Standing at a bacaro counter with a glass and a few cicchetti, or sitting down at an osteria whose menu follows the morning market. Our eleven run from the counters by the Rialto Market through Cannaregio and Dorsoduro to Castello and the island of Sant’Elena, and several of them are places Venetians themselves single out.
The short list
11 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01All'ArcoEarly cicchettiSan Polo, by Rialto Market
- 02Cantina Do MoriStanding wine and a francobolloOff Rialto
- 03Ai 4 Feri StortiMarket-led seafood lunch or dinnerSan Polo
- 04TrefantiCreative daily fish menuSanta Croce
- 05Bepi Antico 54 da LorisLoud, cash-only aperitivoCannaregio
- 06Ca' d'oro Alla VedovaPolpette and bigoli in salsaCannaregio
- 07Osteria Giorgione da MASAVenetian-Japanese cooking, natural wine, sakeCannaregio
- 08Cantine del Vino già SchiaviInventive cicchettiDorsoduro
- 09La BittaFish-free dinner, fegato alla venezianaDorsoduro
- 10Trattoria alla RampaHome-style daily specialsCastello
- 11Osteria da PampoVenetian and Ligurian salt codSant'Elena
Where do locals eat cicchetti near Rialto and in San Polo?
At All’Arco and Cantina Do Mori, two counters a couple of minutes from the Rialto Market, and both are at their best in the morning. For a sit-down meal nearby, Ai 4 Feri Storti in San Polo and Trefanti in Santa Croce rewrite their menus every day around what the market has.
The Pinto family runs All’Arco, and the shutters come down when the tray is empty. Order the baccalà mantecato on crostino and the sarde in saor, and if gorgonzola with anchovies turns up, trust the combination.
All'Arco
Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–14:30 · Sun closed
Address: S. Polo, 436, 30125 Venezia VE, Italia
Cantina Do Mori has poured wine off Rialto since 1462, under low ceilings and hanging copper pots, and people still drink it standing at the counter. Ask for a francobollo, the small tramezzino with prosciutto, egg and gorgonzola, then baccalà mantecato on white polenta, and go on a weekday 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
Ai 4 Feri Storti is a warm, rustic osteria near the Ponte Storto that Venetians love as a neighbourhood trattoria. Ask what came in that morning, then build the meal around baccalà alla veneta, salt cod cooked with onions and olive oil.
Ai 4 Feri Storti
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 11:00–15:00, 18:00–22:30 · Sun closed
Address: Calle Bianca Cappello, 1278, 30125 Venezia VE, Italia
Trefanti is a tiny osteria on a canal, and the fish comes with precise, unexpected pairings like baccalà with curry or scallops with fennel. Book ahead.
Trefanti
Hours: Mon closed · Tue 19:00–22:00 · Wed–Sat 12:00–14:00, 19:00–22:00 · Sun closed
Address: Santa Croce n 888 Fondamenta dei, Fondamenta Garzotti, 888, 30135 Venezia VE, Italia
Where should you eat in Cannaregio?
Bepi Antico 54 da Loris, Ca’ d’Oro alla Vedova and Osteria Giorgione da MASA. Bepi is the aperitivo stop, and it takes cash only. Alla Vedova works two ways: cicchetti at the counter or pasta at a table. At da MASA, a Japanese chef cooks from the Rialto market and pours only natural wine and sake.
Locals outnumber visitors at Bepi, and the room is loud and chaotic. Squeeze in and accept the noise as part of the meal.
Bepi Antico 54 da Loris
Hours: Mon–Wed 12:30–14:00, 19:30–21:45 · Thu closed · Fri–Sun 12:30–14:00, 19:30–21:45
Address: Salizada del Pistor, 4550, 30121 Venezia VE, Italia
The same family has run Alla Vedova for over a century, with wooden tables and copper pots overhead. Order the polpette at the counter, or sit down for bigoli in salsa or spaghetti alla busara.
Ca' d'oro Alla Vedova
Hours: Mon–Wed 11:30–14:30, 18:30–22:30 · Thu closed · Fri–Sat 11:30–14:30, 18:30–22:30 · Sun 12:00–14:30, 18:30–22:30
Address: Ramo Ca' d'Oro, 3912, 30121 Venezia VE, Italia
Masa cooks katei ryori, Japanese home cooking, with Venetian ingredients. Skip the menu and ask what’s fresh, start with the prawn crudo with yuzukosho, order the eel chirashi or the pork belly kakuni if either is on, and finish with his Theramisu.
Osteria Giorgione da MASA
Hours: Mon–Tue 12:00–14:30, 19:00–22:00 · Wed–Thu closed · Fri–Sun 12:00–14:30, 19:00–22:00
Address: Calle Larga dei Proverbi, 4582/A, 30121 Venezia VE, Italia
Where do locals eat in Dorsoduro?
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi for cicchetti, La Bitta for dinner. Schiavi is a 19th-century bacaro and one of the few that Venetians agree on. La Bitta cooks no fish at all, and that’s the point: it’s where locals go when they want food from the land.
The cicchetti at Schiavi are made fresh every day, in combinations you won’t find elsewhere: 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
La Bitta’s room is warm and wooden and the kitchen follows slow-food lines. Order the fegato alla veneziana, liver and onions.
La Bitta
Hours: Mon–Fri 19:00–22:00 · Sat–Sun closed
Address: C. Lunga S. Barnaba, 2753/A, 30123 Venezia VE, Italia
Where can you sit down for a meal in Castello?
At Trattoria alla Rampa, a warm, rustic room that cooks simple home food, or further out on the island of Sant’Elena at Osteria da Pampo, a family osteria that mixes Venetian and Ligurian recipes. Pampo is far enough out that the walk becomes part of the plan.
Ask about the day’s specials first at Alla Rampa, since the kitchen cooks to the market, then fall back on the squid ink pasta or the creamy polenta with baccalà. Plan to stay a while.
Trattoria alla Rampa
Hours: Mon–Fri 05:00–15:30 · Sat–Sun closed
Address: Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 1135, 30122 Venezia VE, Italia
Order both salt cods at Pampo side by side: the creamy Venetian baccalà mantecato and the Ligurian brandacujun, slow-cooked with olive oil and potatoes. After that, spaghetti alla busara, or trofie al pesto in season.
Osteria da Pampo
Hours: Mon–Sun 09:00–22:00
Address: Calle Generale Chinotto, 24, 30132 Venezia VE, Italia
Bacaro or sit-down: which Venice spot fits your plan?
For a glass and a few cicchetti: All’Arco, Cantina Do Mori and Cantine del Vino già Schiavi. For a sit-down meal: Ai 4 Feri Storti, Trefanti, La Bitta, Trattoria alla Rampa and Osteria da Pampo. Bepi, Ca’ d’Oro alla Vedova and da MASA do both. Group them by area rather than zigzagging across the city.
