Black-as-ink risotto coloured with cuttlefish sac, with chunks of stewed cuttlefish folded in. The canonical inky Venetian rice dish, served at every Rialto-area trattoria.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Risotto al nero di seppia is the canonical Venetian black-rice dish, coloured by the cuttlefish (seppia) ink sac and folded with the stewed cuttlefish meat. The dish is on every Venetian and lagoon-island trattoria menu and is one of the city's three canonical risotti (alongside risi e bisi and risotto di go). The cuttlefish is gently stewed in white wine and onion, then the ink sac is added in the last minutes to colour the rice; the dish should be a deep black, never grey. Best at Trattoria alla Madonna, Vini da Gigio and Al Gatto Nero on Burano.
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Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Get cuttlefish with ink sacs intact from a real fishmonger; supermarket cuttlefish often loses the sacs in cleaning.
Trattoria alla Madonna near Rialto in San Polo is the 1954 lunchroom with two-course Venetian set meals at €18, the canonical mid-budget classic fish.
TryBigoli in salsa with fritto misto
TipWalk-in only. Arrive 12:00 for lunch or 19:30 for dinner. Closed Wednesdays.
Vini da Gigio is lazzari family trattoria on calle stua in cannaregio with a 1,200-label cellar that locals book first and tourists rarely find.
Why locals goLazzari family trattoria on Calle Stua in Cannaregio with a 1,200-label cellar that locals book first and tourists rarely find.
TipClosed Mondays and Tuesdays. Book a week ahead. The wine cellar is the reason; ask Laura Lazzari for pairings.
Trattoria al Gatto Nero on Burano is the 1965 Bovo family room now run by Massimiliano Bovo, the canonical lagoon-fish lunch on the colourful fishing island.
OrderRisotto di go, bigoli al nero di seppia, the mixed grilled fish.
TipBook two weeks ahead. Ferry 12 from Fondamente Nove takes 45 minutes. Closed Mondays.
Osteria Anice Stellato (Italian) in Venice: Book a canal-side terrace table in summer. Closed Mondays. Bigoli in salsa and marinated anchovies are the moves.
Why locals goTucked on Fondamenta de la Sensa in far Cannaregio, the canal-side dining room is a 25-minute walk from San Marco that most visitors never reach.
TipBook a canal-side terrace table in summer. Closed Mondays. Bigoli in salsa and marinated anchovies are the moves.
Antiche Carampane in Venice's San Polo is the 1983 family-run seafood trattoria the Rialto fishmongers send friends to, the room with the no-tourist-menu.
OrderSpaghetti with vongole, fritto misto della laguna, sarde in saor.
TipBook a fortnight ahead. Closed Sundays and Mondays. The dining room has 10 tables, so flexibility on date is more useful than time.
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