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A brief guide on where to eat in Venice, a city with some fantastic restaurants. You’ll also find the other kind that cater to tourists serving overpriced sub-par food. We had experiences at both types of restaurants but were generally happy with our choices.
Where to Eat in Castello, Venice
Most of our dining experiences, and our best ones, were near our hotel in the Castello district.
L’Olandese Volante
Our very first lunch started out with an unexpected bang. We wandered through some of the narrow streets in Castello before settling on L’Olandese Volante, located on Campo San Lio.
We shared a seafood stew that was out of this world, a plate of delicious grilled prawns, and a very good vegetarian fettuccine. Service was a bit slow but the food was appropriately priced. We were very surprised later that night to see the terrible ratings on TripAdvisor. Maybe we caught them on a good day and this place is hit or miss, but our experience was great.
Birreria Barbanera
Our first dinner was at Birreria Barbanera before heading out for the New Year’s celebration. Located a short walk from Piazza San Marco, this restaurant specializes in pizza. We started with a bruschetta and each had a decent pasta dish. Overall it was a good affordable meal.
Ristorante Marco Polo
One of the best dinners we had on our entire trip to Italy was at Ristorante Marco Polo. We had walked by this restaurant near our hotel several times and it was always full so we wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We popped in the day before and made a reservation for dinner.
Marco Polo specializes in Venetian cuisine and has an extensive wine list. Our waiter and the hostess did an excellent job of pairing our meals with the perfect wines. We ended up having two bottles – Ca’ Rugate “Rio Albo” Valpolicella and La Zerbaia Rosso della Ghiaia.
For dinner, I had a succulent steak while Marisol had vegetable ravioli. We finished it off with one of the dessert specials. Overall, both the food and service were amazing. The hostess and waiter were stopping by the table frequently to see how the meal was going and to fill up our wine glasses. It was a little more expensive than other meals we ate in Venice but definitely ranks up at the top.
Osteria Ai do Archi
For dinner, we decided to try Osteria Ai do Archi, which was a short walk from our hotel. It’s an intimate little place with a few tables. We each had a risotto dish. I had the risotto with white beans while Marisol had a lobster risotto. It was good but we expected it to be a bit tastier. Other than that, the price was very reasonable and service was good.
Al Vecio Canton
The final dinner of our trip to Venice was at Al Vecio Canton. Dimly lit, atmospheric, and with an entertaining waiter, we couldn’t have been happier with our choice. We started off with grilled scallops and fried stuffed olives which were both incredible.
I had a simple yet delicious spaghetti pomodoro while Marisol had a grilled sirloin steak. We finished it off by sharing a tiramisù. Everything was perfect for our last night in Venice.
Ristorante da Sabrina (Permanently Closed)
Our dinner at Ristorante da Sabrina was a disaster from the moment we walked in. With nearly every restaurant near our hotel completely full, we walked by and were shown the menu by an enthusiastic young waiter. The prices looked right and it seemed like a nice place although it was the only empty restaurant in the area. We decided to give it a try.
We ordered a bistecca alla Fiorentina and a spaghetti with grilled jumbo prawns to share. First, the spaghetti came out. It tasted like pasta topped with water and the “jumbo prawns” were frozen baby shrimp.
When the steak came out, we completely lost our minds. The waiter brought it to the table and said “this is the steak of exactly 450 grams that you ordered”. It wasn’t anywhere near 450 grams, and to top it off it was extremely greasy and overcooked. We each took one bite and told the waiter it was disgusting.
The host came and apologized, then offered to give us the meal for free. We said we would pay for the two glasses of wine and the cover but they insisted and profusely apologized as another table that had filled up looked on. We walked out to look for another place to eat.
Where to Eat in Dorsoduro, Venice
We had just one experience eating in Dorsoduro.
La Calcina
For lunch on New Year’s Day, we visited La Calcina on the Zattere. La Calcina is a hotel that doubles as a restaurant. It was a cold day but it was tolerable enough to sit outside on their lovely terrace overlooking the Giudecca Canal.
To start we shared a salmon carpaccio. I had the osso buco while Marisol had a grilled fish. The food was good but we think sitting outside cooled it off too much. It wasn’t as enjoyable as it would have been if the food had stayed hot. Another negative was the seagulls swooping down and trying to steal bread and food as the tables around us started to empty.
Where to Eat in San Polo, Venice
We had one dinner in San Polo.
Caffè Saraceno
After our traumatizing experience at Ristorante da Sabrina, we walked over the Rialto Bridge and found Caffè Saraceno, located along the Grand Canal. The tables were about half full and the menu looked appetizing so we decided to have a seat. Marisol had a salad while I had spaghetti cooked in squid ink. The food wasn’t that great but it was much better than what we had to endure at Sabrina.
Where to Eat in San Marco, Venice
To be honest, we tried to stay away from restaurants in San Marco. We were kind of expecting low quality food, especially near Piazza San Marco, because of the ridiculous crowds of tourists. I’m sure there are some great places to eat away from all the action.
Trattoria Ai Leoncini
For lunch on our third day, we went to Trattoria Ai Leoncini, just off Piazza San Marco. My mother and her husband visited this restaurant a year earlier and recommended it, so we thought we’d give it a shot.
To start, we shared a plate of fried calamari served with polenta and ordered a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella from Domìni Veneti to wash it down. As a main course, Marisol had spaghetti frutti di mare while I had the spaghetti mamma mia (spaghetti with meatballs). The food was very good and reasonably priced for the huge portion sizes. Our only problem with the restaurant was that on top of the service charge in a country where tipping isn’t customary, the waiter had the audacity to ask for a “generous tip”. That turned us off.
Gelatoteca Suso
If you’re looking for an amazing gelato, head to Suso near the Rialto Bridge. We went there twice and I could honestly say it would have been irresistible to pass it up without stopping for more.
Where to Eat in Cannaregio, Venice
Like in most other districts, we only had one meal in Cannaregio.
Majer
For lunch on our final day in Venice, we had pizza at Majer in the Venetian Ghetto. The pizza was good but service was terrible.
