The bar that planted the seed of Valletta’s nightlife revival is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, building on nostalgic memories of Jubilee Group’s catering journey.

Malta’s culinary scene was another story a quarter of a century ago – Gozo had half the restaurants it has today, and Valletta was a “sleeping beauty”. Then, along came Café Jubilee to shake things up, and the rest is history. 

The excitement when Café Jubilee was opened was palpable- Anthony Scicluna

An innovative eatery experience and ambiance for the time, it was to be a precursor to the capital’s nightlife scene today, leading it from ghost town to entertainment hub. 

The Silver Jubilee Bar in Victoria, Gozo, where it all started.

The Gozitan Scicluna brothers – the entrepreneurs behind the Café Jubilee brand – retrace the steps to the catering scenario they set out on in 1998, characterised by around four “high class” restaurants, band and political clubs and nothing in between. 

Café Jubilee filled a gap the market was thirsting for, said Anthony Scicluna.

It all began in a Gozo that was struggling with food and beverage limitations. The eldest of the siblings, Alex, opened a restaurant in Marsalforn’s waterpolo team club, Otters. 

His dedication and success inspired his younger brothers, Mario and Anthony, to join forces, and the trio took over a popular traditional coffee shop, Silver Jubilee Bar, in the heart of Victoria.

They redesigned it in what became a trademark style, creating an environment that harked back to pre-World War II times. Building on the original coffee shop’s name, inspired by admiration of the British monarchy, the brothers paid homage to its history by retaining part of it. 

“The excitement when Café Jubilee was opened was palpable,” recalls Anthony as it became the talk of the town. It was not just a new concept for Gozo, but for all Malta, he added.

A poster with a picture of the Titanic announced the closure of Silver Jubilee Bar as the Scicluna brothers set to work on their new venture.

A new era of entertainment

The trio’s dream did not stop there, and they spread their “vision” to Valletta and, eventually, The Strand in Gżira. 

When Café Jubilee’s doors swung open in Valletta in 2000, it was a recipe for success. Anthony, a “firm believer that the capital was worthy of a great restaurant and bar scene”, recounted it marked a turning point.

They recognised the opportunity and Anthony maintains Café Jubilee was the “catalyst” – among the first to feed into a “new era of entertainment” that had stopped at the British scene of the 1960s.Today, he is living out his foresight – with the multitude of bars and restaurants that have also rubbed many the wrong way.

Anthony insists, however, this was how the capital city should have evolved, although he also acknowledges that “gusto may be lost as greed takes over” and that the situation could be “enjoyed within the limits of the law” and managed more sensitively. Back in 2000, Valletta was dominated by retail outlets and a handful of cafés and restaurants that operated only in the mornings. The Embassy shopping complex had just opened up the road as well as Trabuxu wine bar in Strait Street.

Café Jubilee in Valletta. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Café Jubilee was a place where patrons could just have a drink, or a snack; it generated hype as there was “nothing like it”, Anthony recalled.

It became the drinking hole for lawyers and changed socialising patterns. White-collar workers trickled in straight after work on Fridays in suits and let down their hair as the evening progressed. That lasted five years, until others caught on in 2005 and Strait Street started to see a revival. The nightlife scene Anthony envisaged began to boom and then exploded after 2010.

Moving with the times

But stiff competition has not elbowed Café Jubilee out. Its 1920s design concept has withstood the test of time, Anthony said about the importance of moving with the times and adapting to the surroundings and changing trends.

The café started a trend in Valletta - and it has withstood the test of time. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Dictated by demographics, the focus is again on food, and it has moved away from the bar scene.

Over the last 25 years, the Jubilee Group has tweaked, grown and even closed down operations.

Our bond is even stronger than the business and anyone else- Anthony Scicluna

Jubilee Foods at the Gozitana Centre brought the essence of Café Jubilee into people’s homes, specialising in frozen versions of the traditional local food it served. 

Ayu replaced Café Jubilee in Gżira, which no longer worked in the cosmopolitan scene that took over the area in the last decade, changing the surroundings significantly. 

“The Maltese clientele got displaced and replaced by foreigners, who had no connection to our origins and the brotherly bond behind the brand,” said Anthony, who rode on a post-pandemic appetite for travel and explored world cuisines in the new travellers’ kitchen.

Going forward, the plan does not include expansion, but the “consolidation of what we have” and tweaking according to the trends in view of a population explosion.

Moor and Murella Restaurants, Murella Living and Candy Café were opened in Marsalforn, diversifying into accommodation, while the group’s hard six-year overseas stint in Budapest ended when the brothers decided to shelve their pursuit of an international home-made franchise.

.

The brothers recognise their ties to their foundations, honouring their roots and the childhood lessons that taught them to dream big.

.

Brothers in arms, Mario, Alex and Anthony Scicluna

Locally, however, the group remains as “unbreakable” as the lasting bond between the three brothers – an asset they do not take for granted and consider to be their strong point. 

“I have seen countless family-run businesses face problems of sibling rivalry along the years,” said Anthony.

“But we are not only business partners; we also socialise and travel together. No one can come between us. 

“Our bond is even stronger than the business and anyone else,” he said.

Events to celebrate the milestone are, in fact, inspired by the brothers’ happy childhood memories, including the family’s summer residence that has been turned into a B&B.

Jubilee Group is also unveiling a fresh logo that signals to customers that “we are committed to staying ahead of the curve and ready to tackle future challenges”.

The brothers recognise their ties to their foundations, honouring their roots and the childhood lessons that taught them to dream big.

“It is surreal that it has been 25 years and we feel blessed,” Anthony said.