Black-as-ink risotto coloured with cuttlefish sac, with chunks of stewed cuttlefish folded in. The canonical inky Venetian rice dish.
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.
5 editor picks for Risotto al nero di seppia in Venice, ranked by editorial score. All Venice signature dishes · Risotto al nero di seppia across every city.
Trattoria al Gatto Nero ★ 4.6
lagoon-islands · Fondamenta della Giudecca 88, 30142 Burano, Venezia VE
Trattoria al Gatto Nero on Burano is the 1965-founded Bovo family room run by Massimiliano Bovo, the canonical lagoon-fish lunch on the colourful fishing island.
Antiche Carampane ★ 4.6
san-polo · Rio Terà de le Carampane 1911, 30125 Venezia VE
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.
Vini da Gigio ★ 4.5
cannaregio · Calle Stua Cannaregio 3628A, 30121 Venezia VE
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 since 1981.
Osteria Anice Stellato ★ 4.4
cannaregio · Fondamenta de la Sensa, Cannaregio 3272, 30121 Venezia VE
Osteria Anice Stellato in Venice's Cannaregio is the canal-side modern Venetian seafood room on Fondamenta de la Sensa, with outdoor tables along the rio in summer.
Trattoria alla Madonna ★ 4.2
san-polo · Calle della Madonna 594, 30125 San Polo, Venezia VE
Trattoria alla Madonna in Venice near the Rialto is the 1954-founded room with a turnover that fills 200 seats twice a day, the canonical Venetian fish lunchroom.