Tandoori Bites

Tandoori Bites brings the cooking of Pakistan to ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex, the harbour-front road of Ta' Xbiex. The kitchen pairs traditional recipes with a few modern touches, buys fresh local produce where it can, and runs from a morning breakfast menu through to sharing platters for the whole table. It is fully halal: alcohol is neither served nor used in any dish. For more choice in the neighbourhood, see our page on restaurants in Ta' Xbiex.

Pakistani breakfast

The day starts with a Pakistani breakfast menu, served from 9am to midday, with chai alongside most plates. Halwa puri, fluffy fried bread with sweet semolina halwa and chickpeas, costs €8, as does chanay, spiced chickpeas with naan, and a three-layer omelette sandwich with chicken. Haleem, a slow-cooked stew of wheat, barley and lentils, is €10 and an omelette wrapped in roti €7. The Desi Combo for two at €18 brings a masala omelette, chanay and haleem with naan or paratha.

From the tandoor

Starters begin at €5 for two samosas filled with spiced potato and peas, or six pieces of vegetable pakora in chickpea batter. Beef momos finished in tandoori spices cost €9 for eight, as do six chicken wings, and four seekh kebabs are €12. A 250g serving of chicken tikka, in tandoori, haryali or malai style, is €11, tandoori prawns are €15, tandoori salmon €17 and masala-fried calamari €13. Plant-based options include mushroom tikka and soya bean tikka at €9 each.

Platters, served with naan, rice, salad and chutney, are made for groups. The Ta' Xbiex Platter at €60 feeds three to four with chicken tikka, wings, chicken lollipops, lamb chops and seekh kebab, and is named after the restaurant's first location. The Tandoori Bites Special for two or three costs €45, the seafood platter for four €68, and a vegan platter of mushroom, soya, paneer and potato tikka for two €30.

Karahi, biryani and butter dishes

Karahi is the house speciality: meat cooked with ginger, garlic and spices in butter and a rich tomato gravy, sold by weight and served with rice, naan and salad. Chicken karahi costs €22 for half a kilo, enough for one or two, rising to €52 for two kilos; lamb runs from €28 to €73 and fish from €24 to €54 across the same four sizes. Sindhi chicken biryani costs €15 and mutton biryani, topped with coriander and crispy onions, €19.

Among the butter dishes, butter chicken is €16, butter prawns €23 and butter salmon €25, with a soya chaap version at €15 for vegetarians. Soya bean karahi at €15 and mixed vegetables at €10 are vegan. Breads range from €2 for tandoori roti to €5 for roghni naan, with garlic and cheese naan at €4. Kheer and gulab jamun are €5 each, and children can have nuggets or chicken lollipops with fries for €7.

Around Ta' Xbiex

Ta' Xbiex is a small headland in Marsamxett Harbour, home to just over 2,600 people and to many of the island's embassies, housed in old villas facing the water. Its seafront is lined with yachts: the Royal Malta Yacht Club, host of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, has its clubhouse here, and the Msida and Ta' Xbiex marina has 720 berths.

Across the creek, Fort Manoel, about 800 metres away, is an 18th-century Baroque star fort built by the Knights on Manoel Island and restored early this century. St Joseph's, Msida's Baroque parish church, is also about 800 metres away, and Villa Guardamangia, where Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived from 1949 to 1951, is about 700 metres away. The Floriana Lines, about 900 metres away, are the outer defences of the capital, begun in 1636; our Valletta guide covers the city beyond them.

Planning your visit

Mention any allergy when you arrive, as the kitchen handles flour and nuts. If you are staying nearby, our guide to hotels in Sliema covers the neighbouring coast. Other kitchens a short way along the seafront include Tikkas, Agora Restaurant by Halo and Brasa Churrasceria. To ask about a table or a large platter order, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the restaurant.