Venice Restaurants

  1. Aciugheta Enoteca

    A strange design outgrowth of the classic trattoria Aciugheta next door, this is its antithesis. A spacious bar with sheet-glass frontage, exposed brick walls, low tables, angular furniture and a chilled feel, it's a great place from which to observe the zoo outside. The servings are fine wine and cicheti , notably the anchovy pizzas from which the place takes its name. Or you can opt for a full meal. (There's pizza too at around €8 to €14 .)

    Read more about Aciugheta Enoteca

  2. Ae Oche

    Students love this place, with its low timber ceiling and old-style travel ads from the US on the walls. Choose from around 90 types of pizza and a good range of salads in a busy, youthful atmosphere. This is the mother ship of a growing chain in and beyond Venice.

    Read more about Ae Oche

  3. Ai Assassini

    This backstreet joint offers a glimpse into a fairly typical Venetian eating scene. Head through the Gothic doorway into a lowlit, cluttered (all those pots and pans hanging from the ceiling) and bustling ambience and pull up a pew at one of the long timber tables for simple Venetian fare. The food is not spectacular but the prices are reasonably under control and, wonder of wonders, even locals eat here.

    Read more about Ai Assassini

  4. Ai Gondolieri

    Surrounded by innumerable seafood restaurants, Ai Gondolieri is a welcome change for carnivores. All the mains are constituted from land-going critters, with such options as Angus steak, duck and liver.

    Read more about Ai Gondolieri

  5. Ai Rusteghi

    For a great range of mini- panini with all sorts of fillings, pop in to this cosy bar and eatery that is something of an institution around here. There's nothing better than an ombra or two and a couple of delicious panini as a quick lunchtime snack.

    Read more about Ai Rusteghi

  6. Ai Tre Scaini

    In this rambunctious and chaotic trattoria you can settle down with ebullient local families for copious pasta and seafood dishes (there are one or two meat options, too). Throaty wine comes from a couple of small barrels set up inside. You can eat in the garden as well.

    Read more about Ai Tre Scaini

  7. Al Gatto Nero

    Noisy Venetian families pile into this off-the-beaten- calle trattoria in Burano. Sure, you could join the crowds in the cheaper places along the island's main drag, but the food is generally not the greatest. Here you pay a premium, but the quality is better.

    Read more about Al Gatto Nero

  8. Al Nono Risorto

    Stop in if only to luxuriate in the leafy, wisteria-filled canalside garden in summertime. In the cooler months, customers crowd inside the lofty, timber-lined dining area. Pizzas are the best bet.

    Read more about Al Nono Risorto

  9. Al Pesador

    The newest of the three incredibly popular spots housed in the Fabbriche Vecchie, this is great for snacks and wines from all over the country. The tendency is to simple fusion titbits, which most folks munch on canalside. They specialise in various fish carpaccio dishes and do a reasonable seafood couscous. Many just come for the drinking.

    Read more about Al Pesador

  10. Al Portego

    Situated beneath the portico that gives this osteria its name, Al Portego is an inviting stop for cicheti and wine, along with some more robust meals. It's all timber in here and very cosy. Try the thick spaghetti-like pasta, bigoli , with whatever sauce it comes with, or perhaps a risotto.

    Read more about Al Portego

  11. Al Vecio Penasa

    This remains a good spot for its excellent selection of sandwiches and snacks at reasonable prices.

    Read more about Al Vecio Penasa

  12. All'anfora

    Head out the back into the courtyard to indulge in an enormous choice of generous, tasty pizzas over a beer. Try the pizza all'Anfora, loaded up with various meats, artichokes and asparagus.

    Read more about All'anfora

  13. All'Arco

    For good value cicheti (snacks) and a quality glass of wine or two, this is one of the most authentic up-market osterie in the San Polo area. People gather around the bar or, on warmer days, huddle together on stools by little tables among the hubbub of the cramped lanes near the Rialto.

    Read more about All'Arco

  14. Alla Maddalena

    On this peaceful, leafy island adjacent to Burano is a lively seafood oasis. Walk over the bridge from Burano to reach this soothing spot near the vaporetto stop. Relax by the canal or in the garden out the back. In the hunting season (autumn) you may encounter various birds on the menu - enough to make you feel like Hemingway! It opens for dinner only for groups that book.

    Read more about Alla Maddalena

  15. Alla Rivetta

    This is one of the few restaurants near Piazza San Marco that can be recommended. Surrounded by tourist traps, it has resisted the temptation to abandon all quality, and even gets a few locals in (including famished gondoliers) for its no-nonsense dishes (especially the fried-seafood options).

    Read more about Alla Rivetta

  16. Alle Testiere

    In a cosy, nay, tiny dining area with B&W photos on the walls, the chef may well come up for a chat as you sample the tasty offerings. Fish is the leitmotif. A handful of starters and pasta courses (around €15 ) are followed by a couple of set main courses or fresh fish (whatever happens to have been caught that day).

    Read more about Alle Testiere

  17. Anice Stellato

    Awaiting you in the guise of doorman is a huge damigiana (huge demijohn) by the entrance. Inside, the heavy timber tables and wooden chairs invite you to a chatty, convivial meal. In recent times it has swung back to more traditional local options. Try the misto di cicheti (mix of cicheti ) starter (around €12 ) or tagliatelle alla Buranella con sugo di crostacei e bescimella (tagliatelle with seafood and a béchamel sauce).

    Read more about Anice Stellato

  18. Antica Adelaide

    Nicely restored, with art hanging on the cream walls, the Ancient Adelaide was (under different names) in the food business as early as the 18th century. Drop by for tea or cicheti, or stick around for a good meal. Pasta comes in at around €8 and you can opt for fish or such oddities as arrosto di cuore (roast heart) as mains.

    Read more about Antica Adelaide

  19. Antiche Carampane

    If you manage to navigate to this place in the heart of the one-time red-light district (the nearest bridge is Ponte delle Tette, or Tits Bridge), you could be forgiven for hesitating to enter. The handwritten sign declaims: 'No lasagne, no pizza, no tourist menu'. A tad tetchy? Never mind - for home-cooked fresh fish and vegetables, you have come to the right place.

    Read more about Antiche Carampane

  20. Antico Panificio

    No-one comes to the 'old bakery' for bread, but for the generous, crispy pizzas that sail out of the wood-fired oven. It takes a little finding and gets busy, but it's streets ahead of the many pizza-slice takeaway joints in the vicinity.

    Read more about Antico Panificio

  21. Bacaro Risorto

    A box of a corner bar, this is another excellent new spot to sip on quality wines and munch on attractively presented cicheti . There's barely room to swing a deep-fried moeca in here but it's worth popping by, even if just for a glass and a couple of snacks before moving on. Unafraid of experiments, you find yourself on occasion surrounded by sushi.

    Read more about Bacaro Risorto

  22. Banco Giro

    A convivial place that once served simply as a bar and snack stand for market workers, it buzzes in the evening with a young set in for an evening of beers and light meals. In the warmer weather take a seat outside by the Grand Canal.

    Read more about Banco Giro

  23. Bar Ai Nomboli

    Francesco is the local king of the fresh tramezzino (sandwich triangle). His corner bar may not look like much, but all Venice knows that he makes the best, partly because he actually makes them with freshly cut bread, rather than having them delivered prefabricated and vacuum packed.

    Read more about Bar Ai Nomboli

  24. Boccadoro

    Take a seat beneath the pleasant pergola on this quiet square for the freshest of seafood. The house special is the fritto misto , a delicate fry up of fish, seafood and vegetables. If you want, the owner will explain the various merits of his fresh fish brought in from Chioggia that day.

    Read more about Boccadoro

  25. Busa Alla Torre

    Run by Lele, a big fellow with a big heart, this is the place on Murano for lunch. Take a seat on the square and try the seafood pasta, such as sea-bass ravioli in a granseola (crab meat) sauce. On the subject of crabs, the place is known for its fried moeche . Eat 'em legs and all!

    Read more about Busa Alla Torre