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Where to eat in Venice: my 19 favourite restaurants

Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 19 restaurants in Venice I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.

All'Arco★ 4.7 · € · ~€10–20 pp · CicchettiA tiny, legendary cicchetti bar steps from the Rialto market, run by a father-and-son team turning out some of the best crostini in the city: raw fish, baccalà mantecato, seasonal veg. Directions
Antiche Carampane★ 4.4 · €€€ · ~€55–90 pp · SeafoodA hidden seafood gem tucked deep in San Polo: famously hard to find, with a cheeky 'no tourist menu, no pizza' sign, serving impeccably fresh fish, spider crab and the city's best fritto misto. Directions
Bacareto da Lele★ 4.7 · € · ~€10–20 pp · Panini / wineA hole-in-the-wall near the station where students and workers queue for €1 mini-panini and a small glass of wine: the cheapest, most authentic snack stop in Venice. Directions
Cà d'Oro alla Vedova★ 4.1 · €€ · ~€25–35 pp · Venetian cicchetti & bacaroA true Venetian institution near the Ca' d'Oro, famous across the whole city for one thing above all: its polpette, the fried meatballs many locals will swear are the best in Venice. Directions
Cantina Do Mori★ 4.4 · € · ~€10–20 pp · Bàcaro / cicchettiVenice's oldest bàcaro, pouring since 1462: a dark, copper-pan-hung wine bar with no seats, where locals stand for a glass of wine and the famous tiny 'francobolli' sandwiches and cicchetti. Directions
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi★ 4.7 · € · ~€10–20 pp · Bàcaro / wine barA beloved family bàcaro in Dorsoduro opposite the San Trovaso gondola yard, with walls of wine bottles and a counter of inventive cicchetti you eat standing on the canal bank. Directions
Glam Enrico Bartolini★ 4.8 · €€€€ · tasting from €150 · Fine diningItaly's most-starred chef's Venetian restaurant, in the garden of Palazzo Venart on the Grand Canal: inventive, produce-driven tasting menus and a magical canal-side terrace. Directions
Il Paradiso Perduto★ 4.2 · €€ · ~€30–40 pp · Venetian seafoodA boisterous Cannaregio institution that has been feeding Venetians, and the occasional passing musician, since the 1960s. Directions
La Zucca★ 4.5 · €€ · ~€30–40 pp · Venetian, vegetable-forwardA beloved little restaurant near San Giacomo dell'Orio that's made its name putting vegetables centre stage: its pumpkin flan (flan di zucca) is the stuff of local legend. Directions
Local★ 4.6 · €€€€ · tasting from €150 · Fine diningA sleek, contemporary Michelin-starred spot in quiet Castello, where young chefs reinvent Venetian and lagoon ingredients into a refined modern tasting menu. Directions
Osteria al Squero★ 4.7 · €€ · ~€30–45 pp · Cicchetti / seafoodA cosy little cicchetti spot in Dorsoduro facing the historic gondola boatyard: generous crostini, good wine and one of the prettiest canal-side perches in the city to eat them. Directions
Osteria Alla Staffa★ 4.5 · €€ · ~€35–45 pp · Venetian, modernA welcoming Castello osteria a little off the tourist path, praised by locals for creative, market-fresh cooking and genuinely kind service. Directions
Osteria alle Testiere★ 4.5 · €€€ · ~€55–90 pp · SeafoodA tiny, intimate seafood restaurant with just a handful of tables and a daily menu driven by the morning market: exquisite, pared-back cooking and a serious wine list. Directions
Osteria Bancogiro★ 4.2 · €€ · ~€30–45 pp · Venetian seafoodA canal-side osteria in a former Rialto banking hall, with tables right on the Grand Canal and a short, seasonal menu of creative Venetian seafood. Directions
Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti★ 4.6 · €€€ · ~€45–60 pp · Venetian seafood, refinedAn intimate Dorsoduro osteria with just a handful of canal-side tables, known for beautifully executed seafood and a thoughtful, well-chosen wine list. Directions
Ristorante Quadri★ 3.6 · €€€€ · tasting from €150 · Fine diningThe Alajmo brothers' Michelin-starred restaurant above the historic café on Piazza San Marco: theatrical, modern Venetian tasting menus in a sumptuous gilded room overlooking the square. Directions
Ristorante Riviera★ 4.6 · €€€ · ~€55–90 pp · Venetian seafoodAn elegant lagoon-front restaurant on the Zattere with sunset views toward Giudecca, run by a former rock musician turned chef: refined Venetian seafood and a romantic terrace. Directions
Trattoria alla Madonna★ 3.9 · €€ · ~€30–45 pp · Venetian seafoodA bustling, old-school Venetian trattoria near the Rialto, going strong since 1954: classic lagoon seafood (sarde in saor, fritto misto, seppie in nero) served briskly to a mix of locals and visitors. Directions
Vino Vero★ 4.5 · €€ · ~€20–30 pp · Natural wine bar & cicchettiOne of the best natural-wine bars in Venice, set right on the lively Fondamenta della Misericordia in Cannaregio. Directions