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Restaurants in Venice
Seafood dominates Venetian cuisine. Try Alle Testiere in Castello or Osteria ai Quatro Feri in Dorsoduro. Typical dishes include sarde in soar (marinated sardines). A handful of restaurants like Ai Gondolieri, buck the trend and offer meat only. San Polo teems with traditional osterie like Antiche Carampane. Gourmet options such as Locanda La Cusina are found in San Marco. Last orders for lunch and dinner are around 2pm and 10pm. Service is typically 10-15%.
- Sicilian
A Beccafico
Take a trip to Sicily for a refreshing change to Venetian cuisine, with a menu rich in seafood pastas (such as a simple but delicious spaghetti alle vongole), and fresh tuna, sea bream, fabulous calamari and swordfish—the waiters will advise on the fish of the day and specials such…$$$Near Piazza San Marco - Venetian
Ai Artisti
This unpretentious family-owned osteria enoteca is one of the best dining experiences in Venice, with a menu that changes daily according to what’s available at the market (no fish is served on Mondays, when the fish market is closed). Grab a table by the canal and feast on octopus…$$$In Dorsoduro - Venetian
Ai Cugnai
The name of this small trattoria means “at the in-laws,” and in that spirit the kitchen knocks out solid, home-cooked Venetian food, beautifully prepared and very popular with locals and hungry gondoliers. The classics are done especially well: The spaghetti vongole here is crammed…$$$In Dorsoduro - Italian
Al Bacco Felice
This quaint, friendly neighborhood restaurant is convenient for the train station and popular with locals. Stick with the basics and you won’t be disappointed—the pizzas, pastas and fish dishes are solid, with classic standbys spaghetti alle vongole, pasta with spicy arrabbiata, and…$$In Santa Croce - Seafood
Al Covo
For years, this high-quality Venetian restaurant from Diane and Cesare Benelli has been deservingly popular with American food writers (and TV chefs such as the late Anthony Bourdain), so expect to be eating with plenty of fellow tourists. It features two cozy dining rooms adorned…$$$Castello - Italian/Pizza
Al Vecio Canton
Venice is not known for pizza, partly because fire codes restrict the use of traditional wood-burning ovens, but the big, fluffy crusted pies here—made using natural mineral water—are the best in the city. They also do a mean T-bone steak, cooked tableside on a granite slab,…$$Castello-Riva Degli Schiavoni - Venetian
Alle Corone
This is one of Venice’s finest restaurants, an elegant 19th-century dining room inside the Hotel Ai Reali and overlooking the canal. Start with a selection of classic Venetian cicchetti (28€) before moving on to risotto with Sicilian red prawns and pistachios (22€) or main courses…$$$Castello - Pizza
Antico Forno
Venice is not known for pizza, partly because fire codes restrict the use of traditional wood-burning ovens, but the big, fluffy-crusted pies here are the best in the city. Little more than a hole-in-the-wall (take-out only), Antico Forno has been selling pizza by the slice since…$$Dorsoduro - Contemporary Italian/Venetian
Antico Martini
Founded in 1720 as a coffee house and once a meeting point for glitterati heading to the nearby Fenice theater, this historic spot was reborn as a gourmet restaurant in 1952. Since 2006, the new owners have been crafting more contemporary interpretations and small plates of Venetian…$$$Near Piazza San Marco - Venetian
Bacareto Da Lele
This tiny hole-in-the-wall bácaro is worth seeking out for its cheap, fresh snacks, sandwiches, and cicchetti. Tiny glasses or ombras of wine and Prosecco are just 0.70€ to 1.50€. There are no seats, so do as the locals do and grab a space on the nearby church steps, or outside by…$Santa Croce - Italian/Venetian
Bacaromi
This hotel restaurant is well worth staying over on Giudecca for, even if you’re not spending the night, a faux rustic Venetian canteen where you can sample cicchetti, and a glass of local wine in the company of welcoming and incredibly helpful, English-speaking staff led by the…$$$On Isola Della Giudecca - Venetian
Cantina Arnaldi
This welcoming bàcari offers some of the freshest snacks in the city, washed down with quality wines, spritz, and Prosecco (3€ –5.50€). The thing to order is the delicious board of cheese and cold cuts, all sourced from the region and enhanced with fresh fruits, fig jam, local bread,…$Santa Croce - Seafood/Venetian
Corte Sconta
One of Venice’s finest restaurants, where a budget of around 80€ will buy you a delicious seafood meal. Everything is first-class, but the stuffed squid and Venetian-style tuna with white polenta are especially good, as are the fried soft-shelled crabs, in season. Start with the…$$$Castello-Riva Degli Schiavoni - Trattoria/Venetian
Da Fiore
At this classy but laid-back Venetian trattoria (not to be confused with the posher osteria with the same name), the menu features typical Venetian dishes like squid ink pasta, but the specials here are the most fun, with moeche (local soft-shell crab) a particular treat (the two…$$$Near Piazza San Marco - Seafood/Venetian
Da Rioba
Fresh, creative, and absolutely scrumptious Venetian food served right alongside a serene canal in a lively—but not touristy—area. Plenty of locals eat here, enticed by the beautifully executed seafood; monkfish, sea bass, scampi, turbot, mackerel, tuna and lots of cod. Top choices…$$$In Cannaregio - Italian/Pizzeria
Da Sandro
No frills pasta and pizza since 1962, where the simplest dishes are the best. Clam spaghetti, stuffed full of juicy, fresh clams, crispy thin pepperoni pizza, the classic Venetian spaghetti with squid ink sauce, or pasta with onions and anchovies rich with the flavors of the ocean.…$$In San Polo - Wine Bar/Venetian
Do Mori
Serving good wine and cicchetti since 1462 (check out the antique copper pots hanging from the ceiling), Da Mori is above all a fun place to have a genuine Venetian experience, a small, dimly lit bàcari that can barely accommodate ten people standing up. Sample the baby octopus and…$In San Polo - Venetian
Do Spade
It’s tough to find something so authentic and local this close to the Rialto Bridge these days, but Do Spade has been around since 1415. Most locals come here for the cicchetti (you can sit on benches outside if it’s too crowded indoors), typical Venetian small plates such as fried…$$In San Polo - Italian
Gritti Terrace
One of the city’s most famous restaurants remains one of its most magical experiences, despite the high prices. First time Venice visitors in particular should not miss the chance to dine on this venerable deck overlooking the Grand Canal on a sunny day, or especially, on a clear…$$$Santa Croce - Venetian
L’Orto dei Mori
Traditional Venetian cuisine is cooked up here by a young Sicilian chef, so expect some subtle differences to the usual flavors and dishes. Everything on the relatively small menu is exceptional—the codfish and clams stewed with artichokes especially so—and the setting next to a…$$$Cannaregio - Venetian
La Bottiglia
This contemporary bàcari features wonderful cheese and meat boards, a well-curated wine list (exceptional Amarone red wine is served here) and excellent panini sandwiches stuffed with prosciutto and cheeses. As you might expect, it’s a tiny place, with a few tables outside near the…$San Polo - Venetian
La Palanca
For simple, no-frills Venetian cuisine with a stellar view across to the spires of Dorsoduro, this Giudecca spot, well off the tourist trail, is hard to beat. Grab a table on the waterside for coffee and cake (most locals take breakfast standing at the bar), or have a sandwich, a…$$$La Giudecca - Venetian
Le Bistrot de Venise
Though it looks a bit like a wood-paneled French bistro, the menu here is primarily old-school Venetian, specializing in rare wines and historical recipes from the 14th to 18th centuries. It’s gimmicky, but it works; think fried soft crabs with artichoke salad; scallops with fennel…$$$Near Piazza San Marco - Venetian
Locanda Montin
Montin was the famous ex-hangout of Peggy Guggenheim in the 1950s, frequented by Jimmy Carter, Robert De Niro, and Brad Pitt, among many other celebrities, but is the food still any good? Well, yes. Grab a table in the wonderfully serene back garden (covered by an arching trellis),…$$$In Dorsoduro - Cafe/Wine Bar
Osteria Al Squero
Perhaps the most beguiling view in Venice is from this enticing osteria, right opposite the Squero di San Trovaso. Sip coffee or wine and nibble cicchetti while observing the activity at the medieval gondola boatyard and workshop, on the other side of the Rio di San Trovaso (drinks…$Dorsoduro - Vegetarian Friendly/Italian
Osteria La Zucca
Not specifically a vegetarian restaurant, but the romantic, canal-side dining room of La Zucca (aka “the pumpkin”) does offer a huge range of high-quality vegetable dishes, from the signature pumpkin-and-ricotta flan and potato cakes to zucchini-and-almond lasagne. The seasonal menu…$$Santa Croce - Deli/Venetian
Rosticceria San Bartolomeo
Also known as Rosticceria Gislon, this no-frills spot is incredibly popular with locals, with a handful of small tables and bar stools and bigger tables in the upstairs dining room (which tends to be more expensive). Don’t be fooled by appearances—the food here is excellent, with a…$$Near Piazza San Marco - Italian/Venetian
San Trovaso
No frills tavern perfect for a lunch or dinner of tasty Italian comfort food, with a daily menu turistico (16€) featuring classics such as spaghetti with pesto, spaghetti vongole and an utterly addictive gnocchi ai 4 formaggi (gnocchi with four cheeses). The seafood menu is huge,…$$In Dorsoduro - Seafood
Trattoria al Gatto Nero
The island of Burano makes a wonderful culinary excursion for its seafood restaurants, notably the “Black Cat,” which has been around since the 1940s. Signatures include Burano-style risotto (made with local ghiozzi, a small long-bodied fish from the lagoon), local turbot and…$$Burano - Seafood
Trattoria da Romano
Another favorite seafood specialist, with a dining room adorned with over 400 works or art donated by visiting painters since the 1940s. Rolling Stone's Keith Richards, designer Philippe Starck, and actor Sylvester Stallone have been regulars here for years.$$Burano - Pizza
Versus Meridianem
The glass-making island of Murano isn’t especially known for its food, though there are plenty of decent trattorias scattered along the main streets. The one exception is this joint, a spacious contemporary restaurant in a restored glass furnace, with gorgeous views of the lagoon.…$$Murano



