La Liste – often described as the global benchmark for gastronomy and the ultimate guide to the world’s finest restaurants, pastry shops, and hotels – has named Noni, located on Republic Street, Valletta, as one of the Top 1000 restaurants worldwide.
The listing praises Noni as ‘tradition reborn with a modern spirit’, a sentiment that reflects the restaurant’s story. Once home to Xmun Borg & Sons Bakery & Confectionery, the historic space has been beautifully transformed into a contemporary fine dining destination, offering guests the choice of dining in its welcoming ground floor or stylish cellar setting.
Head Chef Jonathan Brincat, whose nickname ‘Noni’ ended up becoming the restaurant’s namesake, holds a culinary philosophy that celebrates both Maltese heritage and French technique. His menus showcase carefully crafted dishes that balance authenticity with innovation, earning the restaurant both local and international acclaim.
La Liste’s ranking process is renowned for its precision. To determine the world’s best, it:
- Aggregates reviews from over 1,000 guidebooks and trusted publications.
- Standardises scores into a universal grading system (0–100).
- Weights results using a ‘trustworthiness index’ based on chef feedback.
- Processes an average score for each venue.
- Integrates online customer reviews, which account for 10% of the final score.
Noni’s achievement follows in the footsteps of The de Mondion in Mdina, another Maltese fine dining gem that has previously earned a place on the list.
A well-deserved congratulations to Noni and Chef Jonathan Brincat!