-
$ | Dorsoduro |
A mainstay for anyone living or working in the area, this beautiful, family-run, 19th-century bacaro across from the squero (gondola boatyard) of San Trovaso has original furnishings and one of the city's best wine cellars, and the walls are covered floor to ceiling with bottles for purchase. The cicheti here are some of the most inventive—and freshest—in Venice (feel free to compliment the signora, who makes them up to twice a day); everything's eaten standing up, as there's no seating. Try the crostini-style layers of bread, smoked swordfish, and slivers of raw zucchini, or pungent slices of Parmesan, fig, pistachio, and toast. They also have a creamy version of baccalà mantecato spiced with herbs, and there are nearly a dozen open bottles of wine for experimenting at the bar. You'll have no trouble spotting the Cantinone as you approach; it's the one with throngs of chatty patrons enjoying themselves. Avoid the temptation to sit on the bridge's steps -- this is a common touristic behavior that inconveniences, and thus annoys, anybody who needs to pass.
Dorsoduro 992, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Excellent quality cicheti
- Plenty of wine choices
- Boisterous local atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 3 wks in Aug.
-
$ | Cannaregio |
Filled brioche, exquisite chocolates and pastries, such as kranz (a braided pastry filled with almond paste and raisins) and strudel from the Friuli region, and bar service make Dal Mas a great choice for breakfast. It's been a local favorite since 1906.
Cannaregio 150/A, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Savory snacks and drinks
- Handy pit-stop near the station
- Delicious pastries like Pastine di Riso
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
-
$ | |
On the Lido, strategically located on the main drag between the vaporetto stop and the most central beaches, Titta is one of the oldest gelaterie (gelato shops) in Venice. Get your receipt at the cassa (register) for a cone to go, or enjoy one of the special combinations while lolling in a swinging chair under the trees that line the Gran Viale.
Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta 61, Lido, Veneto, 30126, Italy
Known For
- Ice caffè and ice cioccolato
- Gianduiotto (chocolate and hazelnut) gelato, topped with cream and hazelnuts
- Many types of bruschette
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Nov.–early Mar.
-
$ | |
This popular breakfast spot close to the Rialto attracts a mix of locals and tourists. Enjoy your pastry and coffee inside the old-time pastry shop or, if you’re lucky, snag a seat outside.
San Marco 4589, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Tasty espresso
- Traditional Venetian pastries
- Friendly, helpful staff
-
$ | San Marco |
This 19th-century chocolate shop serves up delicious (what else?) chocolate ice creams, along with refreshing sorbets. For the ultimate experience, add seasonal sprinkles, such as Piedmont hazelnuts, to your sweet treat.
San Marco 989, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Rich dark-chocolate gelato
- Green pistachio from Sicily
- Cones topped with chocolate
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$ | Cannaregio |
Swing by this pint-sized wine bar for cicheti and crostini that are just a bit different and fresher than what you'll find elsewhere, along with a fine selection of natural wines. Though there's not much space inside, try to snag one of the coveted seats by the canal.
Cannaregio 2497, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Large selection of both Italian and international natural wines
- Delectable small bites
- Pretty canal-side seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.
-
$ | San Polo |
Even if this café/wine bar wasn't at one of the city's busiest intersections, on the corner between the Frari and the Scuola of San Rocco, it would be worth the trip. It's small but with an amazing variety of drinks, cicheti, and pastries, plus an energetic and welcoming atmosphere. There's room for only a very few seats inside, but you'll want to be at a table outside anyway, watching tourists, students, commuters, and locals stream past.
San Polo 3028, Venice, Veneto, Italy
Known For
- Central location
- Outdoor dining
- Bustling energy
-
$ | San Polo |
It's easy to spot this tiny bacaro shoved into a corner of the campo adjoining Campo San Giacometto just beyond the Rialto markets: it's the one mobbed with chatty patrons—dressed in suits, jeans, or travel wear, shouldering messenger bags or backpacks, with strollers or carts loaded with market acquisitions—each with a glowing spritz or glass of wine in hand. Step up to the banco (counter, or bar), scan the chalkboards for the lists of wines (whites on the left, reds on the right), then choose from the myriad cicheti (meat, tuna, or eggplant croquettes; crostini and panini with imaginative combos of radicchio, artichokes, fish, sopressa (premium salami), ossocollo (cured pork), and more) in the glass case.
San Polo 213, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Popular location
- Wide selection
- Lively atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$ | Santa Croce |
This shop whips up delicious gelato completely from scratch, and is endlessly experimenting with imaginative flavors. Combine a tried-and-true favorite with, say, asparagus, fennel, or pistachio.
Santa Croce 1159, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Inventive flavors
- Homemade ice cream
- Creative toppings
-
$ | San Polo |
Just because it's noon and you only have enough time between sights for a sandwich doesn't mean that it can't be a satisfying, even awe-inspiring, one. There's no menu at All'Arco, but a scan of what's behind the glass counter is all you need; order what entices you, or have Roberto or Matteo (father and son) suggest a cicheto or panino. Options here are broad enough to satisfy both conservative and adventurous eaters. Wine choices are well suited to the food. Arrive early or at the tail end of lunchtime to snag one of the few tables set out in the calle.
San Polo 436, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Top-notch cicheti
- Platters of meats and cheeses
- Friendly and helpful service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
-
-
$ | Santa Croce |
If you need a break from Venice's abundant fish and pasta, head to this smokehouse for barbecue ribs, smoked pulled pork, pastrami, and chicken gyro. Vegetarians and vegans will enjoy the smoked eggplant with hummus on a bun, fried jalapeños, and more.
Santa Croce 220, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Texas-style barbecue
- Pulled pork
- Veggie options
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
-
$ | San Marco |
This corner of Campo Santo Stefano is a pleasant place to sit and watch the Venetian world go by. The café staff are in constant motion, so you'll receive your coffee, spritz, panino (a sandwich warmed on a griddle), or tramezzino (sandwich on untoasted white bread, usually with a mayonnaise-based filling) in short order; consume it at your leisure at one of the outdoor tables, at the bar, or at the tables in the back. As in most bars, it is better to stick to cold dishes.
San Marco 3464, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Simple yet satisfying fare, like tramezzini and panini
- Tasty homemade desserts, including tiramisu and cakes
- Good people-watching
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Jan.
-
$ | |
A pretty square with olive trees and a well sets the stage for Da Lele, a favorite of the Muranese and returning travelers. On the ground floor of a dark-red building with a loggia, the restaurant stretches out on the campo, where you eat in the shade of large umbrellas. Check the blackboard for such daily specials as antipasto Busa, with granseola and garusol (sea snails); bavette alla busara (flat spaghetti with a hot, spicy shrimp and tomato sauce); and baked rombo or branzino with potatoes. Homemade cookies are served with fragolino, a sweet, sparkling wine redolent of strawberries.
Campo Santo Stefano 3, Murano, Veneto, 30141, Italy
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner, Credit cards accepted
-
$ | Dorsoduro |
Caffè Ai Artisti gives locals, students, and travelers alike good reason to pause and refuel. The location is central, pleasant, and sunny—perfect for people-watching and taking a break before the next destination—and the hours are long. You can come here for a morning cappuccino, or drop by late for an after-dinner spritz. The panini are composed on site from fresh, seasonal ingredients, and there's a varied selection of wines by the glass.
Dorsoduro 2771, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Relaxing with a coffee
- Evening Aperol spritz or wine
- Chilling with the locals
-
$ | San Polo |
Just over the bridge in front of the Frari church is this old-fashioned place where you'll find an assortment of sandwiches and snacks, but it is the atmosphere, and not the food, that is the main attraction. Established in 1870, it's one of the last Venetian tearooms with its original decor, and while prices are a bit higher than in cafés in nearby Campo Santa Margherita, the vibe and the friendly "retro" atmosphere make the added cost worthwhile.
San Polo 2564, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Lovely historic setting
- Well-made cocktails
- Quality cicheti
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun and Mon. No dinner
-
-
$ | San Marco |
Venice's oldest café, continuously in business since 1720, has served coffee to the likes of Wagner, Casanova, Charles Dickens, and Marcel Proust. Counter seating is less expensive than taking a table, but is, of course, less romantic and you don't have the view of the piazza. This is where many upscale Venetians go when they want to meet a friend for a coffee or spritz around Piazza San Marco.
Piazza San Marco 56, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
-
$ | San Marco |
In the Procuratie Vecchie, Caffè Quadri exudes almost as much history as Florian across the way, and is similarly pricey. It was shunned by 19th-century Venetians when the occupying Austrians made it their gathering place. It's closed on Monday.
Piazza San Marco 121, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
-
$ | San Polo |
This is the original bacaro, in business continually since 1462; cramped but warm and cozy under hanging antique copper pots, it has served generations of workers from the Rialto markets. In addition to young local whites and reds, the well-stocked cellar offers reserve labels, many available by the glass; between sips you can choose to munch the wide range of cicheti on offer, or a few tiny well-stuffed tramezzini, appropriately called francobolli (postage stamps). Don't leave without tasting the delicious baccalà mantecato, with or without garlic and parsley. If you choose to create a light lunch, snag one of the few stools at the bar that line the wall across from the banco. Atmosphere comes at a price; the cost is higher than comparable bacari.
San Polo 429, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Good choice of wines by the glass
- Fine selection of cicheti and sandwiches
- Delicious baccalà mantecato, with or without garlic and parsley
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$ | Cannaregio |
It doesn't get any more Venetian than this. At Marisa, a beloved Cannaregio institution, don't expect a menu, tourist or otherwise: what Marisa cooks—whether meat, wild game, or fish—you eat. Expect an abundant, five-course, prix-fixe meal of expertly prepared Venetian comfort food. The pasta and gnocchi are always fatto in casa (homemade). Primi might include tagliatelle with sugo del masaro (duck sauce), risotto di caroman (with mutton), or perhaps a zuppa di funghi, soup made with fresh mushrooms. Salmì di cervo (stewed venison) or fagiano ripieno arrosto (stuffed roast pheasant) are possibilities for secondi di carne, and on fish nights frittura mista. In temperate weather ask to eat canalside—but be on time or lose your table.
Cannaregio 652/B, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Mon. and Tues. (lunch daily), No credit cards, Reservations essential
-
$ | San Polo |
Loads of travelers happily "discover" this relatively new arrival on the bacaro scene traversing west from the Rialto markets, and a fortunate find it is. It's easy to make a light meal of the inspired bites offered here; the difficult part is choosing among crostini and panini of lardo e rucola, radicchio and alici (fresh anchovy), spicy Neapolitan sausage, and duck breast with truffle oil. It's an optimum locale for Tre-Venezie wine tasting, too: from regional reds like Raboso and Refosco to the aromatics of Trentino–Alto Adige; if you're lucky you can grab one of the outdoor tables. See if you can spot the zemei (gemelli, or twins, in Venetian) Giovanni and Franco, for whom this spot is named.
San Polo 1045/B, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Wine list
- Outdoor dining
- Quick bites
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
