To eat and drink like a Venetian, throw healthy eating to the wind for a few days and check out some of these local favourites.
Cicheti and a “shadow” of wine (Photo: Cantine del Vino già Schiavi)
The food in Italy, often considered the best in the world, can be as diverse from region to region as it is from other countries. While visitors to Venice will find the top-quality pizza and pasta dishes they came for, for locals, Venetian cuisine starts with the deceptively strong aperol spritz or an ombra di vino (a shadow of wine) and is characterised by a lot of fish, and a lot of frying.
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi, like all places with a good and long reputation, has many names: “Enoteca Schiavi,” “Dai Schiavi,” “Cantinon Schiavi,” or to many locals, simply “Bottegon”. Here, thanks to expert finger-food chef, Alessandra De Respinis, you’ll find probably Venice’s best cicheti (the Venetian equivalent of Basque pintxos, with the focus on quality of ingredients and skilful pairing of flavours). Some of their best include: cream of pumpkin with ricotta and parmesan; their tuna and leek classic; tuna tartare with bitter cacao; octopus salami with cream of mushroom and artichoke; egg mayo with edible flowers; and robiola (a creamy cheese from Piedmont) with walnut sauce and red currant. As a true example of the Venetian bàcari, in which the tradition is to eat standing, you’ll find no chairs here. But if you really do fancy resting those legs, Campo San Trovaso is just across the canal.
(Photo: Cantine del Vino già Schiavi)
Fondamenta Nani, 992, Dorsoduro
Ostaria dai Zemei
Another great bàcaro (a rustic, traditional Venice-specific bar, close to the Italian osteria), in addition to its range of cicheti, Zemei (“The Twins”) is also renowned for its range of salumi (cured meats). Be sure to try their prosciutto crudo, salami, mortadella or coppa. This is one of those rare places in Venice that’s equally popular with locals and tourists alike, especially the terrace at key spritz hours before meals (noon to 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. when locals finish work and stop for their Aperol, Campari or Cynar fix).
San Polo 1045b, San Polo
SEPA
Relatively new on the scene, nevertheless SEPA has quickly made a name for itself among Venice’s bàcari and is a popular spot for locals to meet, often spilling out into the narrow street outside. This is one of the best places to try the Venetian classics: polpette – deep-fried meatballs (or fishballs) in breadcrumbs, sardine in saor, and polenta topped with the likes of cod or stuffed cuttlefish. The food here is as tasty as it looks though, so be careful not to overorder. Locals generally order two or three things each time they go up to the bar for a drink.
Calle de la Bissa, 5482, San Marco
Al Profeta
While Venice, like any tourist city in Italy, is full of tempting pizza offerings, but the favourite pizzeria of many locals is Al Profeta, as much for the quality as for the charming courtyard – not as common in Venice as you might think. For pasta lovers, they also do some of the best tagliatelle and gnocchi dishes in town. Booking in advance is highly recommended.
C. Lunga S. Barnaba, 2671, Dorsoduro
Rosticceria Gislon
Gislon is a real Venice institution, beloved by generations of Venetians. Its origins are a topic of fierce debate, with some claiming 1950 and others swearing they had their first mozzarella in carrozza there before the war. As a rosticceria, they specialise in cooked foods to be taken away, but Gislon has plenty of seating too. The aforementioned mozzarella in carrozza is their main raison d’être though. It’s a battered and deep-fried mozzarella sandwich that comes in two versions: the original, mozzarella and anchovies; or mozzarella and prosciutto (ham). There is a rumour spread by certain locals regarding the existence of a third, and perhaps secret, gorgonzola variant, but the staff will assure you that this is just an urban myth and no such thing has ever existed.
Calle de la Bissa, 5424a, San Marco
El Rèfolo
Off the beaten track in the less visited sestiere (Venice’s neighbourhoods are called sestieri instead of quartieri, because there’s six of them, not four) of Castello, you’ll find Via Garibaldi – Venice’s only “via,” located in the Bacino di San Marco, one of the nicest spots of the lagoon. Via Garibaldi was actually once a canal but was at some point filled in and is now a popular place for locals to hang out. Of all these hangouts, El Rèfolo earned its reputation for the exceptional quality of its panini (sandwiches).
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, Castello
Photo: Courtesy of El Refolo, Venice
Osteria al Mercà
We go now, even further off the beaten tourist route, to the island of Lido, where many local Venetians spend their summers, on the beach. Just a few minutes walk from said beach you have Al Mercà, an open-air osteria where the locals meet for the cold beer, white wine spritz and a selection of polpette, cod-stuffed fiori di zucca fritti, and other deliciously greasy fried snacks.
Via E. Dandolo, 17b, Lido di Venezia
La Zucca
Of all the local restaurants on this list, La Zucca is really Venice’s best kept secret (until now, of course). There is not, and never will be, another culinary experience like it. “Zucca” means pumpkin in Italian and, true to its name, this restaurant specialises in dishes based around pumpkin and other garden vegetables. Saying that, the small menu, which changes with the seasons, often includes such highlights as the guancette di manzo (beef cheek) al cabernet or their exemplary lasagna. The flagship dish though (and it is no overstatement to say that it has achieved “legendary” status among the locals) is the buttery flan di zucca (pumpkin flan), perfect for starter, dessert or, in all likelihood, both. This is another one you may want to book plenty of time ahead.
S. Croce, 1762, Ponte del Megio, Santa Croce
Bar Filovia
Another classic Venetian dish popular with the locals is the tramezzino – a crustless sandwich made with a specially soft, milk-infused bread, and shaped like Saint-Exupéry’s drawing of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant in Le Petit Prince. Tramezzini come with many different fillings, with ham and mushroom being a firm favourite, and if you want to eat like a true Venetian, your visit is not complete without one. Like a local on their way out of town for anything from a year to a few hours, pop into Bar Filovia on your way out of the city (near the train station and Piazzale Roma, where the cars park). Ciao, Venezia!
Fondamenta Santa Chiara, 521, Santa Croce