Our Tora Malta Review – Champagne, Watermelon Duck Salad and the Best View of Valletta in Malta

Tora feels a bit secretive and exclusive when you enter, with wine coolers showing off some very good wines straight away. It feels more like Dubai beach club with a live DJ music than many of Malta’s more regular, plain-styled restaurants.

The restaurant sits right on the water at Tigné Seafront in Sliema, and the view over Valletta on the other side of Marsamxett Harbour is probably the best I have found anywhere in Malta. This is really one of the main reasons to come here, especially around sunset.

They normally have a DJ playing, more for mood and atmosphere than anything innovative. It works, though. Tora is very good for a more classy night out without feeling too formal. And on weekdays there is usually a table without booking.

Champagne and fries, a DJ in the background, and Valletta slowly lighting up across the harbour is probably the best way I can describe the place.

Our Tora Ritual: Arrive After 6pm, Leave Before 11pm

The best time to come, for us, is just after 18:00. You catch the sunset with the DJ already playing, watch Valletta change colour across the harbour, and the terrace is still not that crowded. Around 23:00 is a good time to leave, before it gets busier and louder.

Our order hardly changes. We normally have a couple of glasses of brut Champagne — usually Philipponnat — with our favourite fries and the duck salad with watermelon. The Champagne and prosecco are always served properly cold, which sounds like a small thing but is not a given everywhere in Malta.

The Food at Tora: Peking Duck, Dim Sum and That Duck Salad

The food is decent, mostly Chinese and other Asian classics. The menu is built around Tora’s signature Half Peking Duck, carved at the table and served with pancakes, cucumber and hoisin sauce, alongside a dim sum menu with dishes such as Hokkaido scallop siu mai.

The Crispy Duck & Watermelon Salad is my favourite. Other dishes people come back for include the Royal Wasabi Prawns, the Black Cod with yuzu miso, Jasmine Tea Smoked Wagyu Beef Ribs and the truffle fried rice, plus a short list of sushi rolls.

There is not really much seafood beyond that, though. No moules-frites, sadly, which is a shame given how obsessed I am with it, but I guess it would not really fit the concept anyway.

They do serve fries, which I appreciate — plain potato fries, or honey crisp fries if you want something sweeter. It is one of those places where Champagne and fries somehow makes sense.

Philipponnat, Prosecco and Far East Cocktails: Drinks at Tora

They have a decent choice of sparkling wines, Champagnes and other wines, which is another reason I like coming here. We usually go for Philipponnat, but there is always a good brut prosecco or Champagne kept cold if you want something lighter.

If you prefer cocktails, Tora has its own list of Far East-inspired cocktails created by the restaurant’s mixologists, which suits the Asian menu and the sunset better than you might expect.

Service That Feels Easy, Not Stiff

The waiters are very attentive and professional, but still warm and casual. You get the feeling they actually like working there and take some pride in the place.

We have been to Tora many times over the years, and both the food and service have been consistently very good. That has probably been one of the main reasons we keep going back.

Tora and Malta’s Lifestyle Group: AKI, TANVI, LOA and Manta

Tora is part of the Lifestyle Group. The same group is behind AKI in Valletta, TANVI at the new Hard Rock Hotel Malta, LOA in St Paul’s Bay, Manta below Tora and several other restaurants.

I have been to all of these over the past few years living in Malta.

There is a fairly clear style across the group. The restaurants feel high-end, with money and attention put into the interior design, but they are also casual enough that they do not become stiff or overly formal.

At least that has been my experience.

The food is good across these places, but I would not describe them as Michelin-level restaurants or places trying to set new culinary standards. You are paying partly for the whole setting: location, interiors, service, drinks and atmosphere.

For food alone, LOA was perhaps the most interesting to me because of its Latin American menu. That is mainly personal preference. For the overall night out, I prefer Tora.

Manta Below Tora: Pool, Lido and Lazy Afternoons

Manta is directly below Tora and is run by the same owners.

It is the more casual of the two, with a lido and large outdoor area around the pool, a Mediterranean menu with sushi, and the same general harbour and Valletta views. It opens from the morning, so it works for a whole day by the water.

There is considerably more space outside, and it feels much more relaxed than Tora.

The food has not been particularly special on the occasions I have eaten there. For me, Manta works better for drinks, a casual lunch or simply hanging out by the pool.

I would come here more for the setting and drinks than for the food.

That is also probably the easiest way to choose between the two.

• Tora: dinner, wine or Champagne, sunset and a more upscale evening.
• Manta: pool, drinks, lunch and a more casual afternoon.

Is Tora Worth It? Our Verdict After Many Visits

For the food alone, there are more ambitious restaurants in Malta.

For the combination of food, wine, service, atmosphere and location, Tora is much harder to beat.

The Valletta view is the main thing that makes it special for me. Come around sunset, get a table facing the harbour, order some food and a bottle of Champagne, and stay long enough to see Valletta light up on the other side of the water.

That is Tora at its best.