IT’S EASY TO miss Venice’s authentic food scene. Crowds of selfie stick-wielding tourists vying for space in the narrow streets have taken a toll on the city’s reputation. I’ve traveled to Venice several times a year for more than a quarter century, and when I’m there, I head to the city’s hidden corners, frequented by an increasingly dwindling population of locals, where Venice can still be savored, even in the height of summer.
Of course, I wouldn’t miss walking through St. Mark’s Square any time of the year, and there is no shame in enjoying the staples, such as a Bellini at Harry’s Bar, dining at Cipriani’s Michelin-starred Oro restaurant, or starting the day with breakfast at the Caffè Florian. But Venice is much more than its postcard images. In many ways, the real Venice is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets.
Breakfast
Pasticceria Rizzardini
A Venetian mainstay
Hidden away in the San Polo district, which is on the “other side” of the Rialto Bridge from where all the tourists are, the nearly 300-year-old Pasticceria Rizzardini is a Venetian mainstay for a reason. On any given morning, you’ll see the city’s...
Hidden away in the San Polo district, which is on the “other side” of the Rialto Bridge from where all the tourists are, the nearly 300-year-old Pasticceria Rizzardini is a Venetian mainstay for a reason. On any given morning, you’ll see the city’s well-heeled residents taking their morning coffee at the bar or at one of the few tables outside. Many Venetians come here to take home pastries and desserts, which come wrapped like extravagant gifts in hand-printed paper. Almond tarts and chocolate-laced croissants are favorites, along with the handmade tiny cakes that are miniature works of art. The decor is 1920s art deco, and this fits the restaurant’s traditional ethos. Don’t even think about ordering a cappuccino here in the afternoon — drinking one that late in the day is a cardinal sin across Italy but especially in Venice.
Pasticceria Tonolo
Intricate pastries and famous sweet cakes
For many, Dorsoduro is the best of Venice’s secret districts. It draws academics and art historians and is off the tourist beat, yet close to everything. The Tonolo pastry shop is a cornerstone of the area, and you’ll have to go early to beat the...
For many, Dorsoduro is the best of Venice’s secret districts. It draws academics and art historians and is off the tourist beat, yet close to everything. The Tonolo pastry shop is a cornerstone of the area, and you’ll have to go early to beat the locals for space at the counters or to get a table for breakfast. The window display features fresh, seasonal pastries. During the annual carnival, the frittelle are laced with fresh cream, and at Easter, people come from all over the region for the famous Focaccia Veneziana sweet cakes. During the rest of the year, you might find an entire window display of chocolate confections or almond tarts. Inside, the long glass display case exhibits every manner of temptation, each pastry seemingly hand-carved. Here, too, you can easily get a tray of goodies wrapped in fine paper to enjoy later, but they taste even better in situ. The cappuccino and coffee drinks are just the right temperature and creaminess. It’s little surprise that you’ll hear Venetian dialect among the customers.
Torrefazione Cannaregio
A stellar selection of specialty coffees
Venice’s northernmost district is Cannaregio, a favorite residential area for Venetians and Italians who keep homes in the city. From here you can access the islands of Murano and Burano most easily, and it’s also where you find the Torrefazione...
Venice’s northernmost district is Cannaregio, a favorite residential area for Venetians and Italians who keep homes in the city. From here you can access the islands of Murano and Burano most easily, and it’s also where you find the Torrefazione Cannaregio, the city’s only real specialty coffee shop. In keeping with the tradition of ancient Venetian traders, this shop offers a rare selection of imported coffee beans from all over the world made into both hot and cold coffee drinks, in addition to the usual staples such as cappuccino, caffe latte, or simple espresso. They roast their own blends in the shop, so the smell is intoxicating. Coffees are paired with innovative pastries made fresh on-site. You won’t find the selection of sweets that you would in a pastry shop, but there is nowhere in the city with better coffee drinks at any time of day. Tables on the canal outside add to the charm, and you can buy whole and ground beans to take home.
Cicchetti (Small Bites)
Cantina Do Mori
Venice's oldest tavern
Tucked on a side street near the Rialto Bridge in the San Polo district, this local hangout has been around since 1462, making it the oldest and easily the most loved bacaro, or tavern, in the city. Said to be where Casanova vetted his romantic conquests,...
Tucked on a side street near the Rialto Bridge in the San Polo district, this local hangout has been around since 1462, making it the oldest and easily the most loved bacaro, or tavern, in the city. Said to be where Casanova vetted his romantic conquests, the decor inside is like stepping back in time. The recipes have remained unchanged for centuries and feature staples like baccalà mantecato (creamy codfish on toasted bread), tuna meatballs, and sarde in saor (sweet-and-sour sardines). The wine list here tops 150 very good offerings, and they are all served by the glass as well as by the bottle.
Osteria al Squero
Dine with the gondoliers
The Osteria al Squero is better in the summer because of the lovely tables outside that overlook a gondola repair shop. You can enjoy your cicchetti while watching craftsmen of the dying trade work their magic. You’ll often be dining with the gondoliers...
The Osteria al Squero is better in the summer because of the lovely tables outside that overlook a gondola repair shop. You can enjoy your cicchetti while watching craftsmen of the dying trade work their magic. You’ll often be dining with the gondoliers who stop in for a bite while their boats are being repaired. The chef is in the kitchen every day and happy to explain what he’s got on offer. The cicchetti here are almost all fish-based; the classic cod is a staple, but swordfish often finds its way onto the menu. Almost everything is served on crostini, making it easier to handle. There are also cheese plates and other regional dishes, depending on the season. The wines are all regional, and you can have a glass of whatever is listed on the chalkboard that the chef has paired with the day’s offerings.
Al Timon
Steaks meant for sharing
Situated on the Fondamenta dei Ormesini — named for the fabric traders whose fine silks were brought from the east and used in Renaissance clothing in Florence and Venice — al Timon is really more of a steakhouse than a tavern. It offers the discerning visitor a...
Situated on the Fondamenta dei Ormesini — named for the fabric traders whose fine silks were brought from the east and used in Renaissance clothing in Florence and Venice — al Timon is really more of a steakhouse than a tavern. It offers the discerning visitor a bit more choice than some of the other spots that focus entirely on cicchetti, and the fare is definitely meat-centric. You’ll find mostly red meat offerings rather than the usual fish cicchetti offered elsewhere. The massive steaks meant to share are what draw locals, and the ambiance is warm in the winter (think dark wood and deep-red wine) and vibrant in the summer, when the tables spill out onto the street next to the canals. It’s a popular lunch spot among groups of Venetian men who spend the afternoon playing cards and discussing politics. One might imagine that the ancient fabric traders came for the same reason.
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Aperitivo (Late-Afternoon Drinks)
Arts Bar
Cocktails for creatives
There are cocktails, and then there are those at the Arts Bar created by mixologist Facundo Gallegos, all named after artists and influencers who made Venice what it is today. Try the Venetian Cobbler, inspired by the painter Tintoretto, or the Chevalier, named...
There are cocktails, and then there are those at the Arts Bar created by mixologist Facundo Gallegos, all named after artists and influencers who made Venice what it is today. Try the Venetian Cobbler, inspired by the painter Tintoretto, or the Chevalier, named after ladies’ man extraordinaire and author Casanova, who used the pen name Chevalier de Seingalt. The latest addition to the menu is The Street Art, inspired by street artist Banksy, whose works have been appearing in Venice to protest climate change. Even though the bar is tucked inside the St. Regis hotel, it is an independent spot that attracts a lively crowd from Wednesday through Saturday.
Bar Longhi
A haunt of Hemingway's
The Gritti Palace needs no introduction in Venice; it’s one of the city’s most exclusive hotels. But the Bar Longhi — named for its original paintings by Pietro Longhi — nestled within, is a destination all its own. This iconic bar was frequented by Ernest...
The Gritti Palace needs no introduction in Venice; it’s one of the city’s most exclusive hotels. But the Bar Longhi — named for its original paintings by Pietro Longhi — nestled within, is a destination all its own. This iconic bar was frequented by Ernest Hemingway and is where he wrote the last pages of "Across the River and Into the Trees." The bartenders will point you to his favorite table. Every seat in the bar has a view, but I recommend sitting at the carved bar itself and asking the bartenders, or manager Cristiano Luciani, who is almost always there at cocktail hour, to give you the real history of the place.
Taverna La Fenice
Bespoke cocktails steps from the opera house
The bar attached to the Ristorante La Fenice was established as a kind of satellite for the nearby opera house before the bar came into its own as a destination for actors and patrons of the famous theater. It’s still a great place to enjoy a drink...
The bar attached to the Ristorante La Fenice was established as a kind of satellite for the nearby opera house before the bar came into its own as a destination for actors and patrons of the famous theater. It’s still a great place to enjoy a drink before or after the opera, and if you go early enough — or stay late enough — you’ll see the actors and musicians coming and going, though they won’t often join the crowds since there is a special room in the back reserved for the performers. In the summer months, music pours out of the opera house during rehearsals, giving this place a magical feel. The drink menu is extensive, but you can also just tell one of the mixologists what you’re in the mood for, and they’ll serve up something bespoke.
Vino Vero
Quiet, canalside drinks
This is a great spot for a casual drink before dinner. It’s a quaint little wine bar, run by a group of young people who scout Italy for the best “natural” or biological wines. The selection is varied and depends on supply since natural wines are often produced...
This is a great spot for a casual drink before dinner. It’s a quaint little wine bar, run by a group of young people who scout Italy for the best “natural” or biological wines. The selection is varied and depends on supply since natural wines are often produced in smaller quantities. Tell them what you like, and they’ll pour a taste, even if that means opening several bottles to get it right. In the winter, you’ll have to vie for space with locals inside, but during the warmer months, the tables line one of the city’s quietest canals, which winds through a maze of footbridges.
Dinner
Glam
A tasting menu with Grand Canal views
Venice’s newest luxury hotel, located inside the fifteenth-century Palazzo Venart, has the city’s only 2-Michelin-starred restaurant. Enrico Bartolini’s Glam, run by resident chef Donato Ascani, is world-class. I recommend the tasting menu paired with a variety of...
Venice’s newest luxury hotel, located inside the fifteenth-century Palazzo Venart, has the city’s only 2-Michelin-starred restaurant. Enrico Bartolini’s Glam, run by resident chef Donato Ascani, is world-class. I recommend the tasting menu paired with a variety of wines, which is much more of a culinary journey than a meal. Arte, Orte e Laguna (Art, Garden and the Lagoon) features eel risotto with an unexpected curry sauce that is a nod to the city’s history in the spice trade. On the Glam Classic tasting menu, the chefs offer various takes on lamb or rabbit along with Adriatic Sea fish, depending on what’s on offer at the nearby Rialto market. Dine inside or under the massive magnolia tree that forms an umbrella over the garden with views of the Grand Canal. There is no separate bar here, but you can easily have a cocktail in the drawing room before or after your meal.
Algiubagiò
A treasured secret among locals
The Algiubagiò, in Cannaregio, started as a small waterfront bar overlooking the island of San Michele before becoming one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. The few tourists who do visit have been sent by exclusive hotels and guides. Mostly, you’ll...
The Algiubagiò, in Cannaregio, started as a small waterfront bar overlooking the island of San Michele before becoming one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. The few tourists who do visit have been sent by exclusive hotels and guides. Mostly, you’ll find the city’s well-heeled locals who come for the innovative cuisine. There are two tasting menus, but it’s just as easy here to order a la carte, especially if you have a lighter appetite (the tasting menus are very generous). There are sea and land offerings and an extensive wine list. The frittura mista, a delightful fish fry served with sweet-and-sour chickpea sauce and green tomatoes, is especially good here, as is the carrè di maialino, a pork loin served in a Venetian milk sauce with bitter herbs. Start with a cocktail, as the bar offers one of the largest selections of imported gins in the entire city.
Hostaria in Certosa
Private island dining
If you don’t have your own boat, you’ll have to take a water taxi (summers only) to get to this very special restaurant by chef Max Alajmo — the youngest-ever Italian chef to achieve three Michelin stars, which he attained by the age of 28 — situated...
If you don’t have your own boat, you’ll have to take a water taxi (summers only) to get to this very special restaurant by chef Max Alajmo — the youngest-ever Italian chef to achieve three Michelin stars, which he attained by the age of 28 — situated on the Island of Certosa in the Venice lagoon. You’ll want a reservation since Hostaria’s a bit out of the way just to drop in. Arrive before dinner for a bespoke cocktail on the terrace at sunset with views of Venice proper across the water. The dinner menu is carefully curated and features only select local fare. Consider starting with the scallop skewers in fresh tomato salsa, and then move on to squid-ink spaghetti with red shrimp and pistachio sauce. If you’re still hungry, there is the grilled fresh fish of the day, delicate fish tartare, or a hearty beef burger. Finish it off with the Torta Venezia, a local recipe that dates back centuries. Ask the staff to order your water taxi around the time you ask for the bill. It can take some time to ferry everyone back to the mainland after dinner, but there are lovely after-dinner digestives on offer to help pass the time.
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Barbie Latza Nadeau Writer
Barbie Latza Nadeau is an American journalist and author based in Rome since 1996. Her books include “The Godmother” about women in the mafia and “Angel Face” about the trials of Amanda Knox. Her work regularly appears in The Daily Beast, CNN, and Scientific American.
