Bars in Sliema, Malta

A pub and pizzeria on the Sliema front that runs from breakfast through to the evening — the English breakfast and the Neapolitan-style pizzas both get named, and there's a view across the bay from the tables. The two-for-one lands in the middle of that, so it suits people already sat down rather than those passing through.

A British pub on the Sliema front, and a proper-looking one inside — the fish and chips is what reviewers come back for, with ribs and steaks alongside. It gets loud and busy in the evening. The happy hour covers mocktails as well as drinks, which is worth knowing if not everyone is drinking.

The bar inside the AX Victoria hotel in Sliema, and it plays to that: sofas, screens for the football, and a quiet room when the seafront is heaving. The bar manager gets named for steering people towards local wines and beers. A sit-down-and-stay place rather than a stop on a crawl.

A wine bar on the Sliema waterfront with a terrace facing the marina, and it's a golden-hour place above all — the light on the boats comes up repeatedly. Prosecco and small sharing plates rather than a full dinner, though it also does a breakfast buffet. Somewhere to slow down for an hour rather than start a night.

An Asian-leaning gastro bar on the Sliema promenade where the cocktails are the reason to come — reviewers name the bartender and his recommendations more often than any dish. The kitchen runs to red curry mussels, kimchi and tandoori rather than pub food. It's at the pricier end, and the happy hour is where the cocktail list becomes worth working through.

Sliema's brewpub: it makes its own beer and serves it on a tasting board if you want to work through the range. The kitchen is built around ribs — including a metre-long rack and an unlimited Sunday deal — plus burgers and tacos. There's a live band some nights. Come for the beer rather than the cocktails.

Greek and Mediterranean plates by the Sliema harbour — dolmades, saganaki, gyros, soutzoukakia — with a braised rabbit that reviewers flag as better than the casual setting suggests. The two-for-one on cocktails is confirmed by customers rather than just listed. Attached to the Sliema Marina Hotel but open to everyone.

Right on the Sliema seafront, with a terrace looking out over the swimmers and windsurfers — regulars rate the view as highly as anything on the menu. The happy hour is one of the longest on the island, running from late morning, so it works as an afternoon anchor rather than a pre-dinner stop. Portions are big enough that reviewers warn against over-ordering.

Three floors above the natural sea pools at the end of the Sliema front, each with a different feel, so it's worth walking up before picking a table. Global menu rather than Maltese — salads, tacos, burgers — with cocktails and shisha on the terrace. The rock pools below are easy to miss from the street.

A pizzeria and trattoria above Balluta Bay, where the view does most of the work — it's the first thing almost everyone mentions, and the terrace tables are the ones to ask for. It's a sit-down restaurant rather than a drinking bar, so the two-for-one suits a long dinner better than a quick stop on a crawl. The Bellinis come recommended.

A café attached to the AX Palace hotel in Sliema that quietly turns into a drinks stop later on. It's a brunch place first — eggs Benedict and coffee get the praise — with shade outside most of the day and air conditioning inside. Quieter than the promenade bars, which is the point.