Smugglers
Having been a familiar fixture for years, Smugglers blends traditional Maltese character with a fresh, contemporary feel. The brighter, more spacious interior combines original Maltese flooring with parquet tiles and wood panelling, while wooden and marble-topped tables add warmth and texture. A porthole overlooking the busy kitchen offers a glimpse of the action, and dried flowers adorning the chandeliers enhance the cosy, homely atmosphere. Housed in two adjoining traditional Maltese properties with classic shuttered windows, the restaurant also extends outdoors, where pavement tables sit beneath the trees, illuminated by flickering fjakkoli that create an inviting setting for relaxed evenings.
Smugglers focuses on quality food made with carefully chosen ingredients. Start with a Mexican Mule or Pimm’s Royale. Steak tacos arrive in corn tortillas with chipotle sauce and avocado chimichurri, while fried chicken bites are served with broccolini salad, edamame hummus and togarashi mayonnaise. For mains, choose lamb shank with saffron orzo, ’nduja caponata and tzatziki, or seabass al cartoccio with asparagus, fennel, citrus, zhoug dressing and samphire. The beef fillet comes with grilled scallions, shiitake mushrooms, Sichuan peppercorn sauce, pancetta and pine nuts. Pasta lovers can try spaghetti guanciale with oyster mushrooms, guanciale, Taleggio, crispy kale and hazelnuts, or paccheri with meagre, cherry tomatoes, fennel, pancetta, aubergine, crispy capers, pine nuts and basil. Finish with burnt Basque Biscoff cheesecake or helwa tat-tork crème brûlée, ideal for evenings with friends and family.
