Nightlife in Venice starts with the aperitivo and stays small. An evening usually begins with a spritz and cicchetti at a bacaro counter, often eaten standing, then drifts on to wine bars pouring natural bottles and cocktail rooms on the canals. Later there’s live jazz, and a campo pub where the music picks up. The places below are spread across Dorsoduro, San Polo, Cannaregio and the area around Campo dei Tolentini.
The short list
9 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01Arcicchetti BakaroStanding spritz and cicchetti to startCampo dei Tolentini
- 02el VenexianCicchetti made to order, Select spritzSan Polo
- 03BacarottoNatural wine and craft beer with studentsDorsoduro
- 04Vino VeroBiodynamic wines by the waterCannaregio
- 05CARANTOTasting before you choose, musicCannaregio
- 06Il MercanteQuiet, carefully made cocktailsFondamenta Frari
- 07Santa Cocktail Club - VeneziaGrand Canal terrace at sunsetSan Polo
- 08Venice Jazz ClubLive jazz and bluesDorsoduro
- 09Pub Margaret DuChampThe latest, loudest part of the nightCampo Santa Margherita
Where do Venetians go for a spritz and cicchetti in the evening?
The evening opens at the bacaro, a small Venetian wine bar where you eat cicchetti (small bites) with a glass of wine or a spritz. People treat these bars as stops, not destinations: one round at one counter, then on to the next. Our three picks cover different versions of the format, from a standing counter and a room that makes plates to order to a newer bar in the university quarter.
On Campo dei Tolentini, Arcicchetti Bakaro follows the usual rhythm of a Venetian evening out. You stand inside or out on the campo, spritz in one hand and cicchetto in the other, and stay or move on as the crowd decides. Make it your first stop of the night.
Arcicchetti Bakaro
Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:00 · Sun 11:00–16:00
Address: Campo dei Tolentini, 183/A, 30135 Venezia VE, Italia
El Venexian sits in a side calle off Campo San Stin, behind a door you could easily walk past twice. The cicchetti are put together when you order, not left waiting under glass, so the bread is still crisp when it reaches you. For a room this size, the wine list goes deep.
el Venexian
Hours: Mon–Sat 07:00–01:00 · Sun 08:30–00:00
Address: Calle de Ca' Donà, 2527, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Bacarotto is a new bacaro in the university quarter of Dorsoduro. The cellar leans on natural wines from growers across Italy, and there are Italian craft beers on tap. Tramezzini and cicchetti change with whatever the kitchen is working on, and the pairings stray from the usual counter fare.
Bacarotto
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Fri 08:30–22:30 · Sat 08:30–23:00 · Sun 09:00–00:00
Address: Calle S. Rocco, 3961, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Where can you drink wine at night in Venice?
Cannaregio has the two wine bars we would send a wine lover to first. In both, the best move is to let the staff choose the glass.
The staff at Vino Vero will steer you away from what you usually drink and toward something from a small biodynamic producer. The room is intimate and rustic. The chef makes the cicchetti fresh, and two of them with a glass at a waterside table make a good hour.
Vino Vero
Hours: Mon 16:00–00:00 · Tue–Sun 11:00–00:00
Address: Fondamenta de la Misericordia, 2497, 30100 Venezia VE, Italia
Twin brothers run CARANTO, a few steps from the bridge toward Campo San Giovanni e Paolo. The wines by the glass go up on a small chalkboard on the wall, and staff will usually pour you a sip of something unfamiliar before you order a full glass. Regulars come for the music and the easy pace as much as for the drink.
CARANTO
Hours: Mon 16:30–00:30 · Tue–Wed closed · Thu–Sun 16:30–00:30
Address: Calle Larga Giacinto Gallina, 6381/A, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Where to find a good cocktail bar in Venice
If you’d rather have cocktails than wine, two rooms on our list take real care over the drinks. Either works before dinner or late.
Tell the bartender at Il Mercante what you like and they’ll build a drink around it. The room is intimate, with no loud music and no crowd, so it suits a slower night or a drink after dinner.
Il Mercante
Hours: Mon–Fri 18:00–01:00 · Sat 10:30–16:30, 18:30–01:30 · Sun 10:30–16:30, 18:00–01:00
Address: Fondamenta Frari, 2564, 30125 Venezia VE, Italia
Santa Cocktail Club takes up the ground floor of a small hotel, and its terrace faces Ca’ d’Oro straight across the Grand Canal. The bar builds its list on reductions of seasonal fruit and botanicals made in house, not bought syrups. The terrace has only a handful of tables. They fill at sunset.
Santa Cocktail Club - Venezia
Hours: Mon–Sun 16:30–00:30
Address: Riva de l'Ogio, 1777, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Where to go for live music and a late night in Venice
For music, the liveliest options on our list are in Dorsoduro and on Campo Santa Margherita. One is for listening, the other for staying late.
Get to Venice Jazz Club before the set starts and settle in with a cocktail or a glass of wine. For the first hour the musicians have the room; after that, people start to mingle. The crowd is a mix of locals and visitors.
Venice Jazz Club
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 19:30–23:00 · Sun closed
Address: Sestiere Dorsoduro, 3102, 30123 Venezia VE, Italia
Pub Margaret DuChamp, on Campo Santa Margherita, changes character as the night goes on. Early on it’s a calm spot for an evening drink. Later the music goes up and the room gets social and loud. If you only go once, go late.
Pub Margaret DuChamp
Hours: Mon–Sun 09:00–02:00
Address: Campo Santa Margherita, 3019, 30125 Venezia VE, Italia
Treat the list as a route, not a schedule: a bacaro or two around aperitivo time, a wine bar or cocktail room for the middle of the evening, then music if you still have the energy. Opening days vary. CARANTO closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Venice Jazz Club on Sundays and Mondays, so check each card before you set out.
