35 Best Restaurants in Venice, Italy

Florian is not only Italy's first café (1720), but also one of its most beautiful, with glittering, neo-Baroque decor and 19th-century wall panels depicting Venetian heroes. The coffee, drinks, and snacks are good, but most people come for the atmosphere and history: this was the only café to serve women during the 18th century; it was frequented by artistic notables like Wagner, Goethe, Goldoni, Lord Byron, Marcel Proust, and Charles Dickens; and it was the birthplace of the international art exhibition that became the Venice Biennale. There's a surcharge for music; those in the know opt for the comfortable back bar.

Filled brioche, exquisite chocolates, 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.

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.

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 milk shakes are also on offer. There's a second location on Salizada S Giovanni Grisostomo, in Cannaregio.

Come for breakfast, a predinner aperitivo, or anything in between at this always lively historic coffeehouse—opened in 1775 and taken over by the famous culinary Alajmo family in 2011—in the center of the action on Piazza San Marco. Choose from a wide selection of pastries at breakfast (though the cappuccino and brioche combo is always a classic), pizzas at lunch, and tramezzini and cicheti all day long.

For a break from all the fish and seafood options in Venice, this is your place; the meat- and veggie-focused menu (inspired by the cuisine of the Venetian mainland) presents a new temptation at every course, and market availability keeps the dishes changing almost every day. The homemade desserts are all luscious (it's been said that La Bitta serves the best panna cotta in town), and you can trust the owner's selections from her excellent wine and grappa lists, which tend to favor small local producers.

Set by the Palanca waterside with lagoon views and clean, contemporary interiors, Majer is a reliable, quality bet at any time of day. Start as early as 7 am for breakfast cappuccino and pastries or arrive later for brunch bites, leisurely pasta lunches, picnic bakes, aperitvo (aperitif) with vino, or dinner dates until 10 pm.

Along Via Garibaldi, the Colauzzi-run Nevodi (dialect for nieces, grandsons, etc.) provides a suitably warm family atmosphere married with tasty, seasonal, innovative fish and meat dishes. Book a table outside or in the pared-back, bare-brick interior, then dive into such delights as succulent clams and mussels in a broth; inky cuttlefish with polenta; bigoli in salsa (pasta with anchovy and onion); grilled octopus with garden vegetables; and duck breast in red wine reduction. Opposite, Nevodi Pizzalab does excellent value pies.

Nearish San Marco, but just off the beaten tourist track to make it reasonably priced, this cute but calorie-stocked neighborhood café-cum-pasticceria (est.1935) provides reliable sustenance to locals and lucky visitors. Ask the ladies to recommend their latest seasonal sweet Venetian treats—among the cornucopia of fried Carnivale pastries fritoe, galani, and mammalucco, and cakes such as pan di spagna and Dogaressa—or opt for a pizzetta topped with either tasty grilled vegetables or tomatoes and anchovies.  

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.

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.

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. Perfect for a late snack or drink, as it's open all day until 11 pm.

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.

Inside the high-ceilinged courtyard of the department store T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, this café from the Alajmo brothers team, designed by Philippe Starck, makes for a refreshing respite from the Rialto hustle and bustle outside. Stop by for a coffee and dessert or an aperitivo, or for hungrier palates, a good selection of pasta, pizza, and salads.

Here you'll find the usual array of gelato flavors, which change with the seasons, plus more unusual and trendy ones like Calabrian licorice and matcha tea. You can also enjoy a granita (regular and Sicilian), panna in ghiaccio (a brick of frozen cream between wafers), fruit popsicles, milk shakes, and some specialties (chocolate covered and otherwise) in front of the counter.

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 34 Italian cities and 10 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.

This popular takeout gelateria, just off Campo Santa Margherita, offers a wide selection of flavors, from a few low-calorie options, including yogurt and soy, to the extra-rich strabon (Venetian for "more than good," which in this case means made with cocoa, espresso, and chocolate-covered almonds), as well as granitas in summer. It's worth a detour, and it's open late most of the year.

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.

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.

With tables offering a spectacular view of the Zattere outside and an elegant room inside, Harry's (of Cipriani fame) makes for a very indulgent pit stop. While you can linger for an expensive lunch or dinner, those wanting to visit once should opt for the light bites, sandwiches, and sweet goodies, such as cake and gelato.

On Campo Santo Stefano across from Paolin, Le Café has see-and-be-seen tables outside year-round. It also has bar service, light lunches, and a variety of hot chocolate drinks and desserts.

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.

With an enviable terrace on the Zattere, Nico is the city's gelateria with a view. The house specialty is the gianduiotto, a brick of dark chocolate ice cream flung into a tall glass filled with freshly whipped cream. There's the more economic bar service if you'd prefer to saunter down the sunny promenade.

This friendly neighborhood restaurant named for the old well nearby offers a wide selection of favorite Italian dishes. The pizza is made with locally milled flour that is left to mature for two days, and the pasta is handmade every day. Recipes use seasonal ingredients; this could be your only chance to try a pizza with pumpkin cream or with truffles in the fall. There are lots of meat and vegetarian dishes, and very little fish.

This small trattoria in Campo Santa Margherita hides a historic secret: indoors are the visible underground remains of three medieval brick vats that were used for dying cloth, discovered during renovation work years ago. A menu for the whole family varies from cicheti (appetizers) to pasta to dessert. It's a fine place for a coffee or spritz under the umbrellas outside. It stays open continuously till 1:00 am, a rarity in Venice, perfect for early or late dinner, or good-night drinks or dessert.

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.

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. Targa always has a wide choice of cookies and assorted savory little pizzas to munch while sipping your spritz.

Nono ("grandfather" in Venetian) Colussi starts every day at 4 am in the pastry shop he began in 1956. Working with granddaughter Marina in the kitchen and daughter Linda at the counter, he turns out classic Venetian delicacies such as fugassa, a soft and sweet raised cake, and krapfen, a sweet roll filled with pastry cream. Each item is made fresh every morning. He uses his own decades-old sourdough for leavening, and is now also making some gluten- and lactose-free products. Take away a bag of his classic Venetian cookies such as zaletti or baicoli, made from scratch over some 30 hours from start to finish, or jar of natural fruit jam.

Since 1958, Venetians have been making the trip to the Lido even in bad weather for celebrated, custom-made fruit tarts (to be ordered one day ahead; no bar service). They also make pizzas, available by the slice, plus focaccia, pretzels, and other savory baked goods.

Besides the usual selection of small pastries and drinks, you can enjoy a piece of crostata di marroni (chestnut tart) or spicy cookies made with chili at one of the tables along a quiet canal.