Cicchetti, bacari and the cuisine of the lagoon.
Venice eats on a cuisine no other Italian city shares: cicchetti grazed standing at the bacari, fish from the Rialto Pescheria operating since 1097, and the legacy of Adriatic spice trade in sarde in saor and bigoli in salsa. The six sestieri each keep their own dining grammar. San Polo and Rialto are the bacari heart, with Cantina Do Mori (since 1462), All'Arco and Do Spade still pouring ombre at the counter. Cannaregio's Fondamenta della Misericordia is the locals' aperitivo strip and the Jewish Ghetto since 1516 keeps Gam Gam, Volpe and the only kosher kitchens in town. Castello and Dorsoduro hold the canonical fish trattorias, Corte Sconta, Antiche Carampane, Alle Testiere and Local, while modern bistros like CoVino and Estro carry the new wave. Lunch is 12:30 to 14:30, dinner 19:30 to 22:00, and ombre go all afternoon at the bacari. The lagoon's seasonality runs hard: moeche in spring, schie in summer, baccala and radicchio in winter.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Venice, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The plates that define eating in Venice.
Fried sardines marinated with caramelised onions, raisins, pinenuts and white wine vinegar, served at room temperature. The canonical Venetian cicchetto.
Where: Cantina Do Mori, Osteria All'Arco, Antiche Carampane, Trattoria alla Madonna, Vini da Gigio
Whole-wheat thick-cut spaghetti dressed with a slow-cooked onion and anchovy sauce. The canonical Venetian meatless pasta, served on lean-Friday and Christmas Eve.
Where: Vini da Gigio, Osteria Anice Stellato, Antiche Carampane, Trattoria Bar Pontini, Osteria alle Testiere
Whipped salt cod with olive oil and parsley, served on polenta crostini. The canonical Venetian cicchetto, on every bacaro counter from November through Easter.
Where: Cantina Do Mori, Osteria All'Arco, Antiche Carampane, Vini da Gigio, Osteria alle Testiere
Calf liver sliced thin and slow-cooked with onions in butter and white wine. The canonical Venetian secondo, served on polenta bianca.
Where: Vini da Gigio, Trattoria alla Madonna, Antiche Carampane, Bistrot de Venise, Osteria Anice Stellato
A risotto-soup hybrid of rice and fresh spring peas, traditionally served to the Doge on St Mark's Day (25 April). Loose, soupy, never stiff.
Where: Vini da Gigio, Osteria Anice Stellato, Trattoria alla Madonna, Osteria alle Testiere, Bistrot de Venise
Lagoon soft-shell crabs caught during their April-May molt, dredged in flour and deep-fried whole. The most prized seasonal Venetian dish.
Where: Osteria All'Arco, Antiche Carampane, Cantina Do Spade, Trattoria al Gatto Nero, Vini da Gigio
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Venice.
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 sign on the door.
Signature: Spaghetti with lagoon clams, Fritto misto, Sarde in saor
Trattoria Corte Sconta in Venice's Castello is the courtyard seafood room that locals and chefs in town quietly book first, the canonical hidden-courtyard fish trattoria.
Signature: Antipasto misto di pesce crudo, Spaghetti with clams, Granseola
Osteria alle Testiere in Venice's Castello is the 22-seat room with two seatings, run by Bruno Gavagnin and Luca di Vita on Calle del Mondo Novo since 1993.
Signature: Gnocchetti with calamari, Branzino in crosta di sale, Marinated anchovies
Local in Venice's Castello is the 1-Michelin-star room run by Salvatore Sodano and Benedetta Fullin near the Greek quarter, serving 7 and 9-course tasting menus.
Signature: Tasting menu of lagoon ingredients, Sea urchin, Risotto
CoVino in Venice's Castello is the 12-seat modern bistro with a Slow Food Presidia carte and an ever-changing five-course tasting menu, all paired with natural wines.
Signature: Tasting menu with wine pairing, Lagoon fish small plates, Slow Food Presidia ingredients
Estro Vino e Cucina in Venice's Dorsoduro is the Spezzamonte brothers' modern bistro with 700 sustainable wines and a Michelin Guide listing for good cooking.
Signature: Pasta with lagoon fish, Cicchetti modernised, Natural wine flight
The medieval Rialto market quarter, the city's bacari heart with Cantina Do Mori (since 1462), All'Arco, Do Spade and Al Merca. The Pescheria fish market opens 07:30.
Best for: Cicchetti, Bacari, Seafood
The northern sestiere along Fondamenta della Misericordia and Fondamenta degli Ormesini, the locals' aperitivo strip with Vino Vero, Al Timon and the Jewish Ghetto kitchens of Gam Gam.
Best for: Natural wine, Aperitivo, Kosher
The eastern sestiere stretching to the Arsenale and the Biennale gardens, home to Trattoria Corte Sconta, Alle Testiere, CoVino and Local, the canonical lagoon-fish trattoria belt.
Best for: Seafood trattorias, Fine dining, Quiet lunches
The southwestern sestiere across the Accademia bridge, a student and gallery quarter with Estro, Osteria al Squero across from the gondola yard and Pasticceria Tonolo since 1886.
Best for: Wine bars, Cicchetti, Pasticcerie
The quieter western sestiere by the Tolentini, with La Zucca's vegetable-forward kitchen and Bacareto Da Lele, the canal-side morning bacaro the students fill on the church steps.
Best for: Vegetable cooking, Bacari, Lunch trattorias
The civic and ceremonial sestiere around Piazza San Marco, lined with Caffe Florian (since 1720), Quadri (1 star), Harry's Bar (since 1931) and the city's grand-room dining tradition.
Best for: Historic cafes, Fine dining, Bellinis and aperitivo
Peak food season: April to June (moeche soft-shell crab, asparagus from Bassano, the first artichoke castraure from Sant'Erasmo) and September to November (radicchio di Treviso, new oil from the Colli Euganei, lagoon fish at its peak). Carnevale in February brings the city's pastry season, with frittelle and galani everywhere.
Local dining hours: Lunch 12:30 to 14:30, dinner 19:30 to 22:00. Most kitchens stop seating by 22:00. Bacari open from 09:00 for ombre at the counter and keep going through aperitivo; some close mid-afternoon and reopen at 18:00. Many trattorias close Sunday evening and Monday.
Tipping: Coperto (cover charge) of 2 to 4 euros per person is standard, plus a 10 to 12 percent servizio at tourist-heavy rooms. Read the bill. Round up for very good service, never more than 5 percent on top of servizio, and never on the card terminal.
Peak food season in Venice is April to June (moeche soft-shell crab, asparagus from Bassano, the first artichoke castraure from Sant'Erasmo) and September to November (radicchio di Treviso, new oil from the Colli Euganei, lagoon fish at its peak). Carnevale in February brings the city's pastry season, with frittelle and galani everywhere.
Local dining hours: Lunch 12:30 to 14:30, dinner 19:30 to 22:00. Most kitchens stop seating by 22:00. Bacari open from 09:00 for ombre at the counter and keep going through aperitivo; some close mid-afternoon and reopen at 18:00. Many trattorias close Sunday evening and Monday.
Coperto (cover charge) of 2 to 4 euros per person is standard, plus a 10 to 12 percent servizio at tourist-heavy rooms. Read the bill. Round up for very good service, never more than 5 percent on top of servizio, and never on the card terminal.
If you only have one meal, eat Sarde in saor. It is the dish most associated with Venice.