Ostrica at Gillieru, one of Malta’s most famous seafood restaurants, has announced that it is closing its doors.

"After many seasons of shared tables, seaside sunsets, and moments worth remembering, it’s time for us to gently close this chapter,” Ostrica said.

A coastal restaurant just steps from the St Paul’s Shipwreck Church, Ostrica is deeply rooted in the history of St Paul’s Bay.

It started off in the early 1900s as a venture between home cook Rosi and her fisherman husband Toni, set up at the back of Rosi’s father’s grocery shop.

The kitchen’s only resource was a temperamental old stone oven ‘fuklar’, which had to be rekindled with the aid of a ‘palju’ straw fan.

It proved popular among contractors and masons who were building up St. Paul’s Bay and eventually developed into a more sophisticated restaurant.

It survived the Second World War, during which it was used by British soldiers as dining quarters, and after the war, Carmelo and Giuseppe took over from their parents.

Carmelo and Giuseppe wanted to revamp their parents’ eatery into a modern seafood restaurant, and in 1965, Il-Gillieru was born.

Over the decades, Il-Gillieru earned a name for itself as one of Malta’s most famous seafood restaurants.

It hosted a number of global celebrities, including Roger Moore, Lee Marvin, Oliver Reed, Robin Williams, Chris De Burgh, Albano, and Bon Jovi, as well as several local politicians, bishops and dignitaries.

It later expanded into the Gillieru Harbour Hotel, while the restaurant itself became Ostrica at Gillieru.

While this chapter is coming to a close, the story of Gillieru is far from over. This pause marks a moment of reflection, renewal and preparation, with new ideas and experiences on the horizon, all while honouring the heritage that made the restaurant so special. 

For now, we toast to the memories made, and eagerly anticipate the new chapters yet to unfold at Gillieru.