Top 6 Dog-Friendly Restaurants in Malta

Are you looking for a dog-friendly restaurant in Malta where you can enjoy a good meal with your pooch? Keep reading to get my list of the top five pet-friendly restaurants in Malta (and one in Gozo)!

Click on the restaurant names below to jump to that section or keep scrolling for the full guide!

What are the best dog-friendly restaurants in Malta?

1. Naar Restobar, St Julians
2. The Black Sheep, Sliema
3. The Smokehouse, Gzira
4. KuYa Asian Pub, St Julians
5. Sciacca Grill, Valletta and St Julians
6. Il Gabbiano, Gozo

One of my favourite things about Malta is the grand variety of (affordable) restaurants serving up scrumptious food and drinks. A perfect Saturday activity in Malta is spending the whole day visiting great spots to indulge in delicious nibbles and cocktails. Or better yet, find a hidden gem that offers something new!

I have always loved enjoying a good meal out. So when we adopted our dog, I immediately started checking out which places we could bring him (and not). Luckily, Malta is generally very pet-friendly with many dog-friendly places. We have rarely gotten a ‘no’ when asking if we could bring our dog with us, and a lot of places specifically advertise as a “pet-friendly restaurant”. But what are the best ones?

Best dog-friendly restaurants in Malta

Here, you will find a list of my current favourite dog-friendly restaurants in Malta + one in Gozo!

1. NAAR Restobar, St Julians

I don’t know of any restaurant in Malta that is more dog-friendly than Naar. As it is such a great spot for everything from an after-work drink to a weekend brunch or any-day dinner, I was so happy to learn that dogs are allowed too.

Naar is an open-space venue where our dog can easily lie down next to our table. The best part is that this restaurant really knows how to make a pooch happy. Not only do we always get a water bowl right away, but they also have their own dog menu!

On this special menu, you will find homemade dog treats in several different flavours. No matter if your dog prefers peanut butter or meat, s/he will be sure to enjoy some hours at Naar. In my opinion, this is the best Malta pet-friendly restaurant around.

2. The Black Sheep, Sliema

Another spot where our dog has definitely been spoilt is at Black Sheep. It’s a great restaurant and bar in Sliema, and one of my favourite spots to bring visitors as everyone is bound to find something they like on the menu.

Luckily, Bo (our dog) can tag along too and join no matter if we end up seated outside or inside. He is always served water right away but has also gotten some naughty treats including a very large plate of bacon. Needless to say, it’s a great time for the whole gang!

The Black Sheep is a great dog-friendly spot to bring your dog for some food or drinks in the daytime and we have also brought Bo along for dinner in the evening.

Note that even though this is a very pet-friendly restaurant in Malta, it is also primarily a restaurant slash bar. In the evenings and especially at the weekends, it therefore might be best to leave your dog at home if s/he is sensitive to noise or a lot of people.

3. The Smokehouse, Gzira

Similar to Black Sheep, Smokehouse is a weekend favourite. It is the perfect spot for a nice drink (their rhubarb cider is amazing), nibble and good company. And that company normally includes little Bo, who gets attention from both us and the employees.

The last time we visited, we even got a nice little discount on our bill – to spend on a treat for Bo, courtesy of our lovely waitress. No matter if we wanna sit in or outside, our dog is always welcome to join us.

All in all, it’s a nice dog-friendly cafe and restaurant located on the Gzira strand.

4. KuYa Asian Pub, St Julians

KuYa started out as a small, basement bar/restaurant, but has since moved to a spacious and light location right down the road. Brining our dog here has never been a problem.

KuYa is somewhere we keep going back to and is easily my favourite restaurant in Malta. We enjoy the Bao Buns and beer, while Bo sleeps listening to the relaxing background music.

5. Sciacca Grill, Valletta & St Julians

Sciacca is another favourite Malta restaurant of mine, and maybe the “fanciest” one on the list. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when we were allowed to bring our dog along for our dinner reservation without hesitation.

The meat and wine selection here always results in an amazing meal. The open-space restaurant allows for comfort – not only for us but also for Bo who can tuck in under the booth table or on a blanket on the floor. They even have some fold-out water bowls on hand, all ready for their four-legged guests.

Bonus: Il Gabbiano, Gozo

The last restaurant on my list of favourite dog-friendly restaurants in Malta is actually not a Malta restaurant, but a Gozo joker. I am sure there are many dog-friendly restaurants in Gozo, but the one we have visited (and loved) with our dog is Il Gabbiano.

Il Gabbiano in Marsalforn is a wonderful pearl located right next to the glistening sea. Here you can get the freshest fish – served in the perfect environment to enjoy it. The food is amazing, but what makes this restaurant such a unique spot is all the dogs running around.

That’s right, not only is this a restaurant where you can bring your dog along but there are (normally) several dogs there already! That’s because the owner has quite a few Shih Tzu’s who are either running around greeting the guests or relaxing inside. Our little Shih Tzu is not sure how he feels about them, but I love it!

What are the best dog-friendly restaurants in Malta?

DineWineLove recommends NAAR, The Black Sheep, The Smokehouse, KuYa and Sciacca as the best dog-friendly restaurants in Malta. In Gozo, Il Gabbiano is a pet-friendly restaurant worth checking out.

Above you will find a list of five amazing Malta restaurants and one Gozo restaurant that all allow for dogs to join in on the fun. These are my current favourites obviously not only based on the fact that they allow dogs, but that they serve up some amazing dishes and drinks for everyone to enjoy.

As you might notice, the restaurants are located in the St Julians/Sliema/Gzira area, simply because this is where we would normally go for a meal or drink nearby. Of course, there are many more that could be added to the list and a hot tip is to search for “places that allow dogs near me” before going out. Enjoy!

Dog-friendly restaurants in Malta Q&As

I hope this guide has given you some inspiration on where to next bring your dog for a nice meal. To round off, I will answer some quick Q&As related to dog-friendly restaurants in Malta.

Is Malta dog friendly?

Malta has a lot of pet-friendly restaurants where you can bring your dog. Apart from dog-friendly restaurants, many shops will also allow dogs to come in (but not major supermarkets like Towers Supermarket).

There are a lot of dogs in Malta so you’ll meet a lot of dog owners while out and about. Sadly, there aren’t too many open spaces of nature for the dogs to enjoy. Personally, I have found Malta to be very dog-friendly, but not everyone agrees.

Should I bring my dog with me to restaurants in Malta?

This largely depends on how your dog behaves around people and in crowded spaces. If your dog gets stressed in crowds or small places but is fine to stay at home alone, keep him home. But if your dog has separation anxiety and/or prefers to join you out and about and can behave well, it is perfectly fine to bring him.

As is quite obvious from this post, we have brought our dog, Bo, with us to quite a few places after adopting him. That doesn’t mean you should start bringing your dog if you normally don’t.

We started bringing Bo for two reasons: First of all, he had a lot of separation anxiety after the adoption. We are working on it and do leave him alone from time to time, but never for too long. And secondly, Bo is a very good “pub-dog”. He likes to come with us, and when we sit down, he simply lies down and sleeps. Bo doesn’t mind the chatter or people around him, nor the smell of food at the table. He is just happy to not have to be alone.

I know that some dogs might be very different from this, and are therefore a lot better off home alone without any issues. All I can say is that if you want to bring your dog, it is rarely an issue. Book in advance and check to make sure!

What is a dog-friendly restaurant?

Depending on the restaurant and country, “pet-friendly” can have different meanings. Most dog-friendly restaurants will have an outside area that is not fully enclosed where you can sit and enjoy a meal with your dog. Malta certainly has a lot of great places offering outside seating and here there is hardly ever any issue to have your dog sit by you. 

A lot of pet-friendly restaurants, especially the ones advertising as such, also allow for dogs to come inside and sit – so you won’t be restricted to sitting outside only.

In my opinion, the best dog-friendly restaurants in Malta are the ones that not only allow dogs but actually cater to them. A dog-friendly restaurant should have enough space between the tables for a dog to actually fit and relax without being in the way. And of course, being served a bowl of water (without having to ask) or even a treat doesn’t hurt!

Want more food-related content?
Check out the Dine section at DineWineLove.