Not long ago the reliable judges of
the Accademia della Cucina ventured
that it was "a rare
privilege" to eat well in
Venice, and there's more than an
element of truth to Venice's
reputation as a place where mass
tourism has produced homogenized
menus and slapdash standards. Venice
has fewer good moderately priced
restaurants
than any other major Italian city,
it has more really bad restaurants
than any other, and in some of the
expensive establishments you're
paying not for a fine culinary
experience but for the event of
dining in a posh Venetian
restaurant. However, things have
been getting better, an improvement
due in part to the efforts of the
Ristorante della Buona Accoglienza,
an association of restaurateurs
determined to present the best of
genuine Venetian cuisine at sensible
prices. In the Venetian context,
"sensible" means in the
region of L50,000/?25 per person,
but even in the lower price ranges
there are plenty of acceptable
little places hidden away in the
city's quieter quarters - and some
are rather more than merely
acceptable. And of course,
pizza
is a reliable standby if you're
watching your budget, though - as
with all restaurants in Venice - the
general rule is that places within
two hundred metres of the Piazza get
so much tourist traffic that they
don't have much incentive to make an
effort.
More than anywhere else in Italy,
the division between bars and
restaurants is often difficult to
draw. A distinctive aspect of the
Venetian social scene is the bácaro
, which is essentially a bar but
also serves a range of snacks called
cicheti (some times spelled ciccheti
); the array will typically include polpette
(small beef and garlic meatballs), carciofini
(artichoke hearts), hard-boiled
eggs, anchovies, polipi (baby
octopus or squid), and sun-dried
tomatoes, peppers and courgettes
cooked in oil. Some bácari
also produce one or two more
substantial dishes each day, such as
risotto or seafood pasta. Most bars
of this type are long-established
places, but in recent years there's
been something of a bácaro
revival, and you're more likely to
find a seating area in these newer
establishments; in the older ones
it's more usual to eat standing up,
or seated on stools at a ledge.
Virtually all bars will have a
selection of plump tramezzini
(sandwiches) at lunch time.
Many of the places we've listed
under "Restaurants" have a
bar area on the street side of the
dining room, while some of the
"Bars" serve food at
tables that's a touch more ambitious
than a plate of sandwiches. We've
classified our bars and restaurants
according to which aspect of the
business draws most of the
customers, but if you're looking for
a simple meal in a particular area
of the city, be sure to check both
sets of listings - both are
sub-categorized into areas that
match the sections of this guide.
As enticing as the city's bars
are its cafés and pasticcerie
(most of which also serve alcohol),
where a variety of
waistline-threatening delicacies are
on offer, and there aren't too many
nicer things you can do to your
taste buds than hit them with a
coneful of ice cream from Paolin
or Nico . Stocking up for an
alfresco lunch, you'll be spoiled
for choice at the stalls of the
Rialto and the smaller markets
pitched in a number of Venice's
campi, whilst there's a host of
tempting alimentari to
supplement supplies.
As elsewhere in Italy, take-away pizza
is all over the place, but most of
it is pretty miserable fare in
Venice - you'd be better advised to
sit down in a pizzeria or have a
snack in a bar. The widest range of
take-out pizza slices ( pizza al
taglio ) and pies is offered by Cip
Ciap , across the canal from the
west side of Santa Maria Formosa, at
Calle Mondo Nuovo 5799 (9am-9pm;
closed Tues) - their spinach and
ricotta pie is especially tasty and
filling. Next best choice is the
simple take-away place over on the
other side of the Canal Grande at
Calle della Madonetta 1463, a few
metres north of Campo San Polo.
Venetian food and drink
Venetian cuisine bears little trace
of the city's past as Europe's
trading crossroads, when spices from
the East were among the most
lucrative commodities sold in
Venice's markets. Nowadays Venetian
food is known for its simplicity,
with plain pepper and...
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Restaurants
Virtually every budget restaurant in
Venice advertises a set-price menù
turistico , which at its best will
offer a choice of three or four
dishes for each course. This can be
a cheap way of sampling Venetian
specialities, but the quality and...
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Bars and snacks
One of the most appealing aspects of
Venetian social life is encapsulated
in the phrase "andemo a ombra",
which translates literally as an
invitation to go into the shade, but
is in fact an invitation for a drink
- more specifically, a small...
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Cafes, pasticcerie and gelaterie
When coffee first appeared in Venice
in 1640, imported by the Republic
from the Levant, it was treated as a
medicine; today it's a drug of which
all Venetians need a fix several
times a day. (Tea-drinkers will be
horrified by the Venetian...
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Food markets and shops
The campi, parks and canalside steps
make picnicking a particularly
pleasant alternative in Venice, and
if you're venturing off to the outer
islands it's often the only way of
fuelling yourself. Supplies are
always sold by weight (even bread):
order by...
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more >>
