Cicchetti tour

I did some research on cicchettti spots, marked them on my Google map and then just wandered around Venice stopping for snacks as I felt hungry. I moved on if a place was super busy. Many places were very small. I was glad I was not on a tour so I could really see places up close and see what locals were preferring.

Hi Becky, can you share the spots that you researched, you list for a self tour. Thanks

Yes, a list would be great!

I don't know if Alessandro is still doing his tour, but it is more like a 2 hour college course than just a tour, with a classroom session, then a lab session, then a field trip.

I looked at some YouTube videos on Ciccetti in Venice and jotted down names of places that looked like I’d like to try. One place I remember is Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi.

Alessandro is still doing tours AFAIK
https://www.schezzini.it/

So much fun

My view on food tours is that they can be helpful for understanding the rules of the game, so to speak, for food cultures different from our own. However they are not the same as really experiencing that culture independently, because you have a guide who is doing all the “hard parts” for you. For me, one of the joys of travel is the friction that comes from going outside my comfort zone to participate in something unfamiliar and maybe a little uncomfortable and then the sense of accomplishment and enjoyment that comes from doing so (at least semi) successfully. You don’t get that from being on a food tour, but the tour can give you knowledge that you can then apply and which may help you feel more comfortable doing it on your own. So if you think you could benefit from that then it’s worth doing one but I wouldn’t look at it as being an either-or choice or like the tour would be your one cicchetti experience. Cicchetti are a huge part of the food and dining culture in Venice and if you restrict yourself to sit down restaurant meals the rest of the time, you’ll be missing some of the best food to be had in the city. You could conceivably have cicchetti for lunch and dinner every day! However you approach it, I hope you enjoy it, it’s a really wonderful experience.

These are some recommended to me, if you’re looking for a list:
Bar all’Arco (Rialto)
Al Mercà (Rialto)
Bakarò (Campo Santa Margherita)
Osteria ai Pugni (Campo Santa Margherita)
El Sbarlefo (Cannaregio)
Al Timòn (Cannaregio)
Vino Vero (Cannaregio)
Al Parlamento (Cannaregio)

Or this tour: https://www.monicacesarato.com/blog/cichetti-food-tour-of-venice/

We did the tour with Alessandro in 2017. It was terrific fun, but be prepared to not feel so great the next morning. My son and I were dragging while my wife skipped the early museums. “Andiamo! Let’s drink!”

If you want more than just to eat and drink, but to learn and be entertained, go with Alessandro!