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$$$ | Cannaregio |
Established in 1950, this restaurant along the quiet, northern outlier of Fondamente Nove has grandstand views of the San Michele island and various menus showcasing seasonal fish, meat, and pasta dishes. The friendly staff also serve ice cream, drinks, and sandwiches, making its modern bar, chic dining rooms, and lagoon-side platform restful environs to pause any time of day.
Cannaregio 5039, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Airy respite for lunch or a snack
- Romantic spot for dinner
- Lovely waterfront seating with views of the Dolomites
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Castello |
The name is a reference to the old headboards that adorn the walls of this tiny, informal restaurant, but the food (not the decor) is undoubtedly the focus. Local foodies consider this one of the most refined eateries in the city thanks to chef Bruno Gavagnin's gently creative take on classic Venetian fish dishes; the chef's artistry seldom draws attention to itself, but simply reveals new dimensions of familiar fare, creating dishes that stand out for their lightness and balance. A classic black risotto of cuttlefish, for example, is surrounded by a brilliant coulis of mild yellow peppers; tiny potato gnocchi are paired with tender newborn squid. The menu changes regularly to capitalize on the freshest produce of the moment, and the wine selection is top-notch. To enjoy a more leisurely meal, be sure to book the second dinner seating.
Castello 5801, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Daily changing fish offerings, based on what's fresh at the market
- Excellent pasta with seafood
- Wonderful wine selection
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., 3 wks in Jan.–Feb., and 4 wks in July–Aug., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Castello |
Housed in the atmospheric, deconsecrated ecclesiastical buildings of the Chiesa di San Giovanni Novo, this special restaurant run by the attentive Giuseppe Calliandro marries classic Venetian cuisine with some inventive flavor combinations. In colder months dine amid magnificent wooden beams, religious artworks, and quirky objects; in warmer times, the pretty, plant-filled courtyard is the place to sit. There are set menus to choose from, including a good-value daily menu (€26), plus fish, meat, vegetables, Venetian classics, and the Antica Sacrestia (€80), if splurging.
Calle de la Corona, Castello 4463, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Pizza and pasta
- Quality meat and seafood platters to share
- Simple, fresh flavors
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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$$$ | Dorsoduro |
For a break from all the fish and seafood options in Venice, this is your place; the meat- and veggie-focused menu (inspired by the cuisine of the Venetian mainland) presents a new temptation at every course, and market availability keeps the dishes changing almost every day. The homemade desserts are all luscious (it's been said that La Bitta serves the best panna cotta in town), and you can trust the owner's selections from her excellent wine and grappa lists, which tend to favor small local producers.
Dorsoduro 2753/A, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Meat dishes (no seafood)
- Seasonally inspired menus
- Friendly and efficient service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Castello |
The candlelit tables on this romantic campo are inviting enough, but it's the intimate restaurant's imaginative kitchen that's likely to win you over; you can order consistently excellent pasta, fish, or meat dishes à la carte or opt for one of the rewarding tasting menus. The wine list is ample and well thought out, and the service is gracious, warm, and professional.
Castello 5911, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Innovative and artfully presented modern Venetian food
- Charming setting
- Wonderful wine pairings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 2 wks in Aug. No lunch Mon., Reservations essential
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$$ | Dorsoduro |
Pop into this canal-side restaurant at lunch for a satisfying primo or come for dinner to sample fine and fresh offerings; the candlelit tables that line the fondamenta (quay) suggest romance, and the service is friendly and welcoming. The posted menu—with choices like tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms and tiger prawns, or a filleted John Dory with tomatoes and pine nuts—changes daily (spot the date at the top) and seasonally.
Dorsoduro 1169a, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Delicious pasta and seafood offerings
- Superlative tiramisu
- Truly helpful service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations essential
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$$$ | |
For an appealing selection of old-school Venetian recipes, this elegant restaurant on a peaceful side street—family-run since around 1950—more than delivers. Dishes are heavy on the seafood, and you can’t go wrong with classics like spaghetti allo scoglio (with seafood) or sarde e gamberi in saor (sweet-and-sour shrimp and sardines), served up by the friendly staff.
Via Francesco Duodo 33, Lido, Veneto, 30126, Italy
Known For
- Grilled local fish
- Good choice of wines
- Pretty outdoor setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Tues.–Thurs.
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$$$ | Cannaregio |
A brother-sister team run this refined trattoria, where you're made to feel as if you've been personally invited to lunch or dinner. Indulge, perhaps, in rigatoni with duck sauce or arugula-stuffed ravioli, seafood risotto made to order, or sesame-encrusted tuna. Just note, though, that it's the meat dishes that steal the show: the steak with red-pepper sauce and the tagliata di agnello (sautéed lamb fillet with a light, crusty coating) are both superb, and you'll never enjoy a better fegato alla veneziana. This is a place for wine connoisseurs, as the cellar is one of the best in the city. Come for the second seating in the evening or at lunch for more relaxed service.
Cannaregio 3628/A, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Superb meat dishes like fegato alla veneziana
- One of the city's best wine cellars
- Helpful and professional service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Tues., and 2 wks in Aug., Reservations essential
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$$$ | |
Grab a seat among locals at this charming, intimate eatery—the perfect place to pop in for a lunchtime primo or to embark on a romantic evening. The name, referring to the tranquility of the lagoon at the turn of the tide, reflects this restaurant's approach to food and service, and you'll find such tempting seafood-based dishes as gnocchi with scallops and zucchini and curried scampi with black rice; tasteful decor sets the mood with exposed brick, iron and glass accents, and charming fish sculptures.
Fondamenta Manin 48, Murano, Veneto, 30141, Italy
Known For
- Light and fresh traditional food
- Focus on seafood dishes
- Relaxing atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Tues.–Thurs. and Sat.
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$$$ | Castello |
For years, Diane and Cesare Binelli's Al Covo has set the standard of excellence for traditional, refined Venetian cuisine; the Binellis are dedicated to providing their guests with the freshest, highest-quality fish from the Adriatic, and vegetables, when at all possible, from the islands of the Venetian Lagoon and the fields of the adjacent Veneto region. Although their cuisine could be correctly termed "classic Venetian," it always offers surprises, like the juicy crispness of their legendary fritto misto (fried mixed seafood and vegetables)—reliant upon an unconventional secret ingredient in the batter—or the heady aroma of their fresh anchovies marinated in wild fennel, an herb somewhat foreign to Veneto. The main exception to Al Covo's distinct local flavor is Diane's wonderful Texas-inspired desserts, especially her dynamite chocolate cake.
Castello 3968, Venice, Veneto, 30122, Italy
Known For
- Sophisticated Venetian flavors
- Top-notch local ingredients
- Diane's chocolate cake for dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed., 3 wks. in Jan., and 10 days in Aug., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Santa Croce |
This friendly trattoria popular with the locals is only a short walk from the Rialto markets. The pizza—not a Venetian specialty, generally speaking—is pretty good here, but the star attractions are the generous appetizers and excellent shellfish pastas. In good weather, you can enjoy your meal in the pergola-covered courtyard (do reserve if you want to snag a table there). There's no English menu, but a server can usually help you out. The house wine is quite drinkable.
Santa Croce 2338, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Traditional starters and pastas
- Quite tasty pizzas
- Pretty outdoor garden seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Jan., Reservations essential
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$$$ | San Polo |
"The Madonna" used to be world-famous as the classic Venetian trattoria, but in recent decades has settled into middle age. Owned and operated by the Rado family since 1954, this Venetian institution looks like one, with wood beams, stained-glass windows, and a panoply of paintings on white walls. Folks still head here to savor the classic Venetian repertoire, reliable if not inspired, with a strong focus on seafood.
San Polo 594, Venice, Veneto, 30125, Italy
Known For
- Freshly prepared seafood
- Traditional Venetian cuisine
- Old-time atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Jan., Reservations essential
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$$$ | Cannaregio |
Off the main concourse on one of the most tranquil fondamente of Cannaregio, this small, family-run osteria is the place to stop for artful seafood and meat dishes in a romantic setting. Book a table among the wooden tables, columns, and mosaic floor of the rustic yet elegant dining room or right by the calming canal.
Cannaregio 3272, Venice, Veneto, 30121, Italy
Known For
- Seasonal seafood
- Exuberant flavors and presentation
- Relaxed fine dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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$$$ | Santa Croce |
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Santa Croce, with a few tables under an ivy shelter, the Antica Besseta dates from the 19th century, and it retains some of its old feel. The menu focuses on vegetables and fish, according to what's at the market, with some pasta and meat dishes, too. The fish is not all local, but it is served with a tasty sauce and is well prepared. The menu tends toward the elegant and original; speck made from goose, for example, or cheese foam, are not to be found everywhere.
Santa Croce 1395, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Classic Italian pastas, like spaghetti con vongole (with clams)
- Simple menu of fish and meat choices
- Charming old-fashioned feel
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
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$$$ | San Marco |
Sleek and elegant in the glowing, brick-lined ground floor of a 16th-century palazzo, the Caffè Centrale has vastly improved since it came under new management two years ago. It is a rarity in Venice: a restaurant that serves until 12:45 am, and is around the corner from the Fenice, so it makes a great place for a post-performance nosh. The menu, while giving a nod to Venetian cuisine (they serve an excellent baccalà mantecato), features mostly creatively prepared continental dishes, such as sautéed fois gras with Sauternes or a spectacular beef fillet with Amarone. There's also a broad selection of very fresh raw fish specialties. For dessert there's a sinful list of sweet temptations, including three variations on the classic Venetian sgroppino (an alcohol-laced sorbet).
San Marco 1569B, Venice, Veneto, 30124, Italy
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Reservations essential
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$$$ | |
For a break from traditional Venetian cuisine, head to this charming eatery featuring two menus: one with innovative Italian dishes, and one with well-prepared sushi and sashimi. Michela Cafarchia, who started Glamy in the garden of her family home, aims to use sustainable, local ingredients as much as possible.
Via Sandro Gallo 111, Lido, Veneto, 30126, Italy
Known For
- Inventive fusion cuisine
- Excellent wine list
- Lovely garden seating
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. No lunch
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$$$ | |
With tables offering a spectacular view of the Zattere outside and an elegant room inside, Harry's (of Cipriani fame) makes for a very indulgent pit stop. While you can linger for lunch or dinner, you can also order or fill your bag to go with light bites, sandwiches, and sweet goodies, such as cake and gelato.
Giudecca 773, Giudecca, Veneto, 30133, Italy
Known For
- Location and fame that come with a price tag
- Salads
- Cakes and pastries
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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$$$ | Dorsoduro |
This sleek café is a favorite lunchtime haunt for professors from the nearby university and local businesspeople, when you can easily have a beautifully prepared primo (first course) or secondo (second course), plus a glass of wine, for a reasonable price; there's also a good selection of sandwiches and salads. Unlike most local eateries, this spot is open from breakfast through late dinner, and you can dine well in the evening on imaginative pasta, seafood, and meat dishes. An unusual option is the one-plate "composed" dish that may include boiled and grilled vegetables with marinated salmon and tuna with citrus sauce, or crunchy sauteed vegetables with calamari, shrimp, and octopus.
Dorsoduro 3815, Venice, Veneto, 30123, Italy
Known For
- Imaginative dishes
- Contemporary decor
- All-day dining
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and 2 wks in Aug.
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$$$ | Santa Croce |
Simple place settings, wood lattice walls, and a mélange of languages make La Zucca (The Pumpkin) feel much like a typical, somewhat sophisticated vegetarian restaurant that you could find in any European city. What makes La Zucca special is simply great cooking and the use of fresh, local ingredients—many of which, like the particularly sweet zucca itself, aren't normally found outside northern Italy. Although the menu has superb meat dishes, more attention is paid to dishes from the garden; don't miss the house's signature dish—the flan di zucca, a luscious, naturally sweet, pumpkin pudding topped with slivered, aged ricotta cheese.
Santa Croce 1762, Venice, Veneto, 30135, Italy
Known For
- Seasonal vegetarian-focused dishes
- Home-style Italian cooking
- Flan di zucca, a luscious pumpkin pudding topped with aged ricotta cheese
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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$$$ | |
A nearly legendary restaurant—Hemingway came here often to eat, drink, and brood under the veranda's greenery—established by a nephew of Giuseppe Cipriani (the founder of Harry's Bar), this inn profits from its idyllic location on the island of Torcello. The food is not exceptional, especially considering the high prices, but dining here is more about getting lost in Venetian magic; the menu features pastas and lots of seafood.
Piazza Santa Fosca 29, Torcello, Veneto, 30142, Italy
Known For
- Wonderful historic atmosphere
- Traditional Venetian cuisine, with a focus on seafood
- A peaceful lunch choice when you want to get away from Venice
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and early Jan.–mid-Feb.
