DATO’S Italian Food Hub Has Opened a Sicilian Trattoria and Pizzeria in Marsaxlokk
Some openings are exciting because they’re new. Others are exciting because you already know what’s behind them… for me, this is firmly the second.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve wandered into DATO’S Italian Food Hub in Sliema intending to pick up one or two things, only to come out with a bag that somehow weighed twice as much as I’d planned. It’s one of those places where every shelf quietly talks you into buying “just one more thing”.
Now, the team behind the much-loved deli has opened DATO’S Trattoria & Pizzeria in Marsaxlokk, bringing the same passion for authentic Italian produce to a restaurant centred around the true flavours of Sicily.
The restaurant, which opened just over a week ago, is a collaboration between Giovanni Dato and Erik Pietribiasi, combining Sicilian and Veneto roots under one roof.
What unites them is a shared love of family, a genuine pride in their Italian heritage and the belief that great Italian food isn’t about overcomplicating things. It’s about exceptional ingredients, tradition and letting them do most of the talking.
That philosophy runs straight through the menu, with freshly made pasta, artisan pizzas, carefully selected ingredients imported directly from Italy and a wine list that deserves just as much attention as the food. Better still, pizza prices start from just €8.50, with most of the menu comfortably sitting below €12. In 2026, that’s almost suspiciously reasonable.
Classic pizzas include the Margherita, Marinara, Diavola, Speck e Gorgonzola and Salsiccia e Friarielli, alongside a selection of traditional Sicilian favourites.
Inside, the restaurant carries over the same colourful personality as the Sliema deli. Turquoise woodwork, patterned fabrics, a map of Italy stretching across the ceiling and a striking wood-fired pizza oven give the intimate dining room the feel of a neighbourhood trattoria rather than somewhere that’s trying a little too hard to convince you it’s authentic. And of course there’s an option to dine alfresco right by the sea.
What has always stood out to me about DATO’S wasn’t just what was on the shelves, but Giovanni himself. Every conversation somehow ended up back at food, ingredients or a product he was genuinely excited about. It never felt like somebody trying to sell you something; it felt like somebody who simply couldn’t help talking about food. There’s a difference, and you notice it.
If the trattoria lives up to the standard the deli has quietly built over the years, I can easily see people making the trip specifically to eat here. Judging by the steady stream of five-star reviews it’s already collecting, that journey has already begun.
Whether you already live in Marsaxlokk, you’re always looking for proper Italian cooking, or you’ve never really had a reason to drive south unless fish was involved, this might just change your mind.
DATO’S Trattoria & Pizzeria
58 Xatt is-Sajjieda
Marsaxlokk
Website
