The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants Awards Ceremony sponsored by HSBC and Global Payments held at The Grand Hotel Excelsior on Monday 5th December celebrated the outstanding achievement of Malta & Gozo's top survey rated restaurants as voted by diners out who participated in the Malta & Gozo Restaurant Survey online at www.restaurantsmalta.com Based on popular vote only 150 restaurants make it to be included in the latest 2017 edition of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta & Gozo and its official portal www.restaurantsmalta.com
The results were announced by Lisa Grech, Managing Director of the Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co, and presented by Tonio Mallia from HSBC, Ray Zammit from Global Payments and Mark Ciantar of Continental Purchasing on behalf of Villeroy & Boch who supplied the beautiful commemorative award plates for the occasion.
This year's Malta & Gozo Restaurant Survey conducted in September 2016 returned an incredibly high number of responses, with 2,074 participants who dined out on average 2 times per week equivalent to a total of 215,696 dining experiences in a year! This year sees 27 new restaurants in the The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta & Gozo and www.restaurantsmalta.com which was also launched on the evening.
Award restaurants were chosen from the highest rated restaurants, both overall, and in the various price categories for Malta and Gozo, taking into account not only the Overall rating but also individual Food, Service and Ambience ratings, the number of people rating, value for money, comments and other data from the survey. Restaurants to win award plates in order from most highly rated included:
Ristorante La Vela; Quadrop; Rubino; Buddhamann; Giannini; Le Bistro; Paulus; Redwhite; San Andrea;
The Chophouse; Giuseppi's Bar & Bistro; Il-Mithna; Jus Dine & Wine; La Buona Trattoria del Nonno; one80 Kitchen & Lounge; Xpresso Cafe and Bistro; Suruchi; The Villa Brasserie; Tosca; Trattoria, San Lawrenz; Bacchus; The Blue Elephant; Capistrano; Caviar & Bull; Il-Baldakkin Lounge; La Capanna; Palazzo Preca; Palio's; Patrick's Lounge & Restaurant; Roots; SALT Kitchen & Lounge; Sepia; Ta' Marija; Taproom; Tarragon; The Avenue; The Fork and Cork; Umami; Lovage Bistro; Trattoria A.D. 1530.
Additional awards were made to:
- Best Food (sponsored by Unika Beef represented by Alf Mizzi & Sons) - Ristorante La Vela
- Best Service (sponsored by Maturmeat) - Ristorante La Vela
- Best Maltese Food (sponsored by The Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co) - Gululu Kcina Maltija
- Best Business Entertainment (sponsored by Rummo) - Caviar & Bull
- Restaurant Most Dedicated to Supporting Local (sponsored by The Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights) - Tal-Familja
- Most Romantic Restaurant (sponsored by placeabooking.com) - Tarragon
- Most Children-Friendly (sponsored by the Malta Baby & Kids Directory) - iPlace
- Best Restaurant offering Vegetarian options (sponsored by Good Earth Ltd) - Tarragon
- Best Value for Money (sponsored by Meats & Eats) - Iplace
- Best Newcomer (sponsored by The Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co) - Redwhite
- And in memory of Colin Best - co-founder of the Restaurant Guide. - The Colin Best Award for the Most Consistently Outstanding Restaurant in Malta & Gozo for 2016/2017 -Tarragon.
- The Best Chef Award (sponsored by The Catering Centre) - Kevin Bonello
- Best Restaurant on Valletta Waterfront (sponsored by The Valletta Cruise Port) - Pintonino
- Most Mentioned Restaurant in Survey (sponsored by The Definitive(ly) Good Guide Co) - Iplace
The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in association with Riedel, The Wine Glass Company Wine Awards were as follows:
- The People's Choice Wine List (taken from the results of the returned surveys - Tarragon.
- The Riedel Wine Experience of the Year - Caviar & Bull
- Wine List of the Year - Tarragon
- Commended Wine Lists were: one80, Chophouse, Ristorante La Vela, Pintonino
- The Best Maltese Wine List (sponsored by The Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights) - Country Terrace
The full results of the Restaurant Survey can be found in the 2017 edition of The Definitive(ly) Good Guide to Restaurants in Malta and Gozo and is now available to purchase online for 8 Euros at www.restaurantsmalta.com which will also entitle you to the Guide online and a free hard copy in the post. It is also available at leading stationers and bookshops in Malta & Gozo.