Go to a bacaro, order a few small bites at the counter with an ombra of wine or a spritz, eat standing up, then move on to the next one. For that round, our favourite counters are All’Arco and Cantina Do Mori by Rialto, Cantine del Vino già Schiavi in Dorsoduro, and Al Timon and Vino Vero along the Cannaregio canals.
The short list
10 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01All'ArcoEarly market cicchettiSan Polo, by Rialto Market
- 02Cantina Do MoriThe oldest bacaro, the FrancobolloJust off Rialto
- 03el VenexianCicchetti built to orderSan Polo
- 04Cantine del Vino già SchiaviInventive combinationsDorsoduro
- 05Osteria Al SqueroStanding by the canalDorsoduro, facing the Squero di San Trovaso
- 06Al TimonWine at tables on a boatCannaregio
- 07Vino VeroNatural wineCannaregio
- 08BacarinoGluten-free cicchettiCannaregio, north of Rialto
- 09Bacaro RisortoGamberi in saorBehind San Zaccaria
- 10Magna Bevi TasiDaily counter, easy pricesCastello
What should you order at a bacaro?
Ask what’s fresh before you point at a tray: many counters change their cicchetti daily with the market, and some make them to order. A few classics turn up almost everywhere, baccalà mantecato (creamed dried cod) on crostino or polenta and sarde in saor, so start there and let the counter steer you on the rest. The table sorts our ten by area.
Where should you eat cicchetti near Rialto?
At All’Arco, a tiny family bacaro beside the Rialto Market, and Cantina Do Mori, the oldest bacaro in the city, down a narrow alley just off Rialto. Elsewhere in San Polo, off Campo San Stin, el Venexian makes every plate to order, so the bread is still crisp when it reaches you.
The Pinto family’s cicchetti at All’Arco follow what Francesco bought at the market that morning, and the shutters come down when the tray is empty. Venetians cite it often; if gorgonzola with anchovies is on the tray, take it, because it tastes far better than it sounds.
All'Arco
Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–14:30 · Sun closed
Address: S. Polo, 436, 30125 Venezia VE, Italia
Do Mori has been open since 1462, with low ceilings, copper pots in the rafters and wine drunk standing at the counter, and legend has it that Casanova brought his first dates here. Ask for a Francobollo, the house mini tramezzino with prosciutto, egg and gorgonzola, with a glass of the house prosecco, and go on a weekday morning to avoid the crowd.
Cantina Do Mori
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–19:30 · Sat 08:00–15:00 · Sun closed
Address: Calle Do Mori, 429, 30125 Venezia VE, Italia
el Venexian is a small room down a side calle, easy to walk past twice. Order the Select spritz, not the Aperol one most visitors default to; the wine list goes deeper than the room suggests, and most people who come in for one round stay for a second.
el Venexian
Hours: Mon–Sat 07:00–01:00 · Sun 08:30–00:00
Address: Calle de Ca' Donà, 2527, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Where do Venetians eat cicchetti in Dorsoduro?
At Cantine del Vino già Schiavi, a 19th-century bacaro whose cicchetti are among the few that Venetians agree on, and at Osteria Al Squero, a tiny standing-room counter facing the Squero di San Trovaso, the city’s old gondola workshop. Go to Schiavi for the food and to Al Squero for the view.
For us, Schiavi is the benchmark, and its toppings go where other counters don’t: tartare with bitter cacao, brie with nettle sauce, Parmigiano with fig and pistachio.
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:30–14:00, 16:00–20:30 · Sat 09:30–16:00 · Sun closed
Address: Fondamenta Nani, 992, 30123 Venezia VE, Italia
Take your glass and a few seafood bites (salmon with pink pepper, sardines in saor) out to the canal. The wine list leans regional.
Osteria Al Squero
Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 · Sat 10:00–15:00 · Sun closed
Address: Dorsoduro, 943, 30123 Venezia VE, Italia
Where can you drink an ombra on the Cannaregio canals?
At Al Timon, which has tables on a boat out front, and at Vino Vero, a natural wine bar with seats by the water. Bacarino, a couple of bridges north of Rialto, is the one to know if you’re celiac: its whole counter is gluten free, with the cicchetti built on polenta instead of bread.
Inside, Al Timon is wood panelling and exposed brick, but get a table on the boat if you can. Order the baccalà mantecato, then work through the crostini with cheeses and cured meats; the wine list is varied and priced for lingering.
Al Timon
Hours: Mon 16:00–01:00 · Tue closed · Wed 17:00–01:00 · Thu–Sat 16:00–01:00 · Sun 11:00–01:00
Address: Fondamenta dei Ormesini, 2754, 30121 Venezia VE, Italia
Vino Vero’s wines come from small biodynamic producers, and the cicchetti are made by the chef. Tell them what you usually drink and let them pour you something different.
Vino Vero
Hours: Mon 16:00–00:00 · Tue–Sun 11:00–00:00
Address: Fondamenta de la Misericordia, 2497, 30100 Venezia VE, Italia
Bacarino follows a certified gluten-free protocol, with separate ingredients and trained staff, so say you’re celiac before you order and the full selection opens up. Then ask for the ombra of the day instead of defaulting to a spritz.
Bacarino
Hours: Mon–Wed 11:30–22:30 · Thu 11:30–20:30 · Fri 11:30–22:30 · Sat 11:30–23:00 · Sun 11:30–22:30
Address: Cannaregio, Salizada S. Giovanni Grisostomo, 5755, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Where can you eat cicchetti near San Marco?
In Castello. Bacaro Risorto is a tiny counter behind San Zaccaria, run by two Venetians who know their cicchetti and pour a proper spritz. Magna Bevi Tasi is a no-frills family bacaro whose counter changes daily, and its prices are noticeably lower than around San Marco.
The order at Bacaro Risorto is the gamberi in saor: sweet, sour and nothing like the version on a tourist menu.
Bacaro Risorto
Hours: Mon–Sun 08:00–01:00
Address: Campo S. Provolo, 4700, 30122 Venezia VE, Italia
Magna Bevi Tasi loosely translates as eat, drink and be quiet. When regulars are asked what to order, the shrimp cicchetti and the bruschetta come up most.
Magna Bevi Tasi
Hours: Mon–Wed 08:00–00:00 · Thu 09:00–17:00 · Fri–Sun 08:00–00:00
Address: Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo, 4520, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
