Has anyone experienced any cute, reasonably price and authentic restaurants in Venice that serve food typical of the region (and preferably not overrun by tourists)? My husband and I would love any suggestions. Thanks!!

Ostaria Ale Do' Marie, Calle de L'Ogio.

It's a bit tough to find, but walkable from San Marco (barely). We stumbled upon it about a month ago and it was the best meal we had in our entire trip to Italy. I highly recommend the mixed fried seafood -- and I usually avoid fried seafood like the plague. It was incredible.

The service was genuinely warm and friendly and our dining companions were entirely local, except for one tourist couple -- who were Italians nonetheless, refugees from the Pope brouhaha in Rome.

I don't normally even remember the names of restaurants we dine in, but I made sure we took pictures of the sign and the street sign to make sure we could find this one again. Happy dining!

My post from April 2004:

My brother, an annual visitor, recommended Ai cannottieri on the south/ west side of the Canareggio canal at the far end -- i.e away from the centre. It is VERY Venetian, esp. at lunch, when workers from nearby job-sites and trades flood in for a large, delicious, inexpensive lunch.

The staff do speak English, though many customers do not speak a language recognizable as Italian ( I know enough of, or at least about, the dialect to recognize it but not always to understand it) But I liked the place -- as authentic a place, hence memorable, as you will find.

AI CANNOTTIERI
cannaregio, 690 ponte dei tre archi
30121 venezia
tel.+39-041-717999
osteria veneziana con vino e cicchetti
(Venetian bistro -- also wine and snacks)
posti all’aperto (seating outside)
orari (hours):11.00-14.30 / 19.00-2.00
chiusuraomenica (closed Sundays)

Hi O,

Is authentic sufficient, or is cute required?

Not cute, but good and reasonable
Alla Madonna near the Rialto Bridge.

Not cute and more expensive; Cantinone Storico is on a canal near the Accademia Bridge, within sound of the bells of one of the churches. Lovely atmosphere. Excellent cooking. Very good presentation. Superior service.

Ira -- I think the outdoor seating at Cantinone Storico could be classified as "cute". =) It is a bit on the pricey side, but for a canal-side table and good food, well worth it. Enjoy -- Heather.

Very little in Venice is "cute, authentic" Italian - it's too much of a mass tourism magnet. You'd be better off getting off the train in Padova or Vicenza for that experience.

I visited Venice once again the day before yesterday. I've travelled in Italy 10+ times, and don't expect much from Venice, except on those occasions when I'm visiting the homes of local friends.

This time, food in Venice was a pleasant surprise: I very much second Ostaria ale do' Marie. We found this little place quite accidentally. Their phone number is 041.29.60.424 - they even have a website at http://www.vivereavenezia.it/osteria.htm

You won't be the only foreigner there - it's Venice, after all - but you will find other Italians, and the food is good, tasty, carefully made, and the staff playful and wonderful. My spider crab pasta was to die for.

Generally speaking, you will need to leave the central area of San Marco, Rialto, etc. to get away from tourists. I never found what fits your description in two trips to Venice. Oh yes, one time, there was one dinner at El Gondoleri (?) but it was not particularly reasonably priced. But it was a wonderful dinner and Italians were eating there along with the other tourists.

Trattoria Ca d'Oro, alla Vedova. Off Strada Nova near the Ca d'Oro. If you were walking from Ca d'Oro you would cross Strada Nova and walk one short block to it.

Just checking...the english portion of the Ostaria Ale Do' Marie website isn't working, and I was trying to locate the address on mappy...can you please confirm if it is in the Dorsoduro area?

I also agree with the recommendation for Cantinone Storico. We ate there last year and it was our favorite meal in Venice. I definitely think that the canalside seating could be classified as "cute" and romantic. Make sure to try the chocolate cake for dessert--it's incredible! There was a mix of Italians and tourists there, but it definitely did not feel touristy. We stayed at a B&B in Dosudoro and the owner said that he eats there all the time with friends.

Irishgirl -

I misspelled the name in my first recommendation. It's Osteria Ae do' Marie, and it's in Castello - the far western end of that district, where Castello juts into the San Marco and Canareggio districts. There's a map here that looks right to me (not that those long walks in Venice with the aim of just stopping at a restaurant that looks good are easy to remember.)

http://venicexplorer.net/map/hyperma...;htmsrc=1&

The telephone number is +39 0412960424.

Try it out - we loved it. Happy eating!

Worktowander - thanks for the great map link! Much easier when you can search by restaurant name instead of just the address...I found Cantinone Storico as well and now have maps to both! Thanks again. We leave in two days...yea!

I hope you enjoy it. Our waiter was a terrific man in his 60s who was obviously such a pro - and so warm to us. Happy travels!