Crystal Palace is one of the few pastizzerias that Valletta residents themselves actually use, which is the best possible recommendation. It serves the two canonical Maltese snacks — pastizzi tal-irkotta (flaky pastry filled with ricotta and egg) and pastizzi tal-piżelli (the same pastry with a mushy pea filling) — hot from the oven throughout the day. A pastizz costs almost nothing and is a cultural institution: the unofficial national snack.
The shop also sells other bakery items and coffee. There is nowhere to sit and it is barely a step up from a street cart, but the pastizzi are genuinely good and it is the most authentic quick bite available in the city centre.