Though they run the gamut in price and style, most restaurants in Venice concentrate on what the lagoon has always delivered best: Fresh fish, caught... Read More
Though they run the gamut in price and style, most restaurants in Venice concentrate on what the lagoon has always delivered best: Fresh fish, caught in the early hours, sold in the morning at the Rialto market, and plated up the same evening at household names like Antico Martini and Il Ridotto. Venetian food isn’t your typical “Italian” cuisine—locals prefer polenta to pasta, and iconic dishes include fegato alla veneziana (liver and onions), sarde in saor (sardines with raisins, onions, and pine nuts, served cold) and flash-fried moeche, soft-shell crabs from the lagoon. Prices have historically been on the high side, but in recent years, a new generation of affordable restaurants has appeared, like Pizzeria Oke, on the Zattere. For a lunch on the run, stop at a bacaro—these traditional bars often do great homemade food, as well as snacks. After dinner, we recommend a walk to Pasticceria Tonolo, a bakery that's been whipping up delicious cakes topped with crystallized fruits for more than 120 years.
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Ai Mercanti
Not a trattoria nor a restaurant, but a "gastrosteria"—a cross between the two—this under-the-radar little place serves imaginative food in an informal... Read More
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Ai Quaranta Ladroni
No problem if you're on a tight schedule, here—locals love this busy trattoria for its fast service. The food is simple but great (gnocchi with crab is... Read More
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Anice Stellato
Venetians flock to this canalside spot in Cannaregio for its delicate flavors—they clamor for paper-thin tagliatelle with shrimp and spring zucchini... Read More
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Antico Martini
One of those venerable Venetian grande dames, everyone from Richard Burton to Gina Lollobrigida, Charlie Chaplin and Arturo Toscanini has come here for... Read More
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Busa alla Torre Da Lele
Lagoon specialties such as moeche (soft shell crab) and granseola (spider crab) fill the menu at this Murano institution, but it's the eponymous Lele,... Read More
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Ca' d'Oro alla Vedova
Venice’s most authentic osteria. Inside, patrons fill up on Venetian cicheti such as lightly spiced meatballs, a pre-dinner favorite. Read More
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Dopolavoro
It took a mere six months from opening for Dopolavoro, the flagship restaurant of the JW Marriott, to earn its first Michelin star, which was awarded... Read More
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Il Ridotto
Il Ridotto isn't your average Venetian restaurant—either in its modern looks (all exposed brick, contemporary furniture, and mirrored walls to expand... Read More
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L'Orto dei Mori
Beloved by locals for its fusion of Sicilian and Venetian cuisine, this lovely little restaurant near the Madonna dell'Orto church in Cannaregio offers... Read More
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Rosa Rossa
This modern pizzeria owned by two brothers hit the headlines in 2010 when Johnny Depp became a regular while shooting The Tourist (the doodles he drew... Read More
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Terrazza Danieli
Few restaurants enjoy knock-out views like those of the Terrazza Danieli, styled by Jacques Garcia and perched on the rooftop of the venerable hotel. A... Read More
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Terrazza dei Nobili
Few places are more idyllic in summer than the Casino dei Nobili's terrace, cantilevered out over the Giudecca canal by the Zattere vaporetto stop. The... Read More
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