Venice is famously a minefield of overpriced, tourist-trap restaurants offering depressingly mediocre food. Happily, for those in the know there are also some wonderful authentic local finds, and dazzling fine dining establishments.
Below our expert shares her favourite places to eat in Venice – from intimate Michelin-starred canal-side establishments offering delicately presented seafood dishes; to old-school Venetian trattorias where punters can savour delicious seafood pasta and a carafe of local wine while watching the world go by.
For more Venice inspiration, see our guides dedicated to the city's best hotels, bars and cafes, shopping, things to do and free things to do, plus how to spend a weekend there.
Osteria San Marco
The area around San Marco is full of bland, overpriced touristy restaurants. The Osteria San Marco is a rare exception – an oasis of quality in a sea of menù turistici, a good-looking contemporary osteria with a simple but creative seasonally changing menu (pacchetti pasta with prawns, aubergine and liquorice butter, duck breast with paprika and acacia honey) and a serious, well-priced wine list, including several by-the-glass options. Another good thing about this place is their all-day dining policy: you can eat here in the middle of the afternoon if that's your thing.
Contact: osteriasanmarco.it
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - Vallaresso
Price: £££
Reservations: Recommended
L'Ombra del Leone
This restaurant on the ground floor of Ca' Giustinian is one of Venice's best-kept secrets. The late Gothic palazzo is the headquarters of the organisation that runs Venice's Film Festival, and Art and Architecture Biennales. The high-ceilinged interior, done out in contemporary style, is atmospheric, but the real draw is the outside seating, with its ringside view of the Grand Canal action. The food is jazzed-up versions of Venetian stalwarts, and the prices are fairly high... but in the end you're here for the view. Outside meal times you can just pass by for a spritz.
Contact: ombradelleone.com
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - Vallaresso
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Chef Massimiliano (aka Max) Alajmo is a creative genius who delights in sleight of hand party pieces such as his cappuccino di laguna starter – an exquisite seafood mix posing as a breakfast beverage. But his straight-up creations (ravioli with clams, mussels and tomato fillets; sole with cuttlefish sauce) are extraordinary too. If you can bag a table for two with a piazza view at this Michelin-starred restaurant, you've got the marriage proposal sorted. Also under the tutelage of the Alajmos, the downstairs Quadrino bistrot (booking generally not necessary) offers simple but impeccably turned-out Venetian dishes at prices that seem almost a bargain. Alajmo is also behind the Amo bistrot at the heart of the T Fondaco and Hostaria in Certosa, the seasonal haute-trattoria on the island of the same name.
Contact: alajmo.it
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - Vallaresso or San Marco - San Zaccaria
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Best table: Upstairs, a window table with piazza views
Ai Mercanti
It's a little hidden away, but once you find it this 'gastrosteria' provides what is so often lacking in Venice: high-level cuisine in an ambience of contemporary elegance, at prices that will not leave you feeling fleeced. Service and table settings are informal, and the culinary approach is to serve up simple ingredients in creative combinations (a good example being a delicious cod in a spicy lemongrass sauce), with quite a few vegetarian options. Put yourselves in the able hands of Simone, the sommelier son of owner-chef Nadia Locatelli, if you're overwhelmed by the 300 or so bottles on the wine list.
Contact: aimercanti.it
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - Vallaresso
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Alle Testiere
A single elegant dining room is the venue for this ever-popular seafood restaurant where chef Bruno and sommelier Luca are an excellent double act. The former bases his daily creations on what was good and fresh in the fish market that morning, adding bursts of flavour without coming over all fusion – as in his cinnamon-scented potato gnocchetti with baby squid. Booking well ahead is absolutely essential here. There are two sittings, at 7pm and 9.30pm; they don't exactly rush you through the earlier one, but if you want a long, vinous meal, opt for the later slot.
Contact: osterialletestiere.it
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - San Zaccaria
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Corte Sconta
Part of the attraction of this seafood mecca is the vine-covered inner courtyard – one of the nicest places in town for an al fresco meal. They've turned antipasti – often the best part of a Venetian meal – into the star turn, bringing plate after plate of nibbles like schie (small grey shrimps) with polenta, granseola (spider crab) or canoce (mantis prawns). Wait until the procession has come to an end to see if you have room for a pasta or a main, or skip straight to a dessert of zabaglione and Venetian biscuits.
Contact: cortescontave.com
Vaporetto stop: Arsenale
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Il Ridotto
Owner Gianni Bonaccorsi's shrine to foodie excellence seats just 18 diners in two rooms with exposed brick walls, and splashes of colour provided by some jazzy Murano water glasses. The menu is ever-changing but might include guinea hen ravioli with camomile-flavoured mashed potatoes and endive, or black spaghetti with sea urchins, candied pepper and kale. Desserts are unmissable – think ricotta cheese cream with pistachio, candied orange and chocolate. At €130, the five-course evening taster menu is worth a go.
Contact: ilridotto.com
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - San Zaccaria
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Osteria di Santa Marina
In terms of venues for a really special meal in Venice, where they get it right pretty much every time, the Osteria di Santa Marina would be up there the top five. On a pretty square a short wiggle north-east of the Rialto, the Osteria does creative Venetian cuisine (tortelli stuffed with burrata cheese, red shrip and pistachio; turbot with porcini mushrooms, broccoli and parsnips) – nothing ultra-fancy, but with an edge of refinement that lifts it well above the uninspiring Venetian norm. The outside tables are lovely, but on sticky summer days the air-conditioned interior can be a better option.
Contact: osteriadisantamarina.com
Vaporetto stop: Rialto
Price: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Al Portego
Don't come to this rustic corner bacaro (osteria) for a romantic tête-à-tête, but if you are looking for a properly Venetian experience, complete with traditional dishes like bigoli in salsa (thick spaghetti in anchovy and onion sauce) or sardine in saor (sweet and sour sardines), Al Portego will deliver. There are only a handful of tables – which can and should be booked, especially in the evening – plus space to perch at the bar and graze on a wide selection of cicchetti (bar snacks), which is what many locals do. Service can be on the gruff side.
Contact: osteriaalportego.org
Vaporetto stop: Rialto
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Inside the tiny space in this mini-osteria in eastern Castello, the atmosphere is convivial. Owner Andrea illustrates the dishes on the daily changing menu, based on market-fresh ingredients and accompanied by organic and natural wines. Their pricing policy is less enamouring – a fixed €56 a head for three courses. Add extras (water, wine, perhaps a salad) and the bill can come out at well above that. At the time of writing CoVino is open at lunch time only as Andrea Lorenzon works on his new project: Pietra Rossa, a restaurant-winebar in nearby calle dei Furlani.
Contact: covinovenezia.com
Vaporetto stop: Arsenale
Price: ££
Reservations: Essential
If you're craving cheap and cheerful refuelling after a visit to the Art Biennale, this neighbourhood trattoria-pizzeria should fit the bill. In summer, when they put tables outside, there are few more picturesque backdrops than this washing-festooned residential street. The pizzas are fine and filling (try the gorgonzola, radicchio and walnut), and they do a good range of Venetian and pan-Italian pasta dishes. It's a good place to come with children, who can work up an appetite in the Giardini public park. Check you're at the right place: there's a similarly named but far inferior eatery nearby.
Contact: 00 39 041 523 7102; facebook.com
Vaporetto stop: Giardini
Opening times: Tue, Thu-Sun, 12pm-2pm, 7pm-9.30pm
Price: £
Reservations: Not necessary
In a bright, roomy space – a real antidote to the dark-beamed bàcaro of tradition – chef Matteo Tagliapietra serves exquisite dishes which add subtle touches of fusion to Venetian stalwarts – for example, adding nori seaweed and katsuobushi (dried smoked tuna) to his goby (an Adriatic fish) risotto, and sumac to his sole with mushrooms. It came as no surprise when he was awarded a Michelin star for 2022. The restaurant takes its moniker seriously, plotting the provenance of its super-fresh local ingredients on a map on the website. Desserts are dramatic and delicious. There's no à la carte – just superb taster menus of seven courses (€130) or nine (€180), or a slightly less ambitious four-course one (€70) at lunch. Be sure to book well ahead.
Contact: ristorantelocal.com
Vaporetto stop: San Marco - San Zaccaria
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Cannaregio
Anice Stellato
In atmospheric northern Cannaregio, Anice Stellato is traditional but chic, with wooden tables and low workshop-style lights. The creative regional cuisine is around two thirds seafood, one third meat. Dishes on the seasonal menu might include potato gnocchi with crab, or air-cured pork sausage with bell peppers, shallots and mustard. The wine list is excellent – it's nice to have the option of ordering carafes bearing really good wine rather than house plonk. Outside of meal times, you can stop by for a coffee, drink or quick bar snack.
Contact: osterianicestellato.com
Vaporetto stop: Sant'Alvise
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Ostaria Da Rioba
Da Rioba aims to update and lighten up the once unchanging osteria formula without losing its seasonal essence. So after a classic antipasto like creamed cod with polenta, you might move on to a more creative main such as grilled turbot on cooked salad with ginger sauce. There are a few meat and vegetarian options too. The brick-lined, wood-beamed interior can sometimes feel a little cold, but the view through large windows onto the canal is charming. In warm weather, when wooden tables line the canalside walk outside, Da Rioba really comes into its own.
Contact: darioba.com
Vaporetto stop: Orto
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Osteria ai Promessi Sposi
Once you've located the right street it's easy to spot this well hidden eatery: locals spilling out into the calle, wine glass and cicchetto in hand, say it all. Perch at the counter (bar stools are hotly contested) or bag a table inside to enjoy good, unfussy fare served by a dedicated, enthusiastic team. The menu changes daily but generally includes Venetian stalwarts like cuttlefish in their ink with grilled polenta or baked razor clams. Dishes such as beef tartare keep carnivores happy. The wine list is quite good, but the house red and white are both very drinkable.
Contact: 00 39 041 241 2747; facebook.com
Vaporetto stop: Ca d'Oro
Opening times: Mon, 6.30pm-10.15pm; Tue-Sun, 11.30am-2.15pm, 6.30pm-10.15pm
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
L'Orto dei Mori
Since it opened, this jazzy restaurant in the quiet northern Cannaregio district has become a big hit with locals and tourists alike. The seafood cuisine is more pan-Italian, mixing Venetian classics such as baccalà mantecato (creamed cod – excellent) with outside influences in dishes such as baked sea bass fillet with ratatouille. If the slightly Nineties-style contemporary interior proves too jarring, angle for one of the tables in the square outside. Service is courteous and well-informed, and the wine list has some good bottles.
Contact: osteriaortodeimori.com
Vaporetto stop: Orto
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Trattoria Ca d'Oro - Alla Vedova
This trattoria just off the main Station-Rialto route has its pros and cons. Service can be offhand, prices are on the high side, and the formula they pioneered – cicchetti as the basis for a full-blown restaurant – is no longer a novelty. But the place is still wonderful, from its traditional osteria interior to the snack-laden plates on view behind the bar counter. You can graze on these standing at the bar but if you want a sit-down meal it's best to book. Order the spaghetti alla busara, which comes in a rich anchovy and onion sauce.
Contact: 00 39 041 528 5324; facebook.com
Vaporetto stop: Ca d'Oro
Opening times: Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat, 11.30am-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm; Sun, 12-2.30pm, 6.30pm-10.30pm
Price: ££
Reservations: Essential
Orient Experience
Just off busy strada Nuova, this inexpensive ethnic eatery is a likeable place, in no small part for their policy of employing refugees whose culinary heritage channels into the varied dishes on offer, which may include Iranian rice with saffron and potatoes, or Syrian rice and lentils with caramelised onions and yoghurt. There are meat dishes, and plenty of choice for vegetarians. This eat-in venue stages occasional live music events. There's a takeaway branch in campo Santa Margherita and an Africa Experience in calle lungo San Barnaba (both Dorsoduro).
Contact: orientexperience.it
Vaporetto stop: San Marcuola
Price: £
Reservations: Recommended
All'Antica Mola
With its change of management a while back, the Antica Mola lost a little of its charm and became a little more expensive. But the food remains good and nothing can even detract from its dreamy position on a quiet canal in the north of the city. The formula remains the same: mainly fresh seafood with choices to keep carnivores happy too. In warm weather, book well ahead for one of the few canal-side tables.
Contact: anticamoladaicosta.it
Vaporetto stop: Sant'Alvise or Madonna dell'Ort
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
San Polo & Santa Croce
Antiche Carampane
This long-running bastion of Venetian seafood cuisine is fiendishly difficult to find. But persevere, as the upmarket, family-run restaurant delivers time and time again. In the utterly traditional trattoria-style dining room or on one of the few highly prized outside tables, chef Francesco and his team serve up masterful versions of recherché local dishes like cassopipa (spaghetti with spiced shellfish) or triglie dell'imbriago (red mullet braised in red wine). This is one of the few old-school Venetian dining institutions where the quality has noticeably improved in recent years.
Contact: antichecarampane.com
Vaporetto stop: San Silvestro
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
For years, this establishment lived off its reputation as 'Venice's best non-hotel restaurant'. It isn't any more but a meal at elegant, old-school Da Fiore is still a very pleasant experience. It's a family run place, with chef Mara Martin turning out perfectly gauged gourmet creations anchored in local traditions, such as baked squid stuffed with radicchio, walnuts and prawns. The wine list is stellar. To bag one of the two highly sought-after tables with a canal view, book well in advance.
Contact:: ristorantedafiore.com
Vaporetto stop: San Stae
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Ristorante Glam
Chef Enrico Bartolini is Italy’s most-starred chef, with two of his Michelin accolades, for his Venetian venture, Glam. In the shady courtyard of the luxury Palazzo Venart hotel, diners are looked after as they experience Bartolini's creations, which use strictly local produce in manipulations of Venetian tradition which look beautiful on the plate and zing in the mouth. Seafood and meat fare on the menu, and then of course there's the chef's signature beetroot risotto with gorgonzola. Taster menus start at €220.
Contact: enricobartolini.net
Vaporetto stop: San Stae
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Vineria All'Amarone
Though it calls itself a 'vineria' (wine shop), this compact, always lively place just off campo San Silvestro is more of an all-day-dining restaurant, specialising in large plates of cicchetti and cold cuts, plus a few daily pastas, soups and main courses. Fusilli with tuna, olives and capers or Vicenza-style baccalà (dried and salted cod) are two examples. The atmosphere is warm and sociable. Given the name, it's not surprising that the wine list is strong on the Veneto's big (and pricey) red, Amarone, but there are plenty of other options. There's a range of wine tastings available too.
Contact: allamarone.com
Vaporetto stop: San Silvestro
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
This trattoria is a Venice classic, but time has eroded none of its charm, value for money or bravura (brilliance). The oak panelling inside comes on a little like an Alpine chalet, but the bottle-lined shelves and paper placemats are pure Venetian bacaro. The menu features as much meat as fish; you might start with tagliatelle with artichokes and pecorino cheese and follow up with, say, duck baked with apples. There are also several vegetarian options. Service is friendly and attentive, and the wine list is well chosen and well priced. The few outside tables should be booked well in advance.
Contact: lazucca.it
Vaporetto stop: San Stae
Price: ££
Reservations: Essential
Muro Frari
It can be a challenge to find a decent pizza in Venice, but this contemporary pizzeria-restaurant does good thick-crust pizza with a huge variety of toppings, plus creative salads, pasta dishes, succulent grilled steaks and beef tartare – the latter two being something of a rarity in Venice. It's all served in a buzzy contemporary setting in brick, Corten steel and wood, by the efficient waitstaff. They have a well-priced selection of wines by the glass or bottle. In warm weather, outside tables (which should be booked well in advance) line the street outside.
Contact: murovenezia.com
Vaporetto stop: San Tomà
Prices: £-££
Reservations: Recommended
Estro Vino e Cucina
Of the hip hang-outs around San Pantalon, Estro is one of the most popular. Run by a young group with a passion for natural wine and a Slow Food approach to eating, this little place has a friendly feel. You're as welcome here for a glass (there are 20-plus by-the-glass options per day) and couple of their deliciously plump sandwiches as you are for a full meal, which can range from a focaccia for two topped with delicious ingredients to grilled octopus on mashed sweet potato and bell peppers.
Contact: estrovenezia.com
Vaporetto stop: San Tomà
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Had about as much seafood as you can take? Head for this trattoria which swims against the Venetian tide in offering only meat and vegetable dishes in the regional tradition. These might include potato gnocchi with pumpkin and smoked ricotta (a good vegetarian option), or pork fillet roasted with plums. They have an excellent cheese board, and in winter and early spring do great things with a vegetable that reaches its apotheosis in this part of the world, radicchio di Treviso. Wine is another strong point. It's a popular place so book ahead, preferably a day or so in advance.
Contact: 00 39 041 523 0531; facebook.com
Vaporetto stop: Ca' Rezzonico
Opening times: Mon-Fri 7pm-10pm
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
This osteria turns out gourmet meals in a space that would be tight even for a neighbourhood bar. It can seat just 20 but it's worth the claustrophobia, as the food here is seriously good. The militantly fresh menu changes every day, according to what the market provides. On my last visit, dishes included a flavoursome tagliolini pasta with red mullet and herbs, followed by a perfect pesce San Pietro (John Dory) with delicate castraure (baby artichokes), green beans and steamed potatoes. Reservations are a must. Book the second evening sitting for a more relaxed experience.
Contact: enotecaartisti.com
Vaporetto stop: Accademia
Price: ££
Reservations: Essential
Giudecca & islands
Locanda Cipriani
This historic summer lunch destination is one of the few country restaurants in Venice: 'country' being the charmingly rural island of Torcello. The rustic-chic locanda was frequented by celebs like Ernest Hemingway (who wrote Across the River and Into the Trees here) and the British royal family. It's still a lovely old-school place for an al fresco lunch today, with an army of white-jacketed waiters serving high-class comfort food on a leafy veranda: prawn-filled courgette flowers, risotto alla Torcellana (with spring vegetables), fegato alla Veneziana (Venetian-style calf's liver), all impeccably done.
Contact: locandacipriani.com
Vaporetto stop: Torcello
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Perfect for a romantic lunch, this delightful seafood restaurant on the lace island of Burano belongs to the family that owns the exclusive Emilia lace brand: the elegantly feminine décor is a good advertisement for their design ethic. The chef takes the day's seafood catch and turns it into excellent, unfussy Venetian dishes like risotto al gò (with goby, a local fish), spaghetti with clams and mussels, turbot baked with potatoes. It's not cheap, but you're paying for the position, the canal-side tables, the professional service and the sheer quality of the ingredients.
Contact: rivarosa.it
Vaporetto stop: Burano
Price: £££
Reservations: Recommended
And now for something completely different: a restaurant that looks out onto its own walled vineyards and vegetable gardens, in a corner of the lagoon few tourists ever discover. Michelin-starred Venissa is the brainchild of the Bisol dynasty of winemakers. Despite frequently changing chefs, the cuisine remains inventive, distilling the region's fishing, farming and wild-herb-gathering traditions. When the restaurant is closed (Nov-Mar), Venissa's Osteria Comtemporanea wine bar comes into play, with an excellent, less formal (and slightly less pricey) menu and 200 labels to sample in the cellar.
Contact: venissa.it
Vaporetto stop: Mazzorbo
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
Acquastanca
This restaurant occupies a former bakery on the glass island of Murano, its exposed wooden beams and brick-and-marble walls softened by ethno-chic cushions and other tasteful details in a long, thin dining room that turns a corner at the back to reveal a tiny hidden courtyard. The menu consists mostly of market-fresh seafood, cooked to perfection in simple dishes such as orata (bream) baked with potatoes. The desserts are fabulous. The restaurant functions as a bar outside of meal times – they do a good selection of wines by the glass from Veneto and Friuli.
Contact: acquastanca.it
Vaporetto stop: Murano Faro or Colonna
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Al Gatto Nero
It's not just the photogenic canalside location that marks out this long-running Burano trattoria from the competition. For half a century now they've fed everyone from the local postman to famous Burano resident Philippe Starck by selecting the freshest of the morning seafood catch and making perfect versions of local specialities like risotto con i gò (gobies, a tasty Adriatic fish) or a fantastically light fritto misto (mixed seafood fry-up). The interior is charmingly unreconstructed, but in warm weather the few outside tables are the ones to book. For such a humble place, the wine list is notably well structured.
Contact: gattonero.com
Vaporetto stop: Burano
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
La Palanca
As with many of Venice's best eateries, La Palanca feels like (and to all intents and purposes is) a neighbourhood bar even when it's packed with hungry diners, who eat lunch (no dinner is available) in the cheerful back room or at the highly-sought-after tables by the Giudecca canal. The cuttlefish-ink risotto is delicious, as are mains like grilled tuna with balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds. There are meat and vegetarian options too. Prices are fair but it's not the tremendous bargain it used to be. They don't take bookings, so come by 12.30pm or be prepared to wait. Around aperitivo time you can stop by for a plate of cicchetti and a glass of wine.
Contact: 00 39 041 528 7719; facebook.com
Vaporetto stop: Palanca
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 7am-9pm; lunch served 12pm-2.30pm
Price: ££
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Osteria Al Mercà
This seafood restaurant is located in the Lido's former produce market. It's not cheap, but the fare is top quality, straight-off-the-boat Adriatic seafood. At aperitivo time locals sit at the bar drinking wine or spritz and grazing on ciccheti – baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod), mantis prawns, or schie (small grey shrimps) – which also pop up in the highly recommended antipasto misto that's served at table. Follow up with a good pasta and a baked scorpion fish or branzino (sea bass) grilled to perfection. The market building has been glassed in for all-year dining.
Contact: osteriaalmerca.it
Vaporetto stop: Lido
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended
La Perla Ai Bisatei
What a find. A cheap neighbourhood trattoria – in Venice, where dining rarely comes cheap. Granted, you'll have to take the boat to Murano to find it, but this island is worth a visit anyway. Ai Bisatei is hugely popular with locals, including glass-blowers on their lunch break. It has paper placemats and reassuringly traditional fare: steaming plates of pasta (spaghetti with clams, spaghetti alla bolognese) or seafood risotto, followed by a mixed seafood fry-up or meaty classics like Milanese-style veal cutlets, all of it washed down with a decent house wine. And they're friendly too.
Contact: 00 39 041 739 528; facebook.com
Vaporetto stop: Murano Venier or Museo
Opening times: Daily, bar 9.45-2.45, trattoria 12pm-2.45pm
Price: £
Reservations: Not necessary
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