Osteria Bancogiro in San Polo runs a stand-up bacaro on the Grand Canal at the foot of Rialto, the rare canal-front cicchetti counter without tourist menus.
Tip: Stand outside on the Grand Canal with a glass of Soave and the crostini board. Upstairs needs a booking, the bacaro takes walk-ins.
Address: Campo San Giacometto 122, San Polo, 30125 Venezia VE, Venice
Dal Moro's Fresh Pasta To Go near Campo Santa Maria Formosa is the takeaway pasta counter where you pick fresh pasta and a sauce, served hot in a box for EUR 7 to 10.
Try: Takeaway fresh pasta in a box
Tip: Lines run round the corner from 12:00; arrive at 11:00 or after 14:30. Spaghetti carbonara and squid ink with vongole are the moves.
Vecio Fritolin in Venice's Santa Croce since the 19th century is the original fritolin (fried-fish kiosk), selling cartoccio of mixed lagoon fish in a paper cone.
Try: Cartoccio of fried lagoon fish
Tip: The bacaro window does cartoccio takeaway for EUR 12. Inside dining is a separate sit-down room. Walk-in works for the fritolin.
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 all day.
Try: Cicchetti and ombre at the counter
Tip: Walk-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 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 from market fish.
Try: Cicchetti, polpette and sarde in saor
Tip: Walk-in only. Closes after lunch; arrive 11:30 to 13:00 for the fish-market cicchetti at their best. Sarde in saor and baccala mantecato are obligatory.
Cantina Do Spade in Venice's San Polo near Rialto is one of the city's oldest bacari, mentioned in Casanova's memoirs and now run with a counter of fried lagoon cicchetti.
Try: Cicchetti, fried lagoon fish
Tip: Combines a stand-up bacaro counter with a small dining room. Try the fried moeche when in season (spring) and the polpette al sugo year-round.
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 under EUR 2.
Try: Mini panini and ombre
Tip: Walk-up window only; sit on the church steps with your panino and ombra. Most ombre are EUR 0.80 to EUR 1.50, panini EUR 1 to EUR 2. Cash only.
