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.
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.
Try: Bigoli in salsa with fritto misto
Tip: Walk-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 love it: Lazzari family trattoria on Calle Stua in Cannaregio with a 1,200-label cellar that locals book first and tourists rarely find.
Tip: Closed 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.
Signature: Risotto di go, Bigoli with cuttlefish, Mixed grilled fish
Order: Risotto di go, bigoli al nero di seppia, the mixed grilled fish.
Tip: Book 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 love it: Tucked 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.
Tip: Book 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.
Signature: Spaghetti with lagoon clams, Fritto misto, Sarde in saor
Order: Spaghetti with vongole, fritto misto della laguna, sarde in saor.
Tip: Book 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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