Tramezzini are Venice's crustless white-bread triangles, generously stuffed with creamy fillings (tuna and olive, prosciutto and artichoke, egg and shrimp) and stacked behind glass at every bacaro.
The tramezzino was invented in 1926 by Angela Demichelis Nebiolo at Caffè Mulassano in Turin, but the form took hold across Venice in the 1950s and 1960s when bacaro counters stacked the triangles as a walk-in snack alongside cicchetti. The Venetian version is taller and more generously filled than the Turin original; the mayonnaise-bound filling rises 3cm above the bread, giving the sandwich its dome. Cantinone Gia Schiavi (Cantina Schiavi) on the Dorsoduro fondamenta is widely cited as the city's reference (60-plus variations behind the counter); Al Merca and Bacareto Da Lele run rival stacks. Eaten standing, midmorning or aperitivo.
4 editor picks for Tramezzini in Venice, ranked by editorial score. All Venice signature dishes · Tramezzini across every city.
Cantinone Gia Schiavi (Cantina Schiavi) ★ 4.6
Fondamenta Nani 992, Dorsoduro, 30123 Venezia VE
Cantinone Gia Schiavi in Venice's Dorsoduro at the foot of Ponte San Trovaso is the De Rossi family bacaro since 1944, with house-made crostini and the canal.
Bacareto Da Lele ★ 4.6
Campo dei Tolentini 183, Santa Croce, 30135 Venezia VE
Bacareto Da Lele in Venice's Santa Croce near Piazzale Roma is the canal-side bacaro the students fill on the Tolentini church steps, ombre and panini.
Al Merca ★ 4.4
Campo Bella Vienna 213, San Polo, 30125 Venezia VE
Al Merca on Campo Bella Vienna near Rialto is the tiny walk-up bar where locals stop for an ombra, the canonical aperitivo standing-room in San Polo.
Bacaro Jazz ★ 3.8
Salizada del Fontego dei Tedeschi 5546, San Marco, 30124 Venezia VE
Bacaro Jazz near the Rialto Bridge in San Marco is the bras-hanging-from-the-ceiling bar with cicchetti, jazz nights and one of the longest late hours in San.