Hi all. Going to to be in Venice in May and had a question for travelers that have been there before and experienced a great meal. My wife and I will be celebrating our anniversary and was looking for a place to have a memorable meal. Cost isn't as important as food, ambiance and location. What are your favorites? Thanks!
Glenn
Since the question is "where would I go" my answer is Alle Testiere:
http://www.osterialletestiere.it/Testiere/Welcome.html
I do not speak from personal experience, as we could not get reservations even booking 2 weeks ahead. But my sister and her husband went and said it was wonderful.
It is a seafood restaurant so hopefully you like that.
I would go to Paradiso Perduto, in the Cannaregio neighborhood, where I would be surrounded by a thriving local scene, often including live music.
First thing you should do is seek out some of the great blogs written by expats living in Italy. They provide great insight into the real local character of Italian tourist centers.
As for Venice, the key is to get as far away from the main tourist routes and touristy piazze. One rule of thumb - restaurants that offer fixed-price menus and post their menu in multiple languages (the more translations - the more touristy) are places that cater to mainly tourists. Generally speaking (but not always), these restaurants don't concentrate on quality or value.
My favorite restaurant in Venice is Enoteca Rio Marin (Fondamenta de la Latte, 847/d, 30125 Santa Croce). Very small but very good with reasonable prices. You may need reservations...
Osteria Archi Dorati in Cannaregio.
Funny, Roberto. In my family we call that "the little Scottish place."
The Riviera is a fantastic restaurant.
Hotel Monaco outdoor dining is towards the end of the Grand Canal and across the street from the church. Oh my, talk about romance and ambiance as it becomes twilight and then night. Make sure you have a reservation, we asked to be seated earlier so we got a good seat. Google it and you'll see the view, the church is lit up at night. I think we were seated between 6:30 and 7...you need to look at the sunset times and gauge. We went in September. It is a close walk to St. Marks square, so didn't have dessert at the restaurant. Instead we forked over the money to sit at the Florian, and listen to the orchestra. Had prosecco, dessert and the coffee. Was there 2 hours listening to the beautiful music, ending a beautiful night.
I had not heard of the Riviera ristorante so I looked up reviews on Tripadvisor. Apparently the menu is quite innovative, and there is one Norwegian who did not care for the presentation. The owner's response is hilarious. Scroll down to Morten J's review titled "Food Vanity" (currently the fourth one):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1087350-Reviews-Riviera-Venice_Veneto.html
I had not heard of the Riviera ristorante so I looked up reviews on
Tripadvisor. Apparently the menu is quite innovative, fee there is one
Norwegian who did not care for the presentation. The owner's response
is hilarious. Scroll down to Morten J's review titled "Food Vanity"
(currently the fourth one):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1087350-Reviews-Riviera-Venice_Veneto.html
That really was hilarious! Thanks for posting that.
We have eaten twice at Ai Mercanti, and will eat there again in a couple of weeks.
First occasion was a celebration of a friend's book being published ("The Venetian Game" by Phillip Jones). Phill's a resident of Venice, and certainly knows where to go for a celebration.
Second time was because we were blown away by the food.
In two weeks, my sister in law and her husband will visit us here, an dwe'd like to show them something different, something other than calves liver and polenta.
Oops....I didn't mean Hotel Monaco above, I meant Bauer Hotel. Sorry.
Try a chichetti crawl by visiting different places. Each chichetti pub has their specialties, fried, sandwiches, etc. My favorite chichetti is Osteria al Portego. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1034685-Reviews-Osteria_al_Portego-Venice_Veneto.html Their Tiramisu is amazing!
Our most memorable meal in Venice earlier this month was at Enoteca ai Artisti! Wonderful food, wonderful service and wonderful wine! Not touristy. The place was tiny and had maybe 6-7 tables total. We had our hotel call in advance to make reservations.
We absolutely loved Osteria Oliva Nera. Fabulous meal and it felt like we were personally hosted by Isabella and her family. When it's time for dessert, she will draw you a flower and list each of the available desserts on a petal.
Now we must go to the Riviera! Thanks, Lola!
Back in 2014 I really enjoyed Ristorante La Bitta near Dorsoduro/Accademia. Small intimate place and the food was great.
Since it is an anniversary trip, start off the evening with a sit down drink at one of the San Marco locations with an orchestra and do a little dancing. Or you could do so after dinner. A little expensive, but it's something everyone should do at least once for a special anniversary.
Daniel, regarding Ristorante La Bitta in Venice...did they speak English? Menu have any English on it? The places sounds wonderful and would love to visit when we go in November.
I didn't remembered but I checked on Google and saw the menu with Italian/English listings
