History

Cicchetti and the bacaro tradition emerged in Venice in the late Middle Ages, when the city's working-class taverns served small plates to dock workers who could not afford a full sit-down meal. The format codified through the 19th and early 20th centuries: a small glass of cheap wine (an ombra, from the medieval Venetian dialect for shadow) plus a few cicchetti. Cantina Do Mori (operating since 1462, the oldest continuously running bacaro in Venice), Osteria All'Arco and Bacareto Da Lele all serve the canonical format.

Common allergens: Gluten, Fish, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 24Hands-on 1 hr 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the bread base: 1 long French baguette, sliced into 24 thin 1cm rounds, lightly toasted (or use grilled polenta squares)
  • Variety 1 - Baccala Mantecato: 250g cooked salt cod (soaked 36 hours)
  • 100ml olive oil whipped in
  • 1 garlic clove (finely grated)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • salt and white pepper (4 small mounds on bread or polenta)
  • Variety 2 - Sarde in Saor mini: 4 oil-packed marinated sardines (or fresh fillets fried briefly and dressed with sweet-sour onion-vinegar-pine nut-raisin saor sauce; see Venice sarde-in-saor recipe in this guide for the full recipe; mini portions)
  • Variety 3 - Mortadella with Truffle Cream: 4 thin slices Italian mortadella (rolled into rose shapes) on lightly toasted bread, topped with a small dollop of black truffle cream
  • Variety 4 - Polpette al Sugo: 4 small (3cm) meatballs (250g minced beef plus 50g breadcrumbs, 1 egg yolk, 30g grated parmesan, salt, nutmeg, formed and pan-fried) in a simple tomato sauce (200g passata simmered with garlic and basil)
  • Variety 5 - Crostino con Acciuga: 4 slices toasted bread topped with a soft-boiled egg slice
  • a halved anchovy fillet
  • a parsley leaf and a drop of olive oil
  • Variety 6 - Crostino con Burrata e Pomodoro: 4 slices toasted bread topped with a spoonful of burrata, a halved cherry tomato (dressed in olive oil and salt), and a leaf of fresh basil
  • Toothpicks for the cicchetti that need to be skewered
  • Maldon sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, fresh herbs for garnish

Method

  1. Prepare the baccala mantecato in advance: see the dedicated baccala-mantecato recipe in this guide; reserve 200g of finished baccala for the cicchetti.
  2. Toast or grill the bread slices on a hot griddle pan for 90 seconds per side until pale gold; if using polenta, cut a chilled set polenta into 6cm by 4cm rectangles and grill 3 minutes per side until char-marked.
  3. Make the polpette: combine the minced beef, breadcrumbs, egg yolk, parmesan, a generous pinch of salt and a small grating of nutmeg. Roll into 12 tiny balls (about 3cm each); pan-fry in 2 tbsp olive oil for 6 minutes turning often until golden through.
  4. Heat 200g passata in a small pan with 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 4 basil leaves for 8 minutes; tip in the cooked meatballs and gently coat.
  5. Assemble each cicchetti variety on its toast or polenta base in groups of 4: baccala mounds, sardines, mortadella rosettes with truffle cream, meatballs (one per skewered crostino), egg-and-anchovy crostini, burrata-tomato crostini.
  6. Skewer each tiny meatball through a slice of toasted bread with a toothpick.
  7. Arrange all 24 cicchetti on a long platter, alternating varieties for visual contrast.
  8. Pour a small glass (about 80ml) of white Soave or sparkling Prosecco per person, which is the canonical ombra.
  9. Eat standing if possible, taking one or two cicchetti per ombra, then ordering another. Serve immediately; the bread should still be slightly warm and the toppings at room temperature.

Tip from the editors. Quality is everything; each cicchetto must be tiny and perfect rather than large and bland. Use real Italian-imported ingredients: San Marzano tomatoes, real mortadella from Bologna, hand-skinned salt cod for the baccala. The structural rule is variety: at least 4 different cicchetti per platter.

Where to eat cicchetti

Cicchetti in Venice

Cantina Do Mori ★ 4.6

Italian€Mon-Sat 08:00-19:30, closed Sunday

Cantina Do Mori in Venice's San Polo near Rialto is the 1462-founded bacaro, with francobolli sandwiches at €1.50 to €3, the cheapest historic-bar meal.

Try: Francobolli sandwiches and ombre

Tip: Cash only. Walk-in. Closed Sundays. The francobolli (postage-stamp-sized sandwiches) are the move; pair with ombre at €1.50.

Sestiere San Polo 429, 30125 Venezia VE

Osteria All'Arco ★ 4.8

Italian€Mon-Sat 08:00-14:30, closed Sunday

Osteria All'Arco near Rialto in San Polo serves cicchetti at €1.50 to €4 each, the canonical bacari budget meal with francobolli sandwiches and lagoon-fish.

Try: Cicchetti at the bar

Tip: Six cicchetti plus two ombre runs roughly €20 to 25 for a full meal. Closes after lunch.

Calle Arco 436, San Polo, 30125 Venezia VE

Bacareto Da Lele ★ 4.6

Italian€Mon-Fri 06:00-20:00, Sat 06:00-14:00, closed Sunday

Bacareto Da Lele on Campo dei Tolentini in Venice's Santa Croce is the canonical budget bacaro, with €1 panini and €0.80 ombre served from a window.

Try: Panini and ombra

Tip: Cash only. Walk-up window; sit on the Tolentini church steps with your panino and ombra. Closed Sundays.

Campo dei Tolentini 183, Santa Croce, 30135 Venezia VE

More cities are in research. Want cicchetti covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →