Restaurant in Valletta, Malta
Tasting menu format, four nights only.
Under Grain, beneath The Rosselli hotel on Merchants Street, is one of Valletta's most complete fine-dining evenings at the €€€ price tier. The vaulted cellar setting and Maltese-rooted menu with international technique make it worth prioritising on any midweek visit. Note the strict Tuesday to Friday schedule — weekends are not an option.
The most common mistake visitors make with Under Grain is assuming it operates like a typical hotel restaurant: open daily, easy to walk into, and built around convenience. It is none of those things. Under Grain opens only Tuesday through Friday, evening service only (7 PM to 10 PM), and is closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. If you arrive in Valletta on a long weekend expecting to dine here, you will be disappointed. Get your dates right before you get excited.
With that correction in place: if your visit lands on a midweek evening, this is one of the most considered dining decisions you can make in Malta. The restaurant sits beneath The Rosselli hotel on Merchants Street, one of the more composed addresses in Valletta's old city, and the room itself delivers before the food arrives. You descend via a lift into a vaulted stone cellar, walking past the open kitchen before entering a space with dark, moody décor and a ceiling that feels like it predates the menu by several centuries. The design concept draws from Merchants Street's past life as a tailor district: sewing pattern menus, clothing displays throughout, and a pin-cushion bill-holder that functions as a quiet visual punchline at the end of the meal.
None of this is scenography for its own sake. The tailor metaphor is genuinely operative: the kitchen takes locally sourced Maltese ingredients and applies international fine-dining technique to them. The menu runs between a tasting format and a limited à la carte selection, with Maltese waters supplying the fish and the island's famous rabbit appearing in more refined interpretations than you'd find elsewhere on the island. For food and wine travellers interested in how a specific terroir translates through a skilled kitchen, this is worth your attention in a way that a generic fine-dining room simply wouldn't be.
The wine list is a meaningful part of the proposition. It draws from across the world but concentrates depth in Italian and French bottles, which is a sensible editorial decision given Malta's geographical position and the kitchen's frame of reference. If you're the kind of traveller who selects a restaurant partly based on what's in the cellar, this list will satisfy. The service is described as professional and personable without being stiff, which at the €€€ price point is exactly the register you want.
This question has a direct answer: there is no lunch at Under Grain. The restaurant operates exclusively on evening service, Tuesday to Friday. If you are looking for a daytime fine-dining option in Valletta, you will need to look elsewhere. Noni offers a different daytime experience in the city, and Grain Street at €€ provides a more accessible midday meal if you want something lighter and less formal. For a broader view of what's available across the city at different times of day, our full Valletta restaurants guide covers the range.
The evening-only format at Under Grain is not a limitation so much as a feature of the experience. The vaulted cellar setting, dark décor, and moody atmosphere are designed for dinner. There is no version of this room that would work better at noon. If you are planning a trip specifically around eating here, build your itinerary around Tuesday to Friday evenings and treat the rest of your Valletta days as open for lighter, more casual options from elsewhere in the city.
Under Grain is not an impossible reservation, but the restricted schedule means the available slots are genuinely limited. With only four evenings per week of service and a cellar dining room that is unlikely to seat large numbers, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings will generally be easier to secure than Thursday and Friday. Book at least two to three weeks ahead if you have a specific date in mind, and further in advance if you are visiting during Malta's peak travel season in spring and summer. The rating on Google sits at 4.6 from 183 reviews, which at this price tier suggests consistent delivery rather than occasional brilliance. You are booking a reliable experience, not a gamble.
For travellers staying elsewhere in Malta who are making the trip to Valletta specifically for this meal, consider pairing it with an overnight at a city property. Our Valletta hotels guide covers the options. If you want to extend the evening after dinner, our Valletta bars guide has the relevant picks nearby.
| Detail | Under Grain | Noni | ION Harbour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | €€€ | €€€€ | €€€€ |
| Cuisine | Modern, Maltese-rooted | Modern Cuisine | Contemporary |
| Dinner service | Tue–Fri, 7–10 PM | Check listing | Check listing |
| Lunch available | No | Check listing | Check listing |
| Booking difficulty | Easy–Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Setting | Hotel cellar, vaulted stone | Historic Valletta | Harbour-facing |
| Google rating | 4.6 (183 reviews) | — | , |
For broader context across Malta, the following are worth bookmarking: Le GV in Sliema, Rosamì in St Julian's, Terrone in Birgu, Terroir in Attard, and The Fork and Cork in Mdina. If you are building a multi-day itinerary around serious eating, our Valletta experiences guide and Valletta wineries guide round out the picture.
For comparison with fine-dining in broader European contexts, Under Grain operates at a level below celebrated tasting-menu destinations like Frantzén in Stockholm or Maison Lameloise in Chagny, but at €€€ rather than €€€€€, it prices itself honestly for what it delivers. Within Malta, it sits above the casual end and competes directly with the city's other serious dinner options on quality , while being meaningfully more accessible in price than Noni or ION Harbour by Simon Rogan.
Manageable, but not the format it's optimised for. The relaxed atmosphere and professional service make solo diners welcome, and the à la carte option means you are not locked into a full tasting menu commitment. That said, the tasting menu is better shared across two or more, both for the experience and the value. If you are solo and want a counter-style experience with more natural interaction, check Sessions in St Julian's as an alternative.
Two to three weeks minimum for a standard midweek slot, and four or more weeks if you are visiting between April and October when Malta sees higher visitor numbers. The Tuesday and Wednesday slots are easiest to secure; Thursday and Friday fill faster. Given only four evenings per week of service, don't leave this to the last minute and assume availability will be there.
The vaulted cellar setting can seat groups, but confirm numbers directly when making your reservation. At €€€ per head, a table of six or more represents a meaningful spend, so it is worth discussing the menu format with the restaurant in advance. The limited à la carte selection may be better for mixed-preference groups than the tasting menu, but check what is on offer when you book.
Dinner is the only option , Under Grain does not serve lunch. Service runs 7 PM to 10 PM, Tuesday through Friday only. If you need a daytime meal in Valletta at a similar quality level, Noni is worth checking, or step down to Grain Street at €€ for a lighter, more casual midday format.
At €€€ pricing, the tasting menu represents fair value for Maltese fine dining, particularly given the kitchen's use of local ingredients handled with international technique. It is worth it if you want to experience the full range of what the kitchen does with Maltese catch and rabbit. If you are undecided or dining solo, the limited à la carte is available as an alternative. Compare this against ION Harbour by Simon Rogan at €€€€ if you want a tasting menu with a stronger international profile , but Under Grain delivers more Maltese specificity at a lower price point.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under Grain | The Rosselli hotel, which houses the restaurant, is located along one of the most elegant streets in Valletta, and the historic and imposing building that hosts it is the best calling card for the stylish dining room awaiting guests. Descend via the lift to the elegant cellar, where you walk past the kitchen before entering into a room with a vaulted stone ceiling and dark, moody décor. Under Grain is inspired by Merchant Street’s former tailor shops and evidence of this theme is all around, from the sewing pattern menu to the clothing displays – and even a pin-cushion bill-holder.As a tailor would create something exquisite from cloth, the chef here does the same with fine ingredients, skilfully applying his talent to produce a beautiful end product. In the tasting menu or a limited à la carte selection, the cuisine features many references to the most renowned local products, from the catch of Maltese waters to the famous rabbit, interpreted using sophisticated and international culinary techniques. Professional, personable service and a relaxed atmosphere add to the experience. The wine list is well-chosen and contains plenty of gems from the world, especially from Italy and France.; The Rosselli hotel, which houses the restaurant, is located along one of the most elegant streets in Valletta, and the historic and imposing building that hosts it is the best calling card for the stylish dining room awaiting guests. Descend via the lift to the elegant cellar, where you walk past the kitchen before entering into a room with a vaulted stone ceiling and dark, moody décor. Under Grain is inspired by Merchant Street’s former tailor shops and evidence of this theme is all around, from the sewing pattern menu to the clothing displays – and even a pin-cushion bill-holder.As a tailor would create something exquisite from cloth, the chef here does the same with fine ingredients, skilfully applying his talent to produce a beautiful end product. In the tasting menu or a limited à la carte selection, the cuisine features many references to the most renowned local products, from the catch of Maltese waters to the famous rabbit, interpreted using sophisticated and international culinary techniques. Professional, personable service and a relaxed atmosphere add to the experience. The wine list is well-chosen and contains plenty of gems from the world, especially from Italy and France. | €€€ | — |
| Noni | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| ION Harbour by Simon Rogan | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Grain Street | €€ | — | |
| One80 St.Christopher Street | €€ | — | |
| 59 Republic | €€ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
It works for solo diners, but the format matters more than the solo factor. The tasting menu structure and relaxed atmosphere at Under Grain mean a solo visit is perfectly comfortable — the service is described as professional and personable, which carries a single diner well. The cellar setting on Merchants Street is atmospheric rather than social, so if you want a bar counter or buzz, look at Grain Street instead.
Book at least two to three weeks out, especially for Friday evenings. Under Grain operates Tuesday to Friday only, with no Saturday, Sunday, or Monday service, which compresses availability significantly. The limited weekly slots at a €€€ price point fill faster than the schedule suggests — treat it like a four-nights-a-week tasting room, not a standard hotel restaurant.
Groups are possible but the vaulted cellar setting at 167 Merchants Street is a considered, intimate space rather than a large-party venue. For groups of six or more, check the venue's official channels to discuss configuration — the four-evening schedule also means flexibility on dates is limited. Smaller groups of two to four are the natural fit for the tasting menu format here.
Dinner only — Under Grain does not offer lunch service. The restaurant opens at 7 PM Tuesday through Friday and is closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. If you need a daytime option on Merchants Street, that requires a different venue entirely.
Yes, if Maltese produce interpreted with international technique is what you are after. The menu draws on local ingredients including Maltese waters catch and rabbit, and the Michelin recognition reflects consistent kitchen execution rather than novelty. At €€€ pricing, it sits in the same tier as ION Harbour by Simon Rogan, but Under Grain leans harder into local identity — that is the reason to choose it over a more globally branded option.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
