Tmun Restaurant, culinary forward thinking in Gozo

"Rooted in a family legacy dating to 1987 and relocated to Mgarr Harbour in 2009, this MICHELIN-listed Gozo restaurant showcases chef Paul Buttigieg’s forward-thinking, sustainable fish cookery. He selects from the daily catch for filleting ease and commercial viability, balancing crowd-pleasers—sea bream and John Dory cooked whole on the barbecue, al cartoccio or in a salt crust—with underappreciated species: vopi and other bycatch enrich sauces and a hearty bouillabaisse-style soup; mackerel (kavalli) appears as ceviche, cold-cooked or hot with lightly charred skin; even less-loved cuttlefish parts become tortellini filling. Preferences are deftly managed—locals often get whole fish for freshness, tourists boneless fillets—while an Asian-inspired wreckfish dish and ambitions like house-made garum and katsuobushi signal constant experimentation. Though fish leads, there are meat options and four plant-based creations, and the broad wine list spans Malta, Gozo and the wider world. As one of only a handful of Gozo addresses in the MICHELIN Guide Malta since 2020, it serves as an ambassador for future-proof fishing without compromising pleasure." - The MICHELIN Guide