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$ | 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
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$ | 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
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$ | 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
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$ | 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.
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$ | 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.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Castello |
At this contemporary cantina and hip hangout in a very Venetian neighborhood, the owner pairs enthusiastically chosen wines and artisanal beers with select meat, savory cheese, and seasonal vegetable combos. With outside-only seating (not particularly comfortable), it's more appropriate for an aperitivo and a light meal. In temperate weather, this tiny enoteca's exuberance bubbles out into the city's broadest street well into the late evening. It's named after a play by turn-of-the-20th-century emancipated lady Amalia Rosselli—look for the framed title page inside.
Castello 1580, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Good selection of wine and beer
- Filling meat and cheese plates
- Boisterous atmosphere outside in nice weather
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$ | San Marco |
A short walk from the Ponte di Rialto, this bar has been around since 1936, and the satisfying cicheti and primi have a lot to do with its staying power. Grab a table out front, or take refuge in one of the two small, dark rooms with a ceiling plastered with wine labels that provide a classic backdrop for simple fare, including a delicious risotto that is served daily from noon, plus a solid wine list of both Italian and foreign vintages. If you stick to a panino or some cicheti at the bar, you'll eat well for relatively little. If you take a table and opt for one of the day's exceptional primi, the price category goes up a notch; however, this is still a good bargain for San Marco. There are, of course, traditional secondi, such as a very good seppie in nero. Al Volto is open every day of the year but Christmas (and closes a bit early on Christmas Eve).
San Marco 4081, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Great local and international wine selection
- Tasty and inexpensive cicheti
- Fantastic main courses, including risotto and pasta with seafood
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$ | Cannaregio |
Venetians from the neighborhood frequent this friendly bacaro, not just for a glass of very drinkable wine, but also because of its excellent selection of traditional Venetian cicheti for lunch. There's a large assortment of sandwiches and panini, as well as luscious tidbits like grilled vegetables, breaded and fried sardines and shrimp, and a superb version of baccalà mantecato, along with Venetian working-class specialties, such as musetto (a sausage made from pigs' snouts served warm with polenta) and nervetti (veal tendons with lemon and parsley). These dishes are worth trying at least once when in Venice, and Do Colonne offers the best musetto in town.
Cannaregio 1814, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- A cozy place for locals to hang out
- Classic cicheti and sandwiches
- The best musetto in town
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$ | Dorsoduro |
Founded in 2003 by two men from Torino (one of them named Federico Grom), this modest gelateria (ice cream shop) has expanded across the globe, including to 23 Italian cities and eight international cities. Natural ingredients such as Ecuadorian or Venezuelan chocolate, Sicilian lemon, and Mawardi pistachios add intense flavors, and the selection changes with the seasons. They also make fruit sorbets, popsicles, and other specialty items.
Campo San Barnaba, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- International following
- Flavor-packed gelato and sorbet
- Seasonal menu
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$ | Dorsoduro |
Enjoy the Zattere's most scrumptious treat—Nico's famous gianduiotto, a slab of chocolate-hazelnut ice cream floating on a cloud of whipped cream—and relax on the big, welcoming deck. Nico's is one of the few places still serving authentic homemade (artigianale) ice cream and has been seducing Venetians since 1935. It's also one of the rare gelaterie where you can sit down; most of them have no seating.
Dorsoduro 922, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Abundant seating
- Divine hazelnut ice cream
- Waterfront location
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$ | San Marco |
The morning sun draws crowds of all ages and nationalities to take a seat on busy Campo Santo Stefano and enjoy a little cup at this favorite café-gelateria. A scoop of limone (lemon) gelato is particularly refreshing on a hot summer day.
Campo Santo Stefano 2962, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Good aperitivo
- Gianduia (hazelnut and chocolate) gelato
- Lively terrace
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$ | San Marco |
Try this fun shop for gelato that’s out of the ordinary: think walnut cream with caramelized fig, or vanilla with rum raisins and Malaga wine. Sorbets and milkshakes are also on offer.
San Marco 5453, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Known For
- Unusual flavors
- Vegan ice cream options
- Convenient location on way to Rialto Bridge
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$$ | San Polo |
Despite its name "the devil and holy water" (a common way of describing a person whose personality swings between these two extremes), this small bar and restaurant has a reliable kitchen and a homey, neighborhood atmosphere. Go on Saturday morning, when old friends tend to stop for an ombra (small glass of wine) and cicheto. Try the breaded fried baccalà, meat or tuna meatballs, cubes of frittata, and in cold weather, sometimes musetto (sausage) or testina (meat from the head of a pig). At lunch or dinner, apart from standard favorites, such as spaghetti carbonara and fegato alla veneziana (Venetian-style liver with onions), try some Venetian classics, such as bigoli in salsa (spaghetti with onions and anchovies), tripe soup, mixed boiled meat, or cuttlefish in sauce made from their ink, and sometimes even eel risotto.
San Polo 561, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Venetian classics like cuttlefish ink pasta
- Local favorite
- Small bites
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$ | Dorsoduro |
This friendly café and art gallery, located between Campo Santa Margherita and Campo San Barnaba, is a great place to stop for a spritz, or even for a light lunch or dinner. The highlights are the freshly made salads, but their panini and tramezzini (sandwiches) are also among the best in the area. The staff prepare a freshly made pasta and a soup every day—this is one of the very few cafés where the pasta is recommended. The well-stocked bar has a good assortment of wines, and the talented bartenders can even whip up a decent American martini. There's also seating outside, where you can watch the locals making their way between the two major campi (squares).
Dorsoduro 3126, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Tasty sandwiches and salads
- Good wines and cocktails
- Pleasant outdoor seating
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$$ | Dorsoduro |
If you're hungry but don't know what you want, head to this bar, café, restaurant, and pizzeria for a bite. Here you can sample all types of southern Italian specialties from the Salento area of Puglia, the "heel" of the Italian "boot." Divided into two locations across the street from each other on Calle San Pantalon, the café has some tables inside, while the bakery focuses on takeout. Discover the puccia (POOCH-a), a delicious cross between a pizza and a sandwich that you order by ticking the options on a list of ingredients, or try the homemade pasta dishes, especially the orecchiette ("little ears"), the most famous pasta from the Puglia region. Skip the usual croissant with your cappuccino and try the pasticciotto pastry filled with lemon custard. "Mamafe'" refers to Mamma Federica.
Dorsoduro 3743 and 3755, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Cappuccino
- Puccia (cross between a sandwich and pizza)
- Takeout snacks and pastries
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$$ | Dorsoduro |
It wasn't long after this lovely little wine bar (not, as its name implies, a restaurant) appeared across from Squero San Trovaso that it became a neighborhood—and citywide—favorite. The Venetian owner has created a personal vision of what a good bar should offer: a variety of sumptuous cicheti, panini, and cheeses to be accompanied by just the right regional wines (ask for his recommendation). You can linger along the fondamenta outdoors, and there are places to perch and even sit inside, in front of a sunny picture window that brings the outside view in.
Dorsoduro 943/944, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Tasty cicheti
- Good veggie options
- Pretty canal views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$ | San Polo |
This small corner bar/café is a vibrant spot full of personality with a remarkable menu, thanks to the highly enterprising Simone Lazzari and his nephew, Devis. Along with a selection of tempting, original cicheti, it serves more classic Venetian bites, such as sarde in saor (marinated sardines), baccalà mantecato (salt cod), seppie (cuttlefish), and nervetti (boiled beef cartilage with raw onions). There are also more substantial plates of food that will fill you up, even if you are seated on one of the high stools at the small tables. Their specialty is boiled octopus. It's not cheap when you add up the cost of all those delectable bites, but flavor and originality make it worthwhile.
San Polo 255/A, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Neighborhood staple
- Cicheti
- Boiled octopus
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$$ | Cannaregio |
Join locals at the banco (counter) premeal for an ombra (small glass of wine) and cicheti like polpette or violet eggplant rounds, or reserve a table for a full meal in the dining room or the intimate courtyard. A varied, seasonal menu includes local standards like calf's liver or grilled canestrelli, along with creative variations on classic Venetian fare, such as homemade ravioli stuffed with radicchio di Treviso or orecchiette with a scrumptious minced-duck sauce. The service is friendly and helpful, but it's very popular among locals, so be sure to make a reservation (later is better for a more relaxed environment).
Cannaregio 4367, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Creative cicheti and wine
- Regularly changing menu with both traditional and modern choices
- Friendly, helpful service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon., Reservations essential
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$ | Cannaregio |
This is the only place in town that still bakes traditional Venetian-Jewish pastry and delicious pane azimo (matzo bread) year round, though days of operation give away that the shop is not kosher.
Cannaregio 1143, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Bisse biscuits for dunking
- Savory pantry goods
- Bread and panini for packed lunches
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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$ | San Polo |
You can see straight into the kitchen that churns out delectable pastries at Targa every morning. Beside the ever-present croissants are Venice's best kipferl (here pronounced kee-fer); their version of the Austrian cookie is reimagined as a flaky croissant filled with marzipan and dusted with powdered sugar. During Carnival, Targa turns out thousands of Venetian frittelle and shards of crisp galani, and they claim to be the only shop that makes mammaluchi, an extraordinary deep-fried cylinder of moist dough loaded with raisins and rolled in sugar. Targa always has a wide choice of cookies and assorted savory little pizzas to munch while sipping your spritz.
San Polo 1050, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Cookies and pastries
- Frittelle (fritters or fried doughnuts) during Carnevale
- Pizzas
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
