KEY2 Pick
Seafood • $$$
Antiche Carampane
A San Polo institution hidden off the tourist track, known for raw fish and honest prices for the city.
Best for: Local Favourite
Best restaurants in Venice
Counters, dining rooms and neighbourhood favourites, chosen for the way they actually eat — not for how loudly they market.
KEY2 Pick
Seafood • $$$$
Osteria alle Testiere
A tiny Castello dining room with a handful of tables and some of the best seafood in the city.
Best for: Special Occasion
KEY2 Pick
Fine Dining • $$$$
Osteria da Fiore
A Michelin-starred San Polo dining room that has quietly refined Venetian seafood classics since 1978.
Best for: Special Occasion
KEY2 Pick
Contemporary Italian • $$$$
Ristorante Glam
Chef Enrico Bartolini's Michelin-starred dining room inside the Palazzo Venart hotel by the Grand Canal.
Best for: Special Occasion
KEY2 Pick
Fine Dining • $$$$
Ristorante Quadri
A Michelin-starred dining room above Piazza San Marco's oldest café, run by the Alajmo brothers.
Best for: Special Occasion
Contemporary Italian • $$$
Ai Mercanti
A hidden courtyard restaurant near San Marco serving a modern take on Venetian cuisine with tasting menus.
Best for: Special Occasion
Venetian • $$$
Bistrot de Venise
A San Marco dining room reviving historic Venetian recipes from Renaissance-era manuscripts.
Best for: History Lovers
Cicchetti Bar • $
Cantina Do Spade
A centuries-old bacaro near the Rialto market pouring ombra wine alongside baccala and cicchetti.
Best for: Casual Lunch
Modern Italian • $$
Muro Frari
A San Polo dining room near the Frari basilica doing modern plates on a casual, canal-side terrace.
Best for: Casual Dinner
Cicchetti Bar • $
Osteria al Squero
A canal-side cicchetti bar in Dorsoduro looking across at the last working gondola boatyard.
Best for: Casual Lunch
Cicchetti Bar • $
Osteria alla Ciurma
A friendly San Polo bacaro piling its counter high with seafood cicchetti near the Rialto fish market.
Best for: Casual Lunch
Venetian Seafood • $$$
Ristorante Riviera
A refined dining room on the Zattere waterfront in Dorsoduro plating seasonal seafood with lagoon views.
Best for: Date Night
Venetian Seafood • $$
Trattoria alla Madonna
A bustling family-run trattoria near the Rialto Bridge, serving classic Venetian seafood since 1954.
Best for: Casual Dinner
Bacaro & Trattoria • $$
Trattoria da Fiore
A San Marco bacaro pairing a busy cicchetti counter with a sit-down trattoria in the back room.
Best for: Casual Dinner
Venetian • $$$
Vini da Gigio
A Cannaregio canal-side dining room built around a serious cellar and slow-cooked Venetian classics.
Best for: Wine Lovers
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