese holiday happens here. Hard Rock Cafe Malta Airport sits in the departures hall of Malta International Airport, directly opposite Gate 9, and it exists for people with a boarding pass in hand: you cannot walk in from the landside concourse, only from the departures lounge once you are through. It opened on 2 March 2006, it never fully closes, and the menu stretches from early breakfast to burgers, cocktails and desserts. Our page on restaurants in Luqa covers the airport's home town.

Opposite Gate 9, airside only

Because the cafe is reached only from the departures lounge, it works as a pre-flight stop rather than a destination you plan an evening around. The room was refurbished not long ago and keeps the brand's hallmark display of memorabilia from the rock era, and the frontage in the site's photo is unmistakable: a tall neon guitar framing the Hard Rock Cafe Malta logo, with a Rock Shop next door full of T-shirts, caps and other collectible clothing and accessories. If you forgot a souvenir in Valletta, this is the last chance to put that right before boarding.

Time is usually the limiting factor at an airport, so the cafe is set up for both: sit down for a proper burger and a cocktail if your gate opens late, or ask for your meal to go and eat it on the plane. Anyone still choosing a route home will find our guide to flights to Malta from the UK useful, along with our notes on KM Malta Airlines, the island's own carrier.

Round the clock: breakfast, bar and hot kitchen

The hours are built around the flight schedule. The bar and the grab-and-go counter run 24 hours a day, every day of the week, so even the earliest departures can find coffee, a cold drink or something to carry to the gate. Breakfast starts in the small hours and finishes at 10:30 am; the published hours put the start at 4:00 am, while the breakfast menu prints 5:00 am. The hot kitchen takes over from 11:00 am and cooks until 10:00 pm, and the Rock Shop opens from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm.

That timetable covers dawn departures and late evening flights alike. Our route guides for Heathrow to Malta and Gatwick to Malta help with planning the journey home, including whether you will reach the cafe during breakfast or once the full kitchen is cooking.

Burgers and starters before boarding

Steak burgers lead the menu, each arriving on a toasted artisan bun with seasoned fries. The Big Cheeseburger, a patty under two slices of Cheddar with grilled onions and the house Legendary sauce, is €16.50. The Original Legendary, which kicked off the whole brand, comes with smoked bacon, Cheddar and a crispy onion ring for €17.50. The BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, the plant-based Moving Mountains and the Local Legendary all cost €18.50; the last is the one with a Maltese accent, carrying local sausage, capers, olives, sundried tomatoes and Pepato cheese. A gluten-free bun is €2.00 extra.

The smashed and stacked burgers use two thinner patties: the Classic with American cheese and the Spicy Diablo with Pepper Jack and chipotle onions cost €15.95, and the Swiss Mushroom is €16.95. The Messi Burger, made for the brand by Leo Messi, doubles up the beef with provolone, chorizo and a smoky, spicy sauce for €17.90, and a fried egg on top adds €2.50. Bacon is €2.90 extra and an onion ring upgrade €4.95.

For something to share while you watch the departures board, the vegetarian Legendary Nachos cost €16.95, or €9.95 for half, with guacamole €1.00, chicken €2.00 or pulled pork €4.00 on top. The airport menu also has a jumbo pretzel with beer cheese and wholegrain mustard at €14.95, loaded tater tots with pulled pork at €14.50, fried chicken sliders at €15.95 and Little Legends mini burgers at €18.95. Wings are €13.95 slow-roasted or €14.95 as crispy Bodacious Buffalo wings, and spring rolls filled with black beans and corn are €12.95. Burger fans can browse more American restaurants in Malta for meals earlier in the trip.

Sandwiches, bowls, sweets and dietary needs

Lighter options suit a short wait. Sandwiches come with seasoned fries: the fried chicken and Buffalo chicken versions cost €13.95, and the BBQ pulled pork and grilled chicken with Monterey Jack and bacon €14.95, while the Messi Milanese-style chicken sandwich costs €16.90. The grilled chicken Caesar is €14.95 and the Southwestern chicken bowl with quinoa and black beans €15.50. Hot plates include Tupelo chicken tenders at €14.95, Twisted Mac, Chicken and Cheese at €16.90 and a lemon and herb grilled chicken breast with mushrooms at €18.95. Sides run from €3.95 for smokehouse beans or garlic bread to €8.95 for the onion ring tower.

Desserts are worth leaving room for, and the brownie gets a special mention as the one to grab before boarding. The hot fudge brownie and the New York cheesecake are €12.90 each, the apple cobbler €9.90, a diner-style milkshake €4.90 and ice cream €4.50 small or €5.95 large. A separate gluten-free menu covers burgers on gluten-free buns, such as the Classic at €17.95, plus a children's section with a bacon cheeseburger or Messi burger at €16.95 and grilled chicken at €14.95. Kitchen areas and fryer oil are shared, dishes are marked for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, and allergy information is held for everything served.

A last drink before the flight

Since the bar never shuts, cocktails are on offer whatever time your flight leaves. The signature Hurricane, a rum drink rooted in 1940s New Orleans, costs €9.90, or €19.90 in a collectible glass to take home. The mojito, passion fruit mai tai, Bahama Mama, Rockin' Fresh Rita and tropical margarita are €9.90 each; the Cosmopolitan, whiskey sour and Manhattan €8.90; the espresso martini and smoked old fashioned €10.90; and the dirty martini and Hendrick's gin and tonic €11.90.

On draught, Cisk Lager is €3.90 or €5.90 depending on the measure, and Guinness or Kilkenny €4.75 or €7.25. Bottles of Farsons Blue Label, India Pale Ale and Double Red cost €5.50, and 50cl Hobgoblin ales are €8.75. By the glass, Morgassi Superiore Gavi di Gavi is €6.90, and the Santa Cristina white and red are €19.50 a bottle. Alcohol-free cocktails such as the mango-berry cooler cost €6.90 and soft drinks €4.50.

Luqa, the airport town

Luqa is a compact, tightly built town in the Southern Region, about 4.3 km from Valletta, with 5,945 residents in March 2014 and a main square anchored by its church of St Andrew. The airport owes its existence to the Royal Air Force, which built RAF Station Luqa here in the early 20th century; the airfield was handed to the Maltese Government on 31 March 1979 and grew into today's civilian airport. The town took heavy bombing in the Second World War, and on 9 April 1942 a bomb struck a shelter, burying those sheltering inside.

St Andrew's Parish Church is about 1.3 km away, and the saint's feast fills the streets on the first Sunday of July. Luqa became a parish of its own in 1634, split from Gudja by papal decree. About 1.6 km away stands the Colonna Mediterranea, a modern obelisk better known locally as the Luqa Monument, whose shape has caused a stir at home and abroad. For more to see across the south before heading for the terminal, our guide to the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni covers one of the island's most remarkable sites.

Gudja and Kirkop beyond the runway

The villages that ring the airport keep a quieter, older character. In Gudja, the Chapel of the Madonna of Loreto, a 17th-century chapel on the south-western edge of the village, is about 1000 metres away. Palazzo Dorell, a Palladian palace from the same century also called Bettina Palace, is about 1.1 km away, and within its grounds rises the Xlejli Tower, a watchtower of uncertain age that may go back to Roman or medieval times and is closed to visitors.

On the other side, Kirkop's parish church of St Leonard is also about 1.1 km away. Closer still, about 350 metres away, the medieval Chapel of St Mary at Bir Miftuħ lies within Gudja's limits. If you are choosing a base for a future trip, our guide to where to stay in Malta compares the main areas.

Planning your stop

Allow time for security before counting on a meal here, since the cafe sits on the departures side and cannot be reached any other way. Once through, head for Gate 9 and you will see the neon guitar. If you are still on the island and want a sit-down meal near the airport before you check in, Zen Sushi in Luqa and Vecchia Napoli in Luqa are close by. To ask about the cafe, a group passing through or anything else, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the restaurant.