Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Whipped salt cod with olive oil and parsley, served on polenta crostini. The canonical Venetian cicchetto, on every bacaro counter from November through Easter.
Baccala mantecato is Venice's interpretation of dried stockfish, brought back from Norway by Venetian merchant Pietro Querini after his 1432 shipwreck on the Lofoten Islands. The Venetians whip the soaked-and-cooked salt cod with olive oil into a pale emulsion (the mantecatura), the texture of a thick aioli. Served traditionally on grilled polenta crostini, it is the canonical winter cicchetto from November through Easter. Despite the name (baccala in Italian usually means salt cod), Venetians use stockfish (dried, not salted) for this dish, the legacy of the Querini trade route.
5 editor picks for Baccala mantecato in Venice, ranked by editorial score. All Venice signature dishes · Baccala mantecato across every city.
Osteria All'Arco near Rialto Pescheria in Venice's San Polo is the Francesco and Matteo Pinto father-and-son bacaro, the local benchmark for cicchetti.
OrderCicchetti, polpette and sarde in saor
TipWalk-in only. Closes after lunch; arrive 11:30-13:00 for the fish-market cicchetti at their best. Sarde in saor and baccala mantecato are obligatory.
Cantina Do Mori in Venice's San Polo is the city's oldest bacaro, open since 1462 near Rialto, with a counter of francobolli sandwiches and ombre poured.
OrderCicchetti and ombre at the counter
TipWalk-in only. Order ombre (small glass of wine) plus a francobolli sandwich. Counter pours stop hard at 19:30; arrive by 18:30 for the best cicchetti choice.
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.
OrderGnocchetti with calamari and cinnamon, branzino in salt crust, the salty antipasti.
TipTwo seatings only: 12:30 + 13:30 for lunch, 19:15 + 21:30 for dinner. Book at least a fortnight ahead through their online form.
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.
Vini da Gigio in Venice's Cannaregio is the Lazzari family's canal-side trattoria, a Slow Food-listed family room running the canonical Venetian carte.
OrderBigoli in salsa, fegato alla veneziana, branzino in salt crust.
TipClosed Mondays and Tuesdays. The wine cellar runs to 1,200 labels. Book a week ahead online or by phone.
Baccala mantecato makes more sense with someone from Venice explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Embark on a bacaro food tour in Venice and savor Spritz, Prosecco, cicchetti, warm dishes, and gelato while discovering local culinary traditions with a guide.
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Taste your way through Venice's bacari culture, crossing the Grand Canal like a local and discovering the neighborhoods where Venetians gather for cicchetti, wine, and...
2 hours
Experience a pasta and tiramisu-making class in a local home in Venice. Learn the secrets of the region's most famous pasta dishes and tiramisu, and enjoy the fruits o...
_in_this_pics_Baccal%C3%A0_mantecato_(Cod).jpg){kind=link}