Venice, in Small Bites

Just when you thought Venice was turning into some flamboyant gothic version of Disneyland and the gap between tourist Venice and the increasingly endangered population of genuine Venetians was at its widest, comes a new breath of tradition – a renaissance of the old. Osteria And trattoria, These are family run eateries that serve simple local food at reasonable prices with a daily menu available in the local markets.

With no tourists for the past two years, small eateries have sprung up in the streets of Venice’s non-fashionable districts and some of its lesser-known islands. Some luxury hotels like Aman, famous for hosting Clooney’s wedding, are also following.

Thankfully, Italians continue to stick well against a 10-minute lunch, and so lunch and dinner are proper meals. Look for Old Fashioned Beginnings or chicetti (pronunciation chicetti) to like bacala mantecato (toss the salt cod with olive oil until creamy), neat (fresh young artichokes usually served fried), and a whole supporting cast of seafood starring my favorite Seppi in Nero (large black cuttlefish) Umami squid served in risotto or with polento to wipe up the ink sauce. For vegetarians, there is a plethora of creatively cooked vegetables every season.

If you’re planning to leave for a vacation or to visit the Venice Biennale (April 23 – November 27) – here’s a sample of where to eat:

Trattoria Bar Pontini

Inside a family-run restaurant headed by Jada and her all-female team, you’ll find workers in overalls drinking a coffee and a tea. tramezzinoA local sandwich made of soft white bread liberally stuffed with Russian salad or ham.

Trattoria Bar Pontini

Outside is where you need to be, at a table on the sidewalk of the canal between the (non-stinky) fish stall and an old tobacconist. try the frito misto, Seafood Spaghetti and Seafood Antipasti. regularly come here to eat or have meatballs PolpettiLike a flat cutlet made from tuna or meat. I love the local atmosphere, reasonable prices and large portions here. Avoid weekends when tourists congregate. Pontini is a five-minute walk from the train station and busy shopping street known as Strada Nova.

Description: @trattoriapontini on Instagram

Trattoria da Ignazio

This is a restaurant, with a delightful indoor patio and quite spacious seating, recommended by a Venetian friend who has been coming here for years. Started in 1951 by Ignazio and his son Fiorenzo Scorcaro, who run it today, the menu goes beyond the usual seafood and extends to plates of seasonal vegetables, salads, as well as steak and thinly sliced ​​Parma ham.

Fiorenzo Scroccaro

Fegato alla veneziana, braised liver with onions and vinegar, is simply delicious. It’s behind the San Toma vaporetto stop in San Polo, located in a maze of streets lined with small shops and old ateliers.

Details: trattoriadaignazio.com, and @ristorante_da_ignazio_venezia on Instagram

Osteria A4 Ferry Stortic

An Osteria with a hand-written menu, a must try here frito misto Which they make from rice flour, so it is quite crispy. The star is the flavorful ink squid cuttlefish.

Osteria Ai 4 Feri Storti and its popular frito misto

Betty and Barbara (there are pictures of them on the wall) started it and the woman who single-handedly runs and serves the entire restaurant has been here for more than 20 years. It seats 24 inside with four tables outside the bridge in an attractive setting. The kitchen closes after lunch at 2.30 pm. Easy to find just off Campo Aponal in San Polo, near the San Silvestro stop, it also has some impressive wines.

Description: Osteria AI 4 Ferry Storty on Facebook

Rosa Salva Cafe

rosa salva

One of the oldest cafes in Venice started in the 1870s, it is still a family business that operates a more prominent one on the mainland and a lucrative catering business. Its amorphous exterior on the beautiful San Giovanni e Paolo square in the Castello district, near vaporetto Stop at Fondamente Nove, doesn’t look like anything special but Rosa Salva has a great reputation among the locals.

Rosa Salva. Try a sandwich and a glass of wine at

a pastry shop that also sells snacks, tramezzini Sandwiches and drinks (alcoholic), specialties include hot chocolate with jelly biscuits, frozen zabaglione with the venetian baccoli cookies and Frito Laysoft fried dough filled with apples and raisins or zabaglione, their bigne The pistachios are full of cream to die for. It’s actually a great place to stop, stop, watch and grab a sandwich for a few euros if the seagulls don’t swoon over that, that is.

Description: rosasalva.it

Arva in Aman Venice

What’s not to love about Aman, a 16th-century palace painstakingly restored to its former glory? Its restaurant, Arava, is a tribute to Italy’s rich culinary heritage.

Aman Arva in Venice | photo credit: @aman_venice

Chef Matteo and consultant Chef Norbert work with local farmers, fishermen, and niche suppliers to secure fresh Adriatic fish, single-source olive oil, artisanal pasta, and market produce from Tuscany and Liguria. What I love is to indulge in a delicious Negroni called Courageous and their selection of delicious chicetti, thinly sliced ​​prosciutto, veal tonnataand baby artichokes on green parsley sauce.

Description: aman.com

Ristorante Alberto Capo – Chioggia

I’ve found the modern equivalent of the old favorite Locanda Cipriani on the island of Torcello. Visit Chioggia, an island where real Venetians live and that can be reached from the mainland and from Venice by car or bus… and of course by boat. It’s like a mini Venice with canals but without the tourists and 15th-century palaces. Other things it is known for are the extravagant fish market that supplies most of Venice’s restaurants, a lively weekly market on Thursdays, and the oldest working belfry in the world.

Multiple canal-view tables, and the restaurant’s seafood antipasti

I have been coming to Alberto Capo restaurant for over 10 years and the food keeps getting better. their ink squid risotto, seafood antipasti platter and frito misto, all are necessary. Try Ribola Gialla which is an inexpensive and lesser known white wine from Friuli with a salty mineral finish that grows on you. Young Alberto told me he didn’t suffer much during Covid because Italians come to this restaurant from both the mainland and Venice.

Description: ristorante-alberto-capo.business.site

la tavern

Felice and Nadia own and run this trattoria with menus in German and English. It is on a bylane off the main road of Chioggia.

Felice and Nadia of La Tavernes

I’m not convinced about the home decor – quirky family memorabilia – but the place is filled with locals eating spaghetti with mussels, seafood antipasti and ink squid ravioli. They have a small outdoor section. We had local Gambalara Garganella white wine by the glass which is fair.

Description: tavernachioggia.com