The Latest Casual Dining Restaurant In Paceville Could Become Your Family’s New Favourite Eatery

The Rusty Knot is a new Maltese family-run restaurant in the heart of Paceville. Perfect for casual dining, its open design, attentive service and relaxed atmosphere makes it a great place for big groups or indeed the whole family.
Opening just six months ago, Chef Daniel Grech recently joined the brotherly team of Luke and James Vella, chef patron, and head waiter respectively, to amp up the kitchen.
Their menu offers a range of typical Maltese cuisine alongside over-the-top burgers, a beautiful wood oven-cooked pizza section, and just about something for everyone in the family.

Chef Daniel Grech, Head Waiter James Vella and Chef Patron Luke Vella
Rusty knot focaccia
Having a wood oven and not trying it out immediately would have been a missed opportunity, so a Rusty Knot focaccia was brought out to start the proceedings.
The super crunchy base is lightly covered with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, parmeggiano, Parma ham and rucola. The incredible base was all that was needed for the simple flavours to shine and open up the palatte.
Tuna and anchovy fritters
The friendly head waiter had mentioned tuna and anchovy fritters as a daily special. Anchovies oftentimes overpower a dish, but somehow the Rusty Knot had created an extremely balanced dish with some very strong ingredients.
Sitting on a brilliant garlic tartar sauce, with a bit of diced tomatoes and fresh onions on top, if these become a mainstay on the menu they are sure to become Rusty Knot favourites.
They are also pretty much the closest you’ll ever come to a Maltese-style bhaji.
Pulled pork crostini
A Daniel Grech classic, the BBQ-style pulled pork piled onto the crispy crostini is always going to go down well.
The texture of the bite belies the quality of the cut of meat – just make sure you buy enough for everyone at the table.
Tagliatelle with fresh sea urchin
Hands down one of the fishiest dishes around that doesn’t feature fish, anyone that seriously loves seafood will seriously love this dish.
The tagliatelle have a great al dente bite to them, as they should, but the sea urchins are at the heart of this dish and really make this one you’ll remember.
Jameson’s Burger
The 200g homemade beef burger is slathered in an in-house made Jameson’s whiskey mayo which elevates the burger to no end.
Add some melted cheese and a sweet gherkin and you’ll feel like you are practically in Dublin.

Honey-glazed rack of ribs with coleslaw
When the meat falls of the rib as easily as they do here, you know it’s going to be good.
The sweetness of the honey glaze worked perfectly with the tender meat, and the creaminess of the coleslaw was a great side to cut right through the sweetness.

Rabbit stew
As traditional as you can get, this rabbit stew will remind you of your grandma’s cooking. Expect a flavoursome country sauce with juicy pieces of rabbit among the peas and carrots.

Chocolate delice with pistachio and vanilla ice cream
The soft delice was a fine way to end such a hearty meal. The pistachio cream and delicate vanilla ice cream accompanied the chocolate delice very well, encompassing your mouth with layer upon layer of glorious dessert-iness.


Oreo, M&M’s, Kinder Bueno and Nutella sweet pizza
However, it is near impossible to come to Rusty Knot and not try the sweet pizzas.
The wood oven ensures that the base is super soft, and really, do not underestimate the pizza bases at Rusty Knot, be they sweet or savoury.
However, the topics of this sweet pizza were enough to send any child into a fit of ecstasy. All your favourite chocolates are smashed on top of a layer of nutella, and slightly melted together.
This is all topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Let’s take a closer look

Even closer

This is a guaranteed win with any child – and, indeed, any adult.
Overall, Rusty Knot has the tasty meat dishes that many Maltese look for when they go out, as well as the pizza, pasta, and burgers to really write home about.
Top that off with an insane sweet pizza selection and you might just have your family’s new favourite restaurant.
Tag someone who would love the Rusty Knot!
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