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$$$ | Castello |
The candlelit tables on this romantic campo are inviting enough, but it's the intimate restaurant's imaginative kitchen that's likely to win you over; you can order consistently excellent pasta, fish, or meat dishes à la carte or opt for one of the rewarding tasting menus. The wine list is ample and well thought out, and the service is gracious, warm, and professional.
Castello 5911, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Innovative and artfully presented modern Venetian food
- Charming setting
- Wonderful wine pairings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 2 wks in Aug. No lunch Mon., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Dorsoduro |
Pop into this canal-side restaurant at lunch for a satisfying primo or come for dinner to sample fine and fresh offerings; the candlelit tables that line the fondamenta (quay) suggest romance, and the service is friendly and welcoming. The posted menu—with choices like tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and tiger prawns, or a filleted John Dory with tomatoes and pine nuts—changes daily (spot the date at the top) and seasonally.
Dorsoduro 1169a, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Delicious pasta and seafood offerings
- Superlative tiramisu
- Truly helpful service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations essential
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$ | |
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
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$$$ | |
For an appealing selection of old-school Venetian recipes, this elegant restaurant on a peaceful side street—family-run since around 1950—more than delivers. Dishes are heavy on the seafood, and you can’t go wrong with classics like spaghetti allo scoglio (with seafood) or sarde e gamberi in saor (sweet-and-sour shrimp and sardines), served up by the friendly staff.
Via Francesco Duodo 33, Lido, Veneto, 30126, Italy
Known For
- Grilled local fish
- Good choice of wines
- Pretty outdoor setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Tues.–Thurs.
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$$$$ | San Polo |
The understated atmosphere, simple decor, and quiet elegance featured alongside Da Fiore's modern take on traditional Venetian cuisine certainly merit its international reputation. With such beautifully prepared cuisine, you would expect the kitchen to be run by a chef with a household name; however, the kitchen is headed by owner Maurizio Martin's wife, Mara, who learned to cook from her grandmother. The other surprise is that, while this restaurant is in a higher price category, it is hardly among the priciest in Venice. The menu is constantly changing, but generally fritto misto or Da Fiore's tender, aromatic version of seppie in nero (cuttlefish in ink) is almost always available. Reservations, made a few days in advance in high season, are essential for dinner, but you can try just dropping in for lunch. Da Fiore is consistently awarded a Michelin star, although—unlike many other honored restaurants—it does not publicize the fact. Do not confuse it with Trattoria da Fiore, which is in Campo Santo Stefano (San Marco).
San Polo 2202, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Sophisticated traditional Venetian dishes
- Delicious tasting menus
- Reservations required
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed 3 wks in Jan. and Sun. No dinner Fri. and Sat., Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$$ | San Marco |
Although the lavish interior has been updated by designer Philippe Starck, this restaurant above the famed café of the same name is still steeped in Venetian ambience and history (it was where Turkish coffee was introduced to the city in the 1700s). When the Alajmo family (of the celebrated Le Calandre near Padua) took over, they put their accomplished sous-chef from Padua in charge of the kitchen, resulting in the addition of dishes—best sampled with a tasting menu—that are complex and sophisticated, with a wonderful wine list to match. Downstairs, the simpler Quadrino (located next to the café)—with impeccably restored neo-rococo wall paintings—serves more traditional Venetian fare and some of the best martinis in town. As for Quadri itself, the prices, cuisine, and decor are all alta, so beware. Be sure, also, to book one of the few tables with a Piazza San Marco view.
Piazza San Marco 121, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Sophisticated and modern Italian cuisine
- Seasonal tasting menus
- Revitalized designer decor
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues., and late Jan.–mid-Feb. No lunch Wed.–Fri.
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$ | San Marco |
This 19th-century chocolate shop serves up delicious (what else?) chocolate ice creams, along with refreshing sorbets. For the ultimate experience, add seasonal sprinkles, such as Piedmont hazelnuts, to your sweet treat.
San Marco 989, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Rich dark-chocolate gelato
- Green pistachio from Sicily
- Cones topped with chocolate
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$$$$ | |
Stroll across the bridge from Burano to the islet of Mazzorbo to see some of the Venetian islands' only working vineyards, amid which sits this charming restaurant where seasonal dishes incorporate vegetables, herbs, and flowers fresh from the garden and fish fresh from the lagoon, served in seven- to nine-course tasting menus (there's also a more casual osteria). To accompany your meal, pick out a local wine like the Dorona di Venezia, made with the island’s native grape. If all the food makes you sleepy, stay the night in one of the lovely guest rooms.
Fondamenta Santa Caterina 3, Mazzorbo, Veneto, 30142, Italy
Known For
- Creative, sometimes avant-garde dishes
- Relaxed setting with tables overlooking the vines
- Perfect wine pairings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Wed., and Dec.–mid-Mar. No lunch
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$$$ | Cannaregio |
A brother-sister team run this refined trattoria, where you're made to feel as if you've been personally invited to lunch or dinner. Indulge, perhaps, in rigatoni with duck sauce or arugula-stuffed ravioli, seafood risotto made to order, or sesame-encrusted tuna. Just note, though, that it's the meat dishes that steal the show: the steak with red-pepper sauce and the tagliata di agnello (sautéed lamb fillet with a light, crusty coating) are both superb, and you'll never enjoy a better fegato alla veneziana. This is a place for wine connoisseurs, as the cellar is one of the best in the city. Come for the second seating in the evening or at lunch for more relaxed service.
Cannaregio 3628/A, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Superb meat dishes like fegato alla veneziana
- One of the city's best wine cellars
- Helpful and professional service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Tues., and 2 wks in Aug., Reservations essential
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$ | 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.
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$$ | Castello |
Almost an institution, the "Tiny Anchovy" (as the name translates) doubles as a pizzeria-trattoria, but the real reason for coming is the bar's tasty cicheti (finger foods), like the eponymous anchovy minipizzas, the arancioni (stuffed fried rice balls), and the polpette (meatballs or croquettes). Wines by the glass change daily, but there is always a good selection of local wines on hand, as well as some Tuscan and Piedmontese choices thrown in for good measure.
Castello 4357, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Pizzetta con l'acciuga (minipizza with anchovy)
- Mix of traditional and more modern cicheti
- Good selection of Italian wines by the glass
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$$ | |
Grab a seat among locals at this charming, intimate eatery—the perfect place to pop in for a lunchtime primo or to embark on a romantic evening. The name, referring to the tranquility of the lagoon at the turn of the tide, reflects this restaurant's approach to food and service, and you'll find such tempting seafood-based dishes as gnocchi with scallops and zucchini and curried scampi with black rice; tasteful decor sets the mood with exposed brick, iron and glass accents, and charming fish sculptures.
Fondamenta Manin 48, Murano, Veneto, 30141, Italy
Known For
- Light and fresh traditional food
- Focus on seafood dishes
- Relaxing atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Tues.–Thurs. and Sat.
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$ | 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
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$$$ | Castello |
For years, Diane and Cesare Binelli's Al Covo has set the standard of excellence for traditional, refined Venetian cuisine; the Binellis are dedicated to providing their guests with the freshest, highest-quality fish from the Adriatic, and vegetables, when at all possible, from the islands of the Venetian Lagoon and the fields of the adjacent Veneto region. Although their cuisine could be correctly termed "classic Venetian," it always offers surprises, like the juicy crispness of their legendary fritto misto (fried mixed seafood and vegetables)—reliant upon an unconventional secret ingredient in the batter—or the heady aroma of their fresh anchovies marinated in wild fennel, an herb somewhat foreign to Veneto. The main exception to Al Covo's distinct local flavor is Diane's wonderful Texas-inspired desserts, especially her dynamite chocolate cake.
Castello 3968, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Sophisticated Venetian flavors
- Top-notch local ingredients
- Diane's chocolate cake for dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed., 3 wks. in Jan., and 10 days in Aug., Reservations essential
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$ | 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.
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$$$ | Santa Croce |
This friendly trattoria popular with the locals is only a short walk from the Rialto markets. The pizza—not a Venetian specialty, generally speaking—is pretty good here, but the star attractions are the generous appetizers and excellent shellfish pastas. In good weather, you can enjoy your meal in the pergola-covered courtyard (do reserve if you want to snag a table there). There's no English menu, but a server can usually help you out. The house wine is quite drinkable.
Santa Croce 2338, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Traditional starters and pastas
- Quite tasty pizzas
- Pretty outdoor garden seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Jan., Reservations essential
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$$ | Santa Croce |
Locals drop into this friendly bacaro to explore wines from this region and elsewhere in Italy, which accompany a carefully chosen selection of meats, cheeses, and other food from small, artisanal producers, used in tasty panini like the porchetta romane verdure (roasted pork with greens) and in elegant cold platters. A young, friendly staff reel off the day's specials with ease. There are a few tables in the intimate back room, and when the weather cooperates, you can sit outdoors on the lively campo, watching the Venetian world go by.
Santa Croce 1503, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Great selection of biodynamic wines, including prosecco
- Lovely meat and cheese platters
- Outdoor seating on the lively campo
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$ | 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
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$ | 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.
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$$$ | San Polo |
"The Madonna" used to be world-famous as the classic Venetian trattoria, but in recent decades has settled into middle age. Owned and operated by the Rado family since 1954, this Venetian institution looks like one, with wood beams, stained-glass windows, and a panoply of paintings on white walls. Folks still head here to savor the classic Venetian repertoire, reliable if not inspired, with a strong focus on seafood.
San Polo 594, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Freshly prepared seafood
- Traditional Venetian cuisine
- Old-time atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Jan., Reservations essential
