Caffe del Doge near Rialto in San Polo is the SCA-trained specialty coffee bar with 14 espresso varieties and a quiet morning brunch room before the tourists arrive.
Must order: Single-origin filter, V60, cornetto
Tip: Open from 07:00; before 09:00 is workspace-quiet. Ask for the day's filter from the rotating origins.
Address: Calle dei Cinque 609, San Polo, 30125 Venezia VE, Venice
Majer on Campo Santa Margherita in Dorsoduro is the modern bakery branch with morning brioche, panini and cornetti, the Dorsoduro university quarter's brunch counter.
Order: Pizzetta veneziana, panini, cappuccino
Tip: Open daily from 06:30. Outdoor benches on the campo give free seating; the indoor tables incur a small surcharge.
Caffe Florian on Piazza San Marco serves the canonical Venetian breakfast in its 1720 rooms, with hot chocolate and brioche under the Procuratie Nuove arches.
Order: Hot chocolate, brioche, espresso under the loggia
Tip: Standing at the counter cuts the price by two-thirds. Sit-down brunch with orchestra runs roughly EUR 50 per person.
Pasticceria Marchini Time on Campo San Luca near Rialto is the patisserie-cafe for a Venetian brunch of brioche, tramezzini and a cappuccino at the counter.
Order: Brioche col cremor, tramezzini, espresso
Tip: The lunch-time tramezzini turn out fresh from 11:00. Stand at the counter to skip the table surcharge.
Pasticceria Rosa Salva on Calle Fiubera in San Marco serves the 150-year-old Venetian pastry brunch with baba and cornetti at the marble counter.
Order: Baba al rum, cappuccino, cornetto
Tip: Closed Sundays at this branch; the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo branch opens Sundays with more seats.
Harry's Bar on Calle Vallaresso serves the canonical Cipriani-style brunch with Bellini, carpaccio and risotto, the historic-bar lunch since 1931 near San Marco.
Order: Bellini, beef carpaccio, risotto alla primavera
Tip: The downstairs bar takes walk-ins and works for a Bellini at EUR 22. The upstairs dining room needs a booking through OpenTable.
Bistrot de Venise near San Marco runs the only Renaissance-recipes lunch carte in Venice, with 14th-century Anonimo Veneziano dishes for a fascinating brunch alternative.
Order: Renaissance saor of sole, medieval risi e bisi
Tip: The historic-tasting carte needs 48 hours' notice. Lunch service runs 12:00 to 15:00.
