The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

a pizzeria-restaurant with a predominantly
twenty-something following. It often has live
jazz and blues, and a pleasant small garden
is a further attraction. No credit cards. Open
noon–2pm & 7pm–midnight; closed all Wed
and Thurs lunch. Inexpensive to moderate.
Antiche Carampane Rio Terrà delle Carampane
1911 t041.524.0165. Make light of the notice
that tells you there’s a charge for tourist
information (Venetian humour) and you’ll
find good seafood and service in a cosy
interior replete with copper pots. You can
sit outside as well. Closed Sun and Mon.
Moderate.
Antico Dolo Ruga Vecchia S. Giovanni 778
t041.522.6546. This excellent long-established
osteria is a good source of simple
meals or bar food near the Rialto. Daily
noon–11pm. Inexpensive to moderate.
Da Fiore Calle del Scaleter 2202a
t041.731.308. Refined, elegant restaurant
off Campo San Polo; prides itself
on its seafood, regional cheeses, desserts,
homemade bread and wine list. Generally
considered among the very best in Venice
(booking is essential), and service is faultless.
You can also drop into the tiny frontroom
bar for a quality snack. Closed Sun &
Mon. Expensive to very expensive.
Da Sandro Campiello dei Meloni 1473
t041.523.4894. Split-site pizzeria-trattoria,
with rooms on both sides of the campiello
and tables on the pavement. Often frenetic,
though not aggressively so. The pizzas are
the best thing here. Open until 12.30am.
Closed Fri. Inexpensive to moderate.
Do Spade Sottoportego delle Do Spade 860
t041.521.0574. This was once the city’s
nearest rival to the nearby Do Mori bar, but
it now emphasizes food rather than drink,
and it stays open later in order to catch
a tourist clientele. Something of its old
character remains, and the quality of the
cooking has ensured that its popularity has
survived the transition. Almost impossible
to locate from a map – walk past the Do
Mori and keep going as straight as possible.
Open until 11pm for most of the year;
8pm July & Aug; closed Sun. Inexpensive
to moderate.
Il Refolo Campiello del Piovan 1459
t041.524.0016. Run by the son of the
owner of the famous Da Fiore, this excellent
canalside pizzeria fills up the tiny square
which fronts the church of San Giacomo
dell’Orio. The pizzas are perhaps the best
in Venice – and are certainly the most
expensive. There’s also a small menu of (not
inexpensive) restaurant dishes, featuring
some terrific salads. Closed Nov–March;
rest of year closed all Mon and Tues lunch.
Inexpensive to moderate.
Jazz Club 900 Campiello del Sansoni 900
t041.522.6565. Just off Ruga Vecchia S.
Giovanni, the dark-panelled Novecento
serves some of the best pizzas in the city,
accompanied by jazz (live once a week,
except in summer). Open until midnight or
later. Closed Mon.
La Zucca Ponte del Megio 1762
t041.524.1570. Long a well-respected
restaurant, La Zucca was once a vegetarian
establishment (its name means “pumpkin”)
but now goes against the Venetian grain by
featuring a lot of meat – chicken, lamb, beef
– and curries. The quality remains high, and
the canalside setting is nice. Closed Sun.
Moderate to expensive.
Muro Vino e Cucina Campo Cesare Battisti 222
t041.523.7495. The upstairs dining room
of this modern-styled American-owned
osteria offers a good-value lunch menu
(around e25 person); in the evening you’ll
pay around twice as much, which is maybe
a bit steep. The stylish ground-floor bar has
tables out on the square. Open Mon–Sat
9am–3.30pm & 5pm–1am.
Osteria al Ponte, “La Patatina” Calle
dei Saoneri 2741/a t041.523.7238.
This bustling osteria, sibling of Al Pantalon,
similarly serves excellent cicheti and other
Venetian specialities, alongside full-meal
menus that change regularly. Closed Sun.
Inexpensive to moderate.
Poste Vecie Pescheria 1608 t041.721.822. As
you’d expect by the location next to the fish
market, this excellent (and famous) restaurant
is another place for connoisseurs of
marine dishes. Closed Tues. Expensive.
Ribò Fondamenta Minotto 158 t041.524.2486.
Co-owned by Matteo Serena, former chef
at Da Fiore, this is an airy modern establishment,
with grey marble floors and white
walls inside and a very pleasant patio dining
area. The cuisine is light and modern too,
and the “business lunch” is a bargain at
e20. Closed Wed. Moderate to expensive.
San Tomà Campo S. Tomà 2864 t041.523.8819.
A reasonably priced menu, very good pizzas,
and tables on the campo and under
a pergola out the back make this one of
the best places to re-gather your strength
Eating and drinking
| Restaurants
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