10 Great Restaurants in Venice

Ristorante Glam is an upscale dining spot in Venice that lives up to its name, in both food and setting. A twice-Michelin-starred chef heads the restaurant and creates contemporary Italian cuisine using locally sourced Venetian ingredients. You can order dishes from the seasonal à la carte list, but the tasting menus are more impressive.

The experience is complemented by Ristorante Glam’s location inside the Venart Palace, a sumptuous period building dating back to the 14th century. Highlights include the pretty garden terrace, where you can enjoy candlelit dinners with Grand Canal views in summer.

Il Ridotto, meaning “the small, private place”, is an intimate Venetian restaurant where less than 20 guests can enjoy innovative takes on classic Italian dishes. You can order à la carte or go for the 5- or 7-course tasting menus, one of which is vegetarian. Since the menu changes daily, repeat guests are always in for a surprise.

Complement your meal with a bottle of Venetian wine. Your friendly yet professional waiter will be happy to recommend one for you. If you need to stick to a budget but still want to experience the cooking, Il Ridotto offers an affordable gourmet lunch deal.

Osteria Enoteca San Marco is a cosy taverna to the west of Piazza San Marco in Venice. In 2002, 4 friends with a passion for good food and wine joined forces to create the diner. The menu is international but based on local ingredients with a dash of exotic products and spices. You’ll find creatively presented meat, fish, game, and vegetable dishes. It also has a small selection of French, German, and Spanish wines.

The restaurant occupies a renovated tavern from the 1940s, with an interior that fuses modern and authentic Venetian designs. The exposed beams and rough brick walls contrast with the contemporary decor of designer lights, leather seats, and a dazzling chandelier.

Da Primo is a family-run restaurant in the Baldassare Galuppi Square on Burano island. This is a lovely cantina to stop in between sightseeing to enjoy a home-cooked meal with warm and friendly service.

It serves superb regional Burano fish dishes, including risotto alla buranella (shellfish risotto), seafood spaghetti, and tagliolini (ribbon pasta) with shrimps and vegetables. You'll also find meat, pizza, salads, and vegetarian-friendly options on the menu. Ask for a recommendation on wine pairings.

Osteria Al Merca is tucked away in a covered market area on Lido, Venice's seaside resort. The restaurant specialises in seafood dishes, such as grilled baby squids, boiled baby octopus, fish and veg fritters, and creamed stockfish locally known as baccalà mantecato.

The eatery's location near a fish market means freshness is pretty much guaranteed. You can also enjoy an excellent selection of wines. Service is friendly and attentive. Osteria Al Merca is very popular with locals, so it's best to reserve a table if you're planning to visit on a weekend.

Ristorante Da Ivo is a charming family-run trattoria near Piazzo San Marco. The tiny restaurant is best known for its Tuscan-Venetian cuisine specialities, including fresh fish and meat grilled over charcoal. There is also a lengthy wine list of over 150 bottles from the best Italian vineyards.

With space for around 40 people, reservations are a must, especially at dinnertime. While Da Ivo is popular with celebrities visiting Venice, it feels very local and unpretentious. You can choose to dress up or simply dine in jeans and a jersey.

Trattoria al Gatto Nero is a lively family-run restaurant on the colourful lagoon island of Burano. Its name translates to the ‘Black Cat’. Since 1965, the trattoria has been a local institution for traditional Venetian lagoon cuisine. Every day, its chef heads to local markets to handpick seafood and vegetables for his dishes.

Try the Gatto Nero classics of Burano-style risotto with locally sourced goby fish or the homemade tagliolini (ribbon pasta) with spider crab. Call ahead to book the best seats in this house – on the romantic outdoor covered terrace beside the canal.

Enoteca Al Volto is one of the oldest wine bars in Venice. It’s the place to be for wine connoisseurs, enthusiastic amateurs, or those looking for a relaxed night out. A few blocks from Rialto Bridge, this atmospheric bar is a cosy spot for wine and cicchetti (Venetian bar snacks) or a full meal.

Lining the bar’s original wooden walls and ceiling are hundreds of regional bottles of wine. Don’t be overwhelmed, though – Enoteca Al Volto's staff are experts and are happy to help you find the perfect ombra – a glass of wine in local slang.

La Zucca is a great place to go if you need a little breather from Venice’s seafood. This small canalside osteria has a strong emphasis on vegetables, but it also serves some classic meat dishes. Its daily-changing menu indicates that everything comes from the city's local market in the same morning.

The menu is in Italian, but there's give you a glossary, and the waiter is ready to guide you, too. With a small dining room with limited seating, it’s best to book ahead. Ask for a canalside table where you can get a good dose of people-watching while enjoying your meal.

La Palanca is a laidback neighbourhood cafe and bar on the island of Giudecca, near the Palanca Vaporetto stop. It's well off the tourist trail and frequented by locals who pitch up for coffee at 7 am or for a spritz or ombra (local word for a glass of wine) and cicchetti (bar snacks) in the early evening.

The only meal the restaurant serves is lunch. Standouts include pasta and bean soup, swordfish carpaccio, tuna tartare, pasta with squid and artichokes, and grilled Adriatic fish. Try to book a table outside, where you can dine while gazing out across Venice's main canal to the spires of Dorsoduro.