Like most first-time visitors, Venice left us speechless. It’s a city with an atmosphere all its own, utterly unique and unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. There’s no expectation-vs-reality gap here. It’s every bit as captivating in person as you’ve ever imagined.
But you know what else left us speechless? The crowds. Being as beautiful and unique as it is, Venice is a hugely popular tourist destination that attracts large crowds of visitors, even during the low seasons. We were there in late November, historically one of the quieter months of the year, and it was still fairly crowded.
With so many tourists to feed, it’s no surprise that Venice is flooded with tourist traps. We always do thorough research to avoid those places, but thankfully, in Venice, we didn’t have to.
Thanks to our helpful and proactive Airbnb host, we knew exactly where to go to eat like a local in Venice. Here are four of his favorites.
FOOD IN VENICE QUICK LINKS
To help you plan your trip to Venice, we’ve put together links to top-rated hotels, tours, and other travel-related services here.
HOTELS
Top-rated hotels in San Polo, one of the most convenient areas to stay for first-time visitors to Venice.
- Luxury: H10 Palazzo Canova
- Midrange: Hotel Guerrato
- Budget: Ostello Domus Civica
FOOD-RELATED TOURS & ACTIVITIES
- Sightseeing Tour: St. Mark’s Basilica & Doge’s Palace Tour with Tickets
- Food Tour: Street Food Tour with a Local Guide and Tastings
- Day Trip: Murano & Burano Guided Tour by Private Boat with Glassmaking
- Cooking Class: Cooking Classes in Venice
OTHER SERVICES
- Visa Services
- Travel Insurance (non-US residents get 5% off)
- City Pass with Museums & Public Transport
- Italy eSIM
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LOCAL-APPROVED RESTAURANTS IN VENICE
1. L’ Bacaro de’ Bischeri
We discovered the magic of schiacciata bread in Firenze, over a month before our trip to Venice. If you’ve never tried it, schiacciata (or schiaccia for short) is a type of Italian flatbread from Tuscany. Its name translating to “pressed” or “flattened”, schiacciata is similar to focaccia, except it’s thinner and crispier, and in my opinion, even more delicious.
We had been dreaming about schiacciata since our time in Florence, so we were thrilled to learn that this humble shop makes their sandwiches with what may now be my favorite type of bread. One bite, and it may become yours as well.
Ranging from EUR 10-12 per sandwich (November 2025), L’ Bacaro de’ Bischeri makes their sandwiches with the usual meat fillings like prosciutto, mortadella, guanciale, speck, and grilled chicken. There are one or two vegetarian options as well.
L’ Bacaro de’ Bischeri is a small standing-room only sandwich shop located near Rialto Mercato. It’s hidden behind a row of souvenir shops, so it can be easy to miss.
L’ Bacaro de’ Bischeri
Address: Ruga dei Oresi, 57, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Opening hours: 10AM-6PM, daily
2. Cantina Do Mori
I’m embarassed to admit this, but we were today years old when we learned about cicchetti, the Venetian cousin of Spanish pintxos or tapas. They’re basically the same thing – small, bite-sized dishes served as snacks at bacari (traditional Venetian wine bars).
Our host recommended several bacari to us, but Cantina Do Mori stood out. Founded in 1462, it’s recognized as the oldest tavern in Venice. I don’t know if it’s true, but legend has it that the young Casanova used to take his dates here.
Like any pintxos bar in San Sebastian, there’s no menu at Cantina Do Mori. Different types of pre-made cichetti are already on display at the bar, so you pick out what you want, order a glass of wine, and you’re happy.
Forget tablecloths and cutlery – serve me a plate of cicchetti on an old wine barrel, and I’m a happy man. I love meals like this!
We were happily eating our cicchetti and drinking wine outside the bar, when a friendly couple from Germany sat beside us. According to them, Cantina Do Mori is well-known in Germany thanks to its appearance in a series of best-selling detective novels by American author Donna Leon.
The novels feature a fictional character named Guido Brunetti, a Venetian police detective who frequents Cantina Do Mori. Apparently, the novels are quite popular in Germany!
Cantina do Mori
Address: Calle Do Mori, 429, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Opening hours: 8AM-7:30PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
3. Bar All’Arco
Bar All’Arco is another bacaro made famous by the media. I don’t remember seeing the episode, but Mrs Traveleater recognized it from the Venice episode of Somebody Feed Phil. Phil Rosenthal visited Bar All’Arco and tried their grilled cheese with salami and eggplant cicchetto.
They didn’t seem to have that today, so we tried pretty much everything else. Like Cantina Do Mori, this place was awesome. I suggest picking out everything they make with bacalao.
This cicchetto was topped with eel. When we visited in November 2025, every cicchetto went for around EUR 3 apiece.
Conveniently, Bar All’Arco and Cantina Do Mori are located just around the corner from each other in San Polo. Be sure to visit both on your next trip to Venice.
Bar All’Arco
Address: S. Polo, 436, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Opening hours: 10AM-2:30PM, Thurs-Tues (closed Wednesdays)
4. Antico Forno
Our host gave us a long list of his favorite restaurants in Venice. Most included a brief description, like “typical bacaro in Venice” or “good place for breakfast nearby”, but this pizza shop in San Polo was the only restaurant he singled out and gushed over. According to him, it’s a must-try.
When an Italian local tells you to visit a specific pizzeria, you don’t ask any questions. You just go. And I’m glad we did because the pizza at Antico Forno is phenomenal, probably the best we’ve had so far in Italy.
Antico Forno offers two types of pizzas – the ready-made thick crust pizzas pictured below, and made-to-order thin crust pizzas. If you want one of the thick-crust pizzas, simply point to the ones you want, and they’ll heat up the slices for you.
Thin-crust pizzas aren’t available per slice. The entire pizza is made from scratch and takes more time. We highly recommend trying both.
I’m not normally a fan of thick doughy pizzas, especially the ones that have been pre-made and reheated, but this one made me a believer. The crust may be thick, but it’s surprisingly light, much lighter than it looks.
After they heat up the pizza for you, it becomes crispy on the outside and super light and airy on the inside. My god was this delicious!
Antico Forno offers classic thin-crust pizzas and house specials. They call this one Giardino di Sara, a vegan version made with Italian tomato, garlic, baked eggplant, baked peppers, red Tropea onion, fresh basil emulsion, and extra virgin olive oil.
It was incredibly delicious, with a similar crispy-airy texture as their thick-crust pizzas. As I said, if you have the stomach space, then I recommend trying both.
Antico Forno is a small pizzeria with just a few counter seats, so if your hotel or Airbnb is nearby, then it may be best to get yours to go. The place is popular and a local favorite.
Antico Forno
Address: Rugheta del Ravano, 973, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Opening hours: 11:30AM-10PM, Mon-Sat / 11:30AM-9:30PM, Sun
VENICE RESTAURANTS LOCATION MAP
All four restaurants featured in this guide are located in quieter and less touristy San Polo. To help you navigate, I’ve pinned them on this map. Click on the link to open the map in a new window.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON DINING IN VENICE
You can do all the research you want before visiting Venice, but when it comes to food, no one knows better than a local. Having our host give us all these recommendations saved us hours of online research. Grazie mille!
We only stayed for two nights, so unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit more than these four. Despite its brevity, I do hope it helps you avoid the tourist traps and enjoy an authentic (and inexpensive) meal on your next trip to Venice.
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