Local, not over the top, but must visit restaurants in Rome and Venice

(Rome) If you are willing to travel across the Tiber into Trastevere, there is an out of the way hole-in-the-wall restaurant that is frequented by locals. It is called "Enzo". Because it is so small, you will need a dinner reservation. It is not a fancy place at all, but it is very popular with the locals and people stand outside waiting for tables to clear.

In both Rome and Venice, we found some great meals by asking the folks at the hotel.

This tip helps. We'll be sure to ask our hotel people!

In Rome, Filetii di Bacala. It's not that easy to find, but well worth it. Just go to Piazza Campo di Flore, head to the southeast corner of the piazza and head east on via dei Giubbonari, to the first small piazza ( largo dei librari ) where the Chisseta di S. Barbara ( small church of S. Barbara ) is located and you've arrived. Try everything on the menu if you can, from the white beans, Roman salad, anchovies, house white wine and of corse the fried cod fish " JUST DIG IN"! Funny thing is that the locals go and stand in front of the kitchen waiting for a piece of cod wrapped in a napkin. You'll see them walking in and out. It's a local hang-out, not a fancy place to eat.
I think they only open in the evening. ENJOY:-)

Well done planning ahead of time -- it's the best way to avoid touristy places that suck you in at the last minute.

While asking locals for advice is a good idea, be wary of asking your concierge for advice: While many are, of course, honest and while send you to the best place, many others are going to direct you to the place where they'll get a commission from the owner.

So where do you eat? As an expat (and big eater!) living in Rome, I wrote this piece for the Guardian newspaper on where locals eat in Rome. If you decide not to go with particular recommendations, make sure you follow the tips here to avoid the touristy restaurants.

And don't forget to eat responsibly!

Well done planning ahead of time -- it's the best way to avoid touristy places that suck you in at the last minute.

While asking locals for advice is a good idea, be wary of asking your concierge for advice: While many are, of course, honest and while send you to the best place, many others are going to direct you to the place where they'll get a commission from the owner.

So where do you eat? As an expat (and big eater!) living in Rome, I wrote this piece for the Guardian newspaper on where locals eat in Rome. If you decide not to go with particular recommendations, make sure you follow the tips here to avoid the touristy restaurants.

And don't forget to eat responsibly!

In general, Venice is not known for its food and for good reason. The Italians have a saying about Venice; "Si spenda tanto e si mangia male"...you spend a lot and you eat badly. Best advice I could give you would be to wander far off the tourist route and look for an osteria that doesn't look touristy. That's where the locals eat. A good rule of thumb is to avoid restaurants on the tourist route - they are easy to spot, they have menus in 3 languages (or more) and usually offer a fixed meal at a fixed price. These are assembly line places looking to serve as many tourists as possible and the quality is usually terrible.

2 things I usually recommend for eating in Venice:

1. Pizza. Pizza in Venice is not as good as the rest of Italy but it's still pizza and pizza is like sex: when it's good, it's good but when it's bad...it's still good. And a pizza with a beer (as the Italians do) or wine (like the rest of the world does) will be a hell of a lot cheaper than eating a la carte.

2. My preferred food choice in Venice, the takeaway pizzas and paninis (sandwiches). Most cost about 4 or 5 euros, they're cheap, fast and delicious. Venice is expensive so eating the takeaway stuff will save you a ton and will probably be a better meal then you'll get at a restaurant.

However, if you HAVE to eat at a restaurant, there's two I would recommend in Venice: Alle Madonna (Near the Rialto Bridge) and La Zucca (just off Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio). Reservations recommended at both.

I want to thank you all for posting these sites!! So, useful. I am going to follow the eat like a local in Rome to the T! Thanks so much!! I wish I had something similar for Paris. Gosh! :)

We just had two wonderful dinners at Navona Notte - just off Piazza Navona. (Exit the Piazza at the street that goes out the middle, on the west side- it's about a block and on your left) Open for dinner only.

We recently found Mimi e Coco on Via de Governa Vecchio a few blocks off Piazza Navona to the west and not far from Camp de Fiori. Great customer service, good wines, and delicious food.