The best restaurants in Venice
Despite its small size, compiling a guide of the best restaurants in Venice is no easy feat – this popular Italian city is not short of amazing food and places to eat it. Since time immemorial, the vast saltwater lagoon of Venice and the Adriatic beyond have provided fresh supplies for the city’s homes and restaurants. A visit to the Grand-Canal-side fish market, under its splendid neo-Gothic arches, provides a slippery, writhing introduction to moeche (soft-shelled crabs), schie (tiny grey shrimps), capelunghe (razor clams) and other wondrous marine creatures.
Seafood is the foundation of the city’s cuisine, but it’s not the whole story. There’s a healthy heritage of meat dishes from the Venetian hinterland, and vegetables from the lagoon islands are a fixture (the exquisite castraure artichoke hearts from Sant’Eramo being the most famous). In recent years, a consortium of Venetian restaurants has taken this to the next level.
Where to find these local delights? Of course, in such a heavily touristed city, plenty of venues serve sub-standard fare to transient hordes. But real dedication to excellent cuisine, with a respect for tradition and an eye for the new, is rife among Venetians. If you know where to go, you’ll eat very well indeed in the lagoon city. Here are the best restaurants in Venice (and our favourites too!) to try on your next visit.
Ristorante Local
Unusually spacious and painted in shades of lagoon blue, Michelin-starred Local is what it says: the decor incorporates local crafts (including thousands of coloured glass beads laid into the floor) and the kitchen brims with exquisitely fresh local produce, sourced from the area and made into dishes which riff on tradition while adding new twists and the occasional fusion element. In the open kitchen, chef Salvatore Sodano prepares dishes for seven- or nine-course set menus, which might include rice with razor clams or Venetian squid cooked in its own ink. The kitchen is always happy to accommodate for allergies; service is welcoming and professional and the wine list is expertly curated.
Address: Ristorante Local, Castello 3303, Salizada dei Greci, Venice
Website: ristorantelocal.com
Il Ristorante Adriatica
There are multiple reasons to visit this chic hangout in a tourist-lite corner of south-western Venice: the Palazzo Experimental hotel – home to the Adriatica restaurant – is a glorious explosion of candy-stripe decor redolent of belle epoque beach huts; the cocktail bar is one of Venice's trendiest; and the restaurant itself offers interesting alternatives to Venetian traditions, drawing inspiration from ingredients found across the Adriatic coastline. Slip into a plush banquette to enjoy chilled bell pepper soup with green beans and goat cheese, or seabass and stuffed courgettes with mussels and saffron sauce. It's an all-day kind of place, serving enticing snacks outside standard meal times.
Address: Il Ristorante Adriatica, Dorsoduro 1412, Fondamenta Zattere Al Ponte Lungo, Venice.
Website: palazzoexperimental.com
Hostaria Castello
A stone’s throw from St Mark’s Square and the busy lagoon-front Riva degli Schiavoni, this bijoux restaurant has seen off stiff competition to become a firm favourite among locals and tourists alike since it opened its doors in 2021. It’s a modern take on the Ottoman coffee house, with lush velvet sofas and antique wooden pieces offset by a brick-and-concrete background. The menu has something for everyone, balancing seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. Comforting Italian staples like ravioli with ricotta and spinach compete with more local traditions, for example the scallop and pesto tagliatelle.
Address: Hostaria Castello, Castello 3476, Salizada Sant'Antonin, Venice.
Website: hostariacastello.com
Osteria Giorgione da Masa
Exposed brick arches, well-worn wooden furniture, shelves groaning under the weight of local vintages: stroll into this 2021-dated venture close to the Rialto bridge and you might be mistaken for thinking you’re in for traditional osteria fare. Think again. Chef Masahiro Homma, who has a storied record in kitchens across Italy, uses local ingredients to produce authentic Japanese dishes with a Venetian twist. Highlights include raw smoked catch of the day, prawn dumplings and homemade noodles with tuna and seaweed.
Address: Osteria Giorgione da Masa, Cannaregio 4582A, Calle larga dei Proverbi, Venice
Website: hosteriagiorgionedamasa.com
Osteria Alle Testiere
Foresight and perseverance are needed to snag a table at this diminutive osteria where courteous staff weave through very few closely packed tables to serve dishes made of whatever seafood looked freshest in the market that day. In the kitchen, chef Bruno Gavagnin favours absolute simplicity to bring out the delicate flavours of the fish and vegetables grown locally. The daily-changing menu may include grilled capelunghe (razor clams), lobster gnocchi or mazzancolle alla busara (stewed prawns). The desserts are sensational. Co-owner and wine expert Luca Di Vita helps diners navigate his expertly curated list.
Address: Osteria alle Testiere, Castello 5801, Calle del Mondo Novo, Venice
Website: osterialletestiere.it
All'Arco
Sights, sounds, overwhelming smells and piles of just-caught seafood draw flocks of shoppers to Venice’s daily fish market, set under its neo-Gothic arcade. Once the serious business has been dispensed with, vendors and purchasers alike pour into the traditional bacari (wine bars) under the surrounding porticoes. All’Arco is one of the most popular, and deft manoeuvring is needed to reach the counter or bag a seat at one of only three rickety tables. It serves up a host of classic seafood ciccheti (small plates), such as bruschette with baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod) or sarde in saor (sardines in sweet and sour sauce).
Address: All'Arco, San Polo 436, Calle dell'Occhialer, Venice
Antiche Carampane
When the famous sign warning tourists they'd be charged for information was first hung outside this restaurant, there was nothing ironic about it: Antiche Carampane was militantly local. There's a new generation running the place now – with a corresponding focus on seriously good cuisine – but you'll still find a large percentage of Venetians among the discerning visitors able to find this hidden locale. The menu covers historic Venetian fare, including superb mixed fried seafood. It's all super fresh, with just-caught fish and veg from Osti in Orto.
Address: Antiche Carampane, San Polo 1911, Rio Terà de le Carampane, Venice
Website: antichecarampane.com
Alla Frasca
This osteria is a gorgeous spot to enjoy a meal beneath a wisteria-covered pergola – if you can find it. It's very close to the busy waterbus stops on the northern Fondamente Nove, but lies hidden away deep within residential Venice. Market-fresh produce goes into dishes which range from chianina steak carpaccio with parmesan to gnocchi with prawns and zucchini, mixed seafood pasta and braised tuna steak. Waiters are young, knowledgeable, and know when you'd like to be left alone to finish your bottle of good local wine (they'll advise on what to pair with your meal) in peace beneath the pergola.
Address: Osteria alla Frasca, Cannaregio 5176, corte della Carità, Venice.
Website: facebook.com/chiusofrasca
Glam
Glam is Venice's only two Michelin-star restaurant and wow, does it deliver. Italian super-chef Enrico Bartolini oversees a kitchen helmed by the highly talented Donato Ascani. Every dish on the superbly balanced taster menu is a joy for the eyes and an explosion in the mouth, with tastes and textures perfectly matched. The inspiration is Venetian; the final result is unique. The staff couldn't make you feel more at home while serving phenomenal fare in the cool jungle-themed interior or outside in a delicious green courtyard with a splashing fountain.
Address: Glam, Santa Croce 1961, Calle Tron, Venice
Website: enricobartolini.net
Al Timon
Al Timon is instantly recognisable for its traditional wooden boat permanently moored outside, with aperitivo-sippers aboard in the warmer months. This ever-popular venue is a haven for those craving a serious meat fix. It’s a steakhouse and a wine bar – and a key stop on the Venetian aperitivo scene. Carnivores flock for its sharing meat boards – huge chunks of Fiorentina, Lombatello or Chateaubriand steaks, set on a bed of vegetables and hand-cut chips. Grab one of the coveted outside tables to enjoy the picture-perfect setting: a long canal which skirts Venice’s historic Ghetto neighbourhood and offers stunning sunset views.
Address: Al Timon, Cannaregio 2754, Fondamente dei Ormesini, Venice
Website: altimon.it
Al Covo
Since 1987 Al Covo has been a byword for excellent, highly competent Venetian cooking. Owner-chef Cesare Benelli is firmly wedded to the Venetian tradition but not so blindly that he won't adjust it for modern palates. His dedication to sourcing the best local ingredients is legendary: as well as being a Slow Food associate, he's involved in the Venice restaurateurs' Osti in Orte farm initiative, an organic farm on the lagoon island of Sant'Erasmo shared by a group of local restaurants. Follow a melt-in-the-mouth raw seafood starter with fried mixed Adriatic seafood with polenta, artichokes and white garlic sauce. Cesare's American wife Diane creates sumptuous desserts. The ambience here is professional and grown-up.
Address: Al Covo, Castello 3968, Campiello de la Pescaria, Venice
Website: ristorantealcovo.com
Anice Stellato
Located on a long northern canal-side walk, Anice Stellato has been doing things a little differently for decades now. As the name (star anise) suggests, there's a touch of spicy other-ness here: it's not that Venetian culinary stalwarts are excluded; they're just not the whole story. A large open space with bookshelves full of wine, a big bar counter where the occasional local will perch for a glass of wine and a snack, a mix of fish and meat offerings on a small, seasonally changing menu are the hallmarks of this pared-back-chic venue.
Address: Anice Stellato, Cannaregio 3272, Fondamenta de la Sensa, Venice
Website: osterianicestellato.com
Gastrosteria Ai Mercanti
Two generations of the Locatello family have steered Ai Mercanti through changing times. Its latest iteration is charmingly relaxed – somewhere between restaurant and bistrot. Nadia Locatelli's dedication to excellence in the kitchen has remained stable throughout, however, making this hard-to-find place near St Mark's a firm favourite with locals and tourists alike. Low ceilings, well-stocked on-view wine racks, a big blackboard listing the day's specials, bare brick walls and low lighting give the restaurant a casual, intimate feel. On the changing menu, you might find ombrina (fish) with seared lettuce, tomatoes dusted with dried caper, or veal with teryaki sauce on creamed bell peppers.
Address: Gastosteria AI Mercanti, San Marco 4346a, Corte Coppo, Venice
Website: aimercanti.it
La Palanca
For many habitués, no trip to Venice is complete without a stopover at this place on the Giudecca island. To those not yet in the know, it looks like a little neighbourhood bar. Indeed, it is a neighbourhood bar, but one with a spectacular lunch menu (and it only serves at lunch) which keeps even the most demanding gourmets happy. There are no frills: just super-fresh fish and seafood cooked simply and presented with a smile by owner Andrea and his team. Classics such as creamed cod and spaghetti with squid ink are exquisite; the seafood platter antipasto is almost a meal in itself. The view from the pavement tables overlooking the Giudecca Canal is superb. Before or after lunch, there's breakfast coffee, evening aperitivi, and all the other regular reasons for stopping by.
Address: La Palanca, Giudecca 448, fondamenta Sant'Eufemia, Venice.
Website: facebook.com/LaPalancaGiudecca