Malta Mdina & Rabat Food Tour: An Honest Review

Alright, so you are thinking about checking out a food tour in Malta, huh? You are looking at Mdina and Rabat, very! Perhaps that’s very cool of you. Those are like, two awesome towns right next to each other, and I’ll tell you, the food scene is quite remarkable! But the tour… well, let’s talk about that! You will get a lowdown based on what I saw, what I tasted, and how I generally felt moving through the ancient streets on an empty stomach and an eager soul!

First Impressions: Setting the Table

The tour’s beginning can really set the tone for the rest of it, right? So, I met up with the tour group just outside the Mdina City Gate, you know, that giant, impressive entryway that, in a way, almost takes you back in time. Now, first things first, our guide, like your friendly neighbor, greeted everyone with a warm smile, and that just makes things comfy right away! It tends to be, like, super useful. There were, maybe, like, ten or twelve people, a bit of a mix of ages and nationalities, which kind of gave it this great vibe, like we were a little temporary United Nations of snack enthusiasts. Anyhow, the intro wasn’t very long, just a quick “hello,” and like, a brief on what to maybe expect. We got a really small preview of Maltese history. So, that actually made you eager, basically!

A Taste of History: Mdina’s Culinary Gems

Mdina, you see, isn’t really known for tons of eating spots, you see? I mean, it’s pretty awesome just looking at the views. It’s basically called the “Silent City” for a reason, you realize! You have like, this sense of wonder. I was definitely ready to try some interesting things! So, that first stop was at a kinda tucked-away place with this pretty great view of the island. We, like, tried these little pastizzi. You have seen them around. Flaky pastry filled with ricotta or mushy peas. Anyway, it was pretty good and felt just about right. But then, so there was also like, this taste of ftira, a type of Maltese bread kinda like a pizza, topped with, like, tomatoes, onions, and some other stuff. Actually, it gave you a taste of old-school baking.

We got an intro to the background. Basically, Maltese cuisine has influences from everywhere from Italy to North Africa! I have learned that those invaders who wanted to control Malta tended to leave something behind. I also thought it’d be fun to eat in like, these old buildings! In general, they just don’t make them like this anymore, so, it was nice! The thing is, though, the portions, well they were, like, super small in Mdina. Kinda like little samples that were barely more than testers. You kind of expected a bit more, you feel? Mdina might be beautiful but what about big helpings of food.

Rabat’s Rustic Flavors: A More Hearty Experience

Crossing into Rabat, so it felt like moving to another little town! So, Rabat seemed more down-to-earth. We got off the main tourist path and it felt better, in a way, like you’re really experiencing something the locals do. Very refreshing and all, you see! Our guide was quite amazing and she pointed out interesting things along the way that were just cool facts about Malta. Actually, this kinda stuff matters, basically, to have someone around who gets the spot and kinda loves to tell you why! So, at the next food stop, the place had this comfy vibe going. You got the vibe that people had gathered around that space forever and you, too, were like you fit right in.

Now, the grub? Pretty generous. We were eating platters piled high with Maltese sausage, some stewed rabbit (a thing out there!) and, like, this goat cheese that almost has a different texture. So, that was the part I needed. Really hearty stuff. They also shared a local Cisk lager with those who were game, a crisp and easy beer to wash all that great food down. So, there, too, was like a sweets tasting! We had the Kannoli and like the Imqaret. Kannoli I had before, it tasted pretty awesome. Imqaret (date filled pastries). Anyhow, it’s great and makes you feel happy!

The Guide: A Key Ingredient

I feel that anyone will say that you can’t have an okay tour without the perfect tour guide to help along the way. So, in that sense, our guide was great! So, you can say that she knew like, a ton about the place, every old little church to random alley, which made the whole tour quite lively and really something that grabbed the imagination! Her personality made the group happy and really easy. Also, the jokes were genuinely awesome. She would tell a pretty cool story, basically. I thought the personal touches make a big difference, just as a FYI!

Value for Money: Does the Tour Deliver?

You think about cost after all the fun ends. Was the cost fair? Tours in general just ain’t so cheap, you know! Well, the tour of Rabat and Mdina came in around like, €70, and that’s, well, like your mid-range thing! This thing had a good number of places with high-quality treats. What the food lacked in quantity, well you made that up for what you got in the Mdina’s back stories. The Rabat area really helped in the value sense, in general. Now, given just the way everything worked, the expertise of our leader, and the whole adventure, that price just felt worth it.

It’s a tour anyone would tell their friends is quite worthy of doing and quite the way to spend time learning and getting to taste great flavors from the area. But if you are thinking about big grub, just manage that part in your brain ahead of time! Anyway, make it so the tastes and feel of the awesome cities you traveled were better than just your average walk.

So, while not stuffed to the gills with tons and tons of snacks, this walking around and snacking journey of the ancient cities turns out to be interesting, worth the cost. And actually, super unique and well planned! It does give the travel soul something!