One of the absolute MUST DOs in Venice is to do a cicchetti bar hop - cicchetti is basically small snacks, usually on a piece of bruschetta. There are lots of these super adorable bars lining the Rialto Market that you can duck into, snack on a few things, sip some wine and then move on to another location. It's a great way to try a bunch of different things, get pleasantly full and not spend a ton of money. One of the oldest ones in the Venice is Cantina do Mori. It ooozes with old world charm and character. The two owners are super nice and all the food looked great. There's lots of variety so there's something for everyone there. Everything is literally one or two mouthfuls and usually served on a toothpick. We noshed on some delicious meatballs (warning they are served cold), pecorrino cheese, a baccala spread (cod fish) on bruschetta, eggplant on bruschetta and tiny egg sandwiches with the crust cut off. It was only 11am, so I didn't get wine with my meal but I was in heaven and honestly could have stayed longer but on to the next one! The total bill was something like 7 or 9 euro.
All' Arco San Polo 436, 30125 Venezia, Italy
Literally right around the corner from Cantina Do Mori is All'Arco - another wonderful cicchetti bar. It's much smaller, so be prepared to elbow your way to the counter and stand around. The cicchetti here was a bit more focused on baccala spreads and other bruschetta type snacks - so it had a bit less variety here but the quality of the food was still great and the staff was super fun and friendly. We had probably 3 bites here, spent 4 or 5 euro, and moved on to the next place...
Lino Fritto San Polo 319, 30125 Venezia, Italy
Lino Fritto is a bit different from the other 2 bars in that it's got a much more modern feel and it's kind of like a take-out/store feel vs. a cozy bar. But that doesn't mean it's not great because if you like seafood, this is the place to go. It's right next door to the seafood market so you know all their ingredients are sourced locally and super super fresh. If you don't eat seafood, you'll be SOL here. But if you do, you'll be in heaven. Again - it's all small bites, you definitely feel free to try a bunch of different things. We got 1 chilled octopus salad and a warm octopus gazpacho. I was definitely starting to get full at this point with all the bites, but really everything there looked great. Both versions of octopus were great - the octopus was tender and not chewy at all. I probably preferred the chilled version better since it had more acidity to it and to be honest I've never really loved gazpacho anyways. They were just rolling out a fresh batch of fried calamari and fried sardines when we finished but I just couldn't eat anymore but they both looked like fantastic snacks. After visiting these 3 bars, I was more than full and quite happy. I wish this was something more cities did because it's a super fun, social thing to do that doesn't break the bank either.
Antiche Carampane San Polo 1911, 30125 Venezia, Italy
The only reservation I made in Venice was at Antiche Carampane and I'm so glad that I did. First, it's a bit off the beaten path away from the tourist center, on a quiet and unassuming (and very confusing, twist-y) street. While there were other tourists there, it didn't have this icky feel to it, it felt like it was full of people who were truly interested in having really good food. Reservations are a must as the place is fairly tiny.
The food here is classic, simple and yet sophisticated. We started with the grilled scallops with burrata and for entrees my mom got the sea bass and I got the braised veal cheek and we ordered a side of grilled vegetables. I know, I know, it was kind of blasphemous to not order pasta especially at a place like this but I was still pretty full from lunch and knew that I would be pushing myself to eat way too much food everyday on this trip, so I scaled back on my ordering. They kindly offered us a snack of fried shrimp to start our meal. They were teeny tiny shrimp, deep fried and served in a paper cone. They were super addictive and easy to pop a bunch in your mouth. It was a great way to start off the meal. The grilled scallops were delicious - firm and not overly cooked. It was served with artichoke, burrata and fish roe and a nice small side salad. It seems like a weird combination but trust me when I say it all worked together. The sea bass was a bit on the small side but it was one incredible cut of fish. Firm, thick and meaty cut of a delicious mild fish. As for my veal cheek - incredible. Super tender and melted in my mouth. I have a hard time reconciling my feelings about eating veal but when it's done right, it's really god damn delicious. It came with thin potato slices in a red sauce, which gave it a nice Italian version of meat and potatoes. The grilled vegetable plate consisted of 1 giant stalk of asparagus, roasted potatoes and sauteed spinach and swiss chard. Nothing special but with all the other rich aspects of the meal, it was nice to have simply prepared veggies. While dessert looked and sounded amazing, I just couldn't do it. I'm sure I probably got gelato on the way home anyways. In any case, if you are going to only be in Venice for a short time, I highly recommend this place as a quiet respite away from the madness of the rest of town. Oh and get a negroni here - nothing like a real true negroni made from Italians. Total bill: $112 for 2 people
Photo Credit: Yelp
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