Looking for a seafood restaurant in Malta that is not staged for a harbour window? Calle Bistro opened in 2024 on Triq Zimmerman Barbaro in Sliema — a quiet lane a short walk from the ferries. The kitchen cooks to order: a Garlic Butter Shrimp Pan to start, Seafood Marinara, grilled seabass and grilled tuna, and a Seafood Antipasto Platter built for the middle of the table.
Where the Menu Starts
The first order to know at Calle Bistro is the Garlic Butter Shrimp Pan: tiger prawns, paprika and cherry tomatoes, brought to the table in the pan. At €12 it is the easiest first order on the card.
It sits in the tapas section of the menu, but it works just as well as a starter for two. A bigger table should put the Seafood Antipasto Platter in the middle instead — more on that below. Then it is pasta or the grill: Seafood Marinara, grilled seabass or grilled tuna.
The Seafood Antipasto Platter
The Seafood Antipasto Platter (€24) is the order for the table that wants everything and the conversation to go long. A bowl of mussels and prawns, grilled fish scored and charred with the skin still on, fried calamari piled high, a wedge of lemon, and tartare sauce. It arrives on a blue ceramic plate designed to be the centre of the table — not delicate, not arranged for a photo, just generous.
A hidden gem in Sliema — the kind of place you find once, keep to yourself for a while, and eventually tell everyone about anyway.
Triq Zimmerman Barbaro
The entrance is easy to miss on purpose. A round teal sign with a palm tree, a few wooden tables on the narrow lane, glass doors into a darker dining room. Once you know the street, the evening feels found — not staged for a harbour view.
Quick Answers
What is Calle Bistro known for?
A seafood restaurant in Sliema, Malta — cooked to order on Triq Zimmerman Barbaro near the ferries, not a harbour-view tourist stop. Guests come for the Garlic Butter Shrimp Pan, Seafood Marinara, Grilled Seabass, Grilled Tuna and the Seafood Antipasto Platter.
What should I order?
Start with the Garlic Butter Shrimp Pan, or share the Seafood Antipasto Platter across the table. For mains, take Seafood Marinara if you want pasta, or Grilled Seabass or Grilled Tuna from the grill. See the full menu.
Is there outdoor seating?
Yes — a small terrace with wooden tables on Triq Zimmerman Barbaro, plus the dining room inside.
How much is dinner?
Starters and tapas about €8.50–24 (Garlic Butter Shrimp Pan €12, seafood cocktails €15, Seafood Antipasto Platter €24). Most pasta €18.50–20.50, Seafood Marinara €20.50. See the full menu.
What are the opening hours?
Every day 12:00–22:30 (12pm–10:30pm).
What fish do you cook?
Grilled seabass, grilled tuna, pan-fried red snapper fillet, the Seafood Antipasto Platter with mussels and calamari, plus the pasta on the card.
Keep reading
New · Sliema guideSeafood near the Sliema Ferries: lunch or dinnerGarlic Butter Shrimp Pan, Seafood Marinara, Grilled Seabass and Grilled Tuna, a short walk inland from the ferries. Same kitchen from 12:00 to 22:30.
Seafood in MaltaSeafood restaurant in Malta: cooked when you order itWhat a first table orders, what it costs, and why the room is a few roads back from the harbour.
