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Eating Out in Venice, Italy

There is a belief among tourists the world over that you can’t find a decent meal in Venice. This, of course, is untrue. Naturally in a city that needs to serve its natives as well tourists, there has to be good restaurants somewhere. And below you will see a selection of restaurants that will meet your needs.

It can be hard to find a bargain though. Most restaurants either have a ‘menu touristic’ (tourist menu), and many will impose some charge on to bill, such as cover charge or service charge. These generally consist of two courses – antipasta and main course. Antipasta will be a choice of four pasta-based dishes, while second course then comprises of veal or chicken, and this comes with a salad. Such a menu will set you back somewhere in the region of €15, but you can be sure your bill will amount to much more than that.

If your budget can’t stretch to a meal in a restaurant, fear not as this city is the snack-master’s dream come true and snack bars abound every corner. Dealing in all types of paninis and all flavours of pizza, if you only have €4 to feed yourself with you will be guaranteed to get something to fill you.

If you want to eat how the Venetians eat, try out some ‘cichetti’ which is a local specialty extremely similar to what the Spaniards call tapas. Each portion costs in the region of €2 and you can choose from meatballs, squid, and more. Keep an eye out for ‘osterias’ as most of these sell wide a wide range of cichetti.

Gelato! Gelato!

Gelato! Gelato!

They say in Paris you are never more than 500 metres from a metro station. The same could be said about ice-cream parlours and Venice. Open from early morning until late at night, tourists wait patiently at various counters around the city for a nice (and cheap) treat any time of the day. A cone with one scoop costs €1, €2 for two, €2.50 for three or €3.50 for four. Flavours include nutella, pistachio, mint and peach.

Restaurants in Venice

  • Osteria alle Botteghe

    Calle dell Botteghe, San Marco, Venice, Italy

    For tasty pizza and pasta at prices that won't leave you wishing you opted for the cheaper snack option instead, locate this cosy restaurant just off Campo San Stefano. Pizzas range from €5-€8. It also has a wide range of cicchetti (Venetian version of tapas) and snacks.

    Open daily from 11am-11pm.

  • Arca

    Calle San Pantalon, Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy

    Arca has been one of Venice's best-loved pizzerias for years and deservedly so. Pizzas are gloriously tasty and extremely reasonable (€5.50-€8). Due to its popularity it always has a nice atmosphere with a mix of locals and tourists streaming through its doors all day.

    Open daily from 8am-midnight.

  • Trattoria all'Antica Mola

    Fondamenta degli Ormesini, Cannareggio, Venice, Italy

    Of all the restaurants that decorate Fondamenta degli Ormesini, this is by far the most reasonable. Main courses will set you back anything between €7-€10 and the food is excellent. It is the perfect place to dine during the summer thanks to some tables on the canal and a garden terrace out the back.

    Open daily from 8am-midnight.

  • Snack bars/osterias

    Various locations, Venice, Italy

    As eating out in Venice can be quite expensive it may not always be feasible to dine out. In such circumstances there are innumerous snack bars and osterias all over the city. Snack bars sell pizza slices for €2, paninis for €3, while osterias sell various cichetti such as clams and crab claws.

  • Pizzeria Alle Oche

    Calle de Tentor 1552 B, (adjoining campo San Giocomo del'Orio), Venice, Italy

    Serving over fifty different varieties of inexpensive pizzas Alle Oche is one of the best pizzerias in the city. It is worth noting, however, that if it’s pizza you’re after this restaurant is closed on Mondays so keep the cravings for the other six days of the week if at all possible.

    Open daily from 12 noon-11pm.

  • Gam Gam

    Fondmenta di Cannaregio, Venice, Italy

    Now for those of you who might be tiring slightly of meat and pizza, Gam Gam provides a delicious alternative. Serving the best in kosher food – well probably the only kosher food – in the city, it’s particularly popular for its Israeli style cuisine – couscous, excellent vegetarian dishes and the like.

    Open daily from noon-3pm & 6pm-midnight.

  • Taverna San Trovaso

    Fondamenta Priuli, Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy

    This restaurant provides the perfect compromise – price wise. While the pizzas are reasonably priced the a la carte dishes are slightly more expensive but are certainly worth a try. The fried seafood platter is especially tasty and the restaurant itself is two storey and usually bustling with both locals and tourists.

    Open Tues-Sun from 12 noon-2.30pm & 7pm-11pm.

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