Not sure what to eat in Venice? Start by forgetting pizza and carbonara. Venetian food grew out of the lagoon and centuries of trade: salt cod from the north, spices and raisins from the east, rice from the plains, and tiny shrimp and fish from the water around the city. The result is a cuisine that is sweet and sour, simple and surprisingly elegant.
These are the seven traditional Venetian dishes I think every visitor should try, with where to find them, plus what to drink, what to eat for dessert and how to avoid tourist traps.
This article contains affiliate links. If you book or buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure.
Table of Contents
What makes Venetian food different
Venice was once the richest trading city in Europe, and you can still taste that history. Spices, raisins and pine nuts arrived on merchant ships; salt cod came from Norway; rice grew on the nearby plains of the Veneto. Seafood comes straight from the lagoon and the Adriatic, and polenta, not pasta, is the traditional side.
Most of all, Venetian food is about small plates and conversation. The city’s bàcari, its traditional wine bars, are where locals eat standing up, one cicchetto and one small glass at a time.
7 traditional Venetian dishes to try
Photo: Benoît Prieur / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
1. Sarde in saor
Fried sardines marinated with soft onions, vinegar, raisins and pine nuts. This sweet-and-sour dish dates back to the days of Venetian merchants and sailors, when the marinade was a way to preserve fish on long sea voyages. Today it is one of the city’s most iconic cicchetti, and the first answer to what to eat in Venice.
Flavour: tangy, savoury, slightly sweet
Where to try: Osteria alle Testiere or Cantina Do Spade
2. Baccalà mantecato
Dried salt cod, soaked and then whipped with olive oil until light and creamy, served on grilled polenta or bread. It is smooth, rich and a staple at almost every bàcaro.
Texture: light, airy and spreadable
When to eat it: as a cicchetto with a glass of wine, or as an antipasto
3. Risi e bisi
Somewhere between a risotto and a soup, risi e bisi is made with rice, pancetta and young spring peas. It was traditionally served to the Doge on 25 April, the feast of St Mark, the patron saint of Venice.
Best time: spring, when peas are fresh and sweet
Good for: a light lunch or a comforting home-style meal
4. Polenta e schie
Tiny grey lagoon shrimp (schie), quickly cooked and served on a bed of soft, creamy white polenta. It is rustic and elegant at the same time, and speaks directly of Venice’s lagoon roots.
Where to try: Osteria al Ponte or Antiche Carampane
Note: often seasonal, depending on the shrimp catch
5. Fegato alla veneziana
Thinly sliced calf’s liver cooked slowly with plenty of sweet onions, usually served with polenta. It is not for everyone, but it is one of the most authentic expressions of Venetian home cooking, and a good version is meltingly tender.
Why it matters: a true classic of the Venetian table
Tip: order it at a traditional trattoria rather than from a tourist menu
Photo: Monika Ďuríčková / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
6. Cicchetti and an ombra
Not one dish but a whole culture. Cicchetti are small snacks eaten standing at the bar with a glass of wine, known locally as an ombra (“shade”), a name said to come from the wine sellers who once moved their stalls to follow the shade of St Mark’s bell tower. Expect marinated artichokes, salt cod, prosciutto, meatballs and crostini topped with gorgonzola or seafood.
How to enjoy it: bar-hop in the early evening through Cannaregio or Dorsoduro, a cicchetto and a small glass at each stop
Pair with: a local white, a prosecco or a glass of red Raboso
Etiquette: point at what you want, eat standing, and do not linger at the counter when it is busy
Eat like a local
Venice food tasting tour with cicchetti and wine
Hop between traditional bàcari with a local guide, tasting cicchetti and Venetian wines along the way. Ideal if you want to skip the guesswork on your first night.
Bigoli are thick, rough whole-wheat noodles, and in Venice they are served with a deeply savoury sauce of slow-cooked onions and salted anchovies. Simple, filling and full of flavour.
Best for: a traditional dinner
Where to try: Trattoria da Ignazio or La Zucca
What to drink in Venice
Spritz: the Veneto’s favourite aperitivo, made with prosecco, sparkling water and a bitter liqueur such as Aperol or Select.
Prosecco: the sparkling wine of the nearby hills, perfect with cicchetti.
Bellini: white peach purée and prosecco, created at Harry’s Bar in Venice.
Ombra: a small glass of house wine at a bàcaro, the most local drink of all.
Sweet treats to look for
Fritole: small fried doughnuts, sometimes filled with cream or zabaione, sold around Carnival.
Baicoli: thin, crisp biscuits traditionally dipped in coffee or sweet wine.
Tiramisù: the Veneto region claims this famous dessert, so it is worth trying here.
Where to eat in Venice: a short guide
Cannaregio: the best area for a relaxed cicchetti crawl among locals, especially along the Fondamenta della Misericordia.
Dorsoduro: student-friendly bàcari and canal-side tables near Campo Santa Margherita.
San Polo and Rialto: historic bàcari around the market, busy at lunchtime.
Castello: quieter streets and traditional osterias away from the crowds.
Photo: Wolfgang Moroder / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tips for eating well in Venice
Walk away from St Mark’s Square. Prices drop and quality rises as soon as you leave the main tourist routes.
Visit the Rialto Market in the morning to see the lagoon fish and seasonal produce that end up on restaurant tables. The fish market is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Eat cicchetti for an early dinner. Bàcari are busiest from about 6 pm, and a few rounds can easily replace a full meal.
Book ahead for popular osterias, especially at weekends; many are small and fill up quickly.
Check the bill for coperto, a cover charge that is normal in Italy.
Plan your visit: the official Venezia Unica city portal has transport, museum and access information for visitors.
Morning in Venice
Insider tour: Rialto Market, St Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace
Start at the Rialto Market while the stalls are busy, then continue to St Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace with a guide.
The best Venetian food is rarely the most expensive. It is a plate of sarde in saor at a crowded counter, a glass of ombra in a quiet campo, or a bowl of risi e bisi in spring. Use this list of traditional Venetian dishes as your guide, and let the bàcari do the rest.
Travelling across northern Italy? Start in Milan with my list of the best things to do in Milan and my guide on where to eat in Milan. And subscribe to the AZIZANOVA Letter for more food walks and editorial travel guides.
