Tużżana irkotta or piżelli? New London pastizzerija is a hit with locals

A taste of Malta has landed in London, and it is enticing Maltese clients and their friends from across England.

From Newcastle to Manchester, people are making their way to M.C.Sims in Tooting in south London to get their hands on the beloved Maltese pastizzi – along with a few new flavours.

Fabrizio Borg, 44, from Paola, and Adel Shkab, 44, from Marsascala, opened the shop at 82, Mitcham Road, on February 27.

Since then, they have welcomed a steady stream of customers eager to try their selection of savoury pastries.

“It wasn’t easy, and sometimes we felt like giving up,” Shkab told Times of Malta.

“But finally, after a lot of hard work and perseverance, we made it, and we feel ever so proud and fulfilled that we managed.”

Borg had long dreamt of opening a pastizzi shop in London, and the pair began exploring the idea in 2021.

However, it took several years to sort out the necessary paperwork and logistics.

Now, four years later, and in just a few weeks, M.C.Sims has become more than just a food outlet – it is a community hub where Maltese expats and curious Londoners come together to experience a taste of Malta.

All the shop’s savoury food is handmade in a factory in Ħandaq, Qormi, before being shipped to the UK

Pastizzi filled with irkotta, peas and chicken are the shop’s bestsellers, priced at around 80p each.

Other popular items include pizza with olives and timpana, a baked pasta dish popular in Malta.

However, the shop has also introduced two new pastizzi flavours for its customers – irkotta and spinach, and apple with cinnamon – which, according to Shkab, have been a surprise hit with customers.

Fabrizio and Adel in front of the shop.

“We never thought we would get such a positive response in such a short time,” he said.

All the shop’s savoury food is handmade in a factory in Ħandaq, Qormi, before being shipped to the UK.

The same factory supplies all M.C.Sims outlets across Malta and Gozo, ensuring that the flavours remain consistent with what customers would expect back home. M.C.Sims also has an outlet running in Cardiff, Wales.

Shkab said Maltese people living in the UK are thrilled to have easy access to their favourite treats.

“The fact that people walk into the shop asking for the traditional pastizzi and bumping into other Maltese people speaking Maltese, creates a friendly vibe making the Maltese community welcome.”

And those unfamiliar with Maltese cuisine are quickly becoming fans: “They taste our food for the first time and realise it’s genuine, tasty and good”.

Many non-Maltese customers, he said, have already become regulars, proving that pastizzi may just be Malta’s next big food export.