Eat well in Venice without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Venice for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
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.
TryPanini and ombra
TipCash only. Walk-up window; sit on the Tolentini church steps with your panino and ombra. Closed Sundays.
Dal Moro's Fresh Pasta To Go in Venice's Castello near San Marco is the takeaway pasta counter for fresh pasta in a box at €7 to 10, the city's dependable.
TryFresh pasta in a box
TipLines run round the corner from 12:00; arrive 11:00 or after 14:30. Cash and card. Spaghetti carbonara is the move.
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.
TryCicchetti at the bar
TipSix cicchetti plus two ombre runs roughly €20 to 25 for a full meal. Closes after lunch.
Al Merca on Campo Bella Vienna near Rialto is the tiny walk-up bar where the mini panini cost €1.50 and the spritz €3.50, the canonical campo aperitivo.
TrySpritz and mini panino
TipCloses 20:00. No interior space; the crowd stands on the campo. Cash and card accepted.
Trattoria Bar Pontini in Venice's Cannaregio is the neighbourhood lunchroom locals fill at noon, with a €14 weekday set lunch (primo, secondo.
TrySet lunch (primo, secondo, acqua)
TipWalk-in only. Set lunch weekdays only. Arrive 12:30 for the best seating.
Panificio Volpe Giovanni in Venice's Jewish Ghetto sells kosher pizza al taglio at €2 to 4 per slice plus breads and biscuits, the canonical cheap Cannaregio.
TryKosher pizza al taglio, breads
TipCash only. Closed Saturday. The kosher rules limit the cheese options, so toppings are mostly tomato-and-vegetable.
Acqua e Mais on Campiello dei Meloni near Campo San Polo is the street-food window serving Venetian fritto misto in the traditional scartosso (paper cone).
TryScartosso paper cone of fried lagoon fish
TipOrder the small mixed cone of calamari and shrimp with a slice of grilled polenta. Walk-up window only, stand and eat in the campiello.
Majer on Campo Santa Margherita in Venice's Dorsoduro is the bakery-cafe with pizzetta veneziana at €3 and large panini at €7, the campo's cheap lunch.
TryPizzetta veneziana and panini
TipWalk-in. Open daily 06:30-21:00. Outdoor benches on the campo for free seating.
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.
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.
TryFrancobolli sandwiches and ombre
TipCash only. Walk-in. Closed Sundays. The francobolli (postage-stamp-sized sandwiches) are the move; pair with ombre at €1.50.
Guided tour · 3 hours
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