Malia Mediterranean Bistro

Best restaurant in Battle Creek. Food, wine and service are all outstanding. One complaint: Their hours are too short. They close at 8:00 pm and are not open weekend days. They also close between lunch and dinner. Also, I like their carbonara, but it is more of a cream sauce than a true carbonara (with just egg). It’s still good and I usually get it with spaghetti noodles.

The food was delicious and the servers were fantastic as always.

This is my mine and my wife’s favorite date night place in Battle Creek. Their menu is always changing and always delicious and creative. The restaurant is pretty small and very busy. But it’s not too bad. It’s located in a great spot for an after meal walk in downtown. The service is top notch. It’s expensive, but worth it.

Saturday nite at Malia: we were early (6:00) and place not too crowded. (We had reservation). Malia spaghetti that husband had was very good. I had chicken Marsala and have had better. Would not get again, but I am kind of picky on «Marsala» dishes. Their mushroom soup was also good. Exceptionally reasonable and extensive wine list. Nice dessert menu too, starring, of course, teramissu. Service was spot-​on. This is a destination place for Battle Creek to celebrate.

Malia’s is the perfect spot to celebrate a 100^th birthday. Last night, we had the most amazing food. The three of us shared; the delicious mushroom soup, seasonal fall salad, and mussels for an appetizer. The mushroom soup and fall salad are both a must try. Soup that good needs to be experienced.
After hearing the dinner specials, we all decided to try the Sea Bass. Every single bite was more phenomenal than the last. This is the kind of meal you don’t want to end. The three of us savored each bite, enjoying all the flavors of the wonderful meal. The fish was cooked perfectly, moist and flaky.
You’ve got to celebrate 100 years with dessert. The peanut butter pie was our choice to share. The birthday girl said she was only going to have one bite… needless to say she had more than one bite. Each bite she had smile that lit up our table. «It’s so good, I can’t stop eating it.»
Thank you, Malia’s, for a truly fine dining experience. She will remember that birthday dinner for a long time.

I have been here several times always on business and never been disappointed. The food is well crafted. The menu will have something for everyone. The service is above average. The atmosphere is intimate. I have had the wild salmon twice and both times been in heaven. Whether it is business or a romantic vibe that is desired, this place can deliver.

If you are in dowtown battle creek I highly recommend Malia for dinner!!! Everything about this restraunt screams 5 Star Chicago dining experience. The décor, the food and the attentive professional staff were all amazing! We ordered the fishermans stew which was perfect and the scallops just melt in your mouth. The salmon special with asparagus (substituted with mixed veggies) was robust with flavor and a generous sized portion.
I asked the server to choose a wine and it was a perfect compliment to the meal!
Dont pass this place up!

I wish I could leave 10 stars! The food and service are always, always phenomenal. We ordered a catered lunch for 12 people today, and it was done beautifully. The food was out of this world. I definitely recommend this restaurant, whether it’s for dine-​in or pick-​up. Truly amazing. Special thanks to Chef Sampson.

Great birthday lunch today at Malia. Definitely important to call ahead for reservations around noon, although by the time we left, tables were opening up. Service was friendly and attentive, and the food was excellent. We shared the Melenzana and Sausage Linguini (perfect portions split by the kitchen for a $ 3 charge). The eggplant was sweet and tender, and the sauce had just enough fennel. For dessert we shared the Chocolate Decadence, flourless chocolate cake. Lovely presentation, comfortable atmosphere, and very friendly staff. Definitely recommend.

Malia is an amazing place and a rare find. You must eat at least one meal here if you’re in Battle Creek. Best restaurant for at least an hour in any direction.

Definitely the priciest restaurant in downtown Battle Creek, but the food is delicious and has great presentation. I’ve been here for lunch during the week a few times and have always had great service. The food is not so much Mediterranean — an Italian theme dominates the menu with pastas and flatbreads. My absolute favorite is the creamy mushroom soup which is a must-​have start to the meal. I also love the mushroom pasta and nuts & berries salad. The entrée salads are huge portions and can be split with 2 people.

This is a great little restaurant in downtown Battle Creek. I loved the food and the dining room, however the service was just a bit of a let-​down. It seemed like a couple of tables were full of regulars when I was there and they were getting all of the attention. Even so, it still earned five stars.

My experience at the new Malia, for those who didn’t know this isn’t their first location, hasn’t ever been as good as the original Malia.
I can’t fault the service. We always receive excellent service.
But the food has been lacking, especially considering the price and location. I think many of the high rankings are there because there isn’t anything better in Battle Creek.
My poor experience occurred when I took my wife out for dinner and we both ordered our favorite dish, the wild mushroom fettuccini.
On first inspection the dish didn’t look the same. It didn’t taste the same either. It had yellow tomatoes in it, which I had never noticed before. The flavor was bland and the mushrooms were huge. A lot of large mushrooms sounds good but I found it wasn’t good.
The mushrooms were big but not flavorful. There were large pieces of stem that had a bitter flavor and the noodles were over cooked.
OK, so I got a bad meal. Is that really worth 1 star even if I’ve never gotten a 5 start meal there?
Not really until you consider that I complained in writing via email and have not received a response.
I feel one star is warranted when receiving 3 star food and no response from the management.

Best meal we’ve had in awhile! Awesome service!!! Our 7 year old was fussy with her meal and the chef came out and offered to make her something different. That is customer service at its highest!

Best food in Battle Creek, no competition. Beef tenderloin tips or shank is always great. I have eaten here many times for lunch and dinner and have never been disappointed.

We searched for a great restaurant to have dinner while traveling in Battle Creek to attend a concert at Firekeepers Casino. We landed on Malia after reading Unilocal reviews and every star this restaurant gets is well deserved!
The place is adorable, on the main street of what looked like a charming downtown area. On this Saturday evening, Malia was buzzing with activity, full tables, busy chefs working in a beautiful open kitchen area and several people waiting to be seated. We had a 7pm reservation and were escorted to our table within 10 minutes of arrival.
The menu was extensive and the large chalkboard in the dining room also listed several enticing specials for the evening. We really liked the fact that most of the seafood specials also came with some sort of pasta — for example the Grouper that my husband ordered also came with a butternut squash ravioli. They also had a Mahi Mahi on a bed of orecchiette pasta. We were pressed for time so we didn’t order a salad or appetizer but the serving portions were more than generous so we left feeling full and satisfied after only a main course.
The wine list was exciting — a great selection of red and white at very affordable prices — lots of bottles also came as a glass. I ordered the Geunoc Petite Syrah and my hubby ordered an Oregon Pinot Noir and we loved them both. I loved the petite syrah so much that I asked our server to bring back the wine list so I could make note of the label, instead she brought over the bottle and I was able to take a picture of it. Trish was delightful, friendly, efficient and made our dining experience even more enjoyable. Every server in the place said hello, made eye contact with you and really looked like they loved working at Malia.
Our main courses consisted of the Grouper special and my Flank Steak Papardelle — excellent on both counts! The steak was plentiful and tender with perfectly cooked wide noodles and a great balance of mushrooms and other ingredients. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite!
We live more than an hour from Battle Creek and I was unimpressed by the concert venue (see my Firekeepers review) so it’s unlikely we will return to BC for that purpose — but wouldn’t hesitate to make the trip just for dinner at Malia — it was that good!

Came here with family on a rainy weekday. Our waiter was very nice and knowledgeable. He directed us to trying the pasta dishes which did not disappoint. Perfect portions. The Michigan semi-​dry Reisling was also a pleasant surprise. Kids devoured the spaghetti. Tiramisu was excellent. Atmosphere was relaxing with mix of families and business types. My only gripe was that I was expecting a more Mediterranean menu but really more Italian.

The best restaurant in Battle Creek. The food and service always exceed my expectations.

I should start this review by saying I have never been to the restaurant but recently went to a wedding that Was catered by Malia. Amazing food from start to finish. Delicious prosciutto and cheese appetizer to start. My favorite dish was the shrimp ravioli with a lobster cream sauce. So good. Very filling. Additionally, the tortellini and sausage with sweet peppers were seasoned and cooked to perfection. Looking forward to coming to the actual restaurant and I recommend them for catering!

Malia is OK. The service is good and the food is good. The space is extremely small. I went there for a date and they crammed us into an awkward corner. The lobster ravioli is so delicious I would recommend getting that. But it is also expensive as is most of the menu. If you manage not to get crammed in the corner the ambience is rather lovely. They have fresh flowers on every table and most of their ingredients are fresh and the menus changes quite often. The specials are always changing as well. Good find in Battle Creek.