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"Top Restaurants in Venice"

Viva! Viva spaghetti, pizza, tomatoes, olive oil, espresso coffee and cappuccino! But is it all really Italian in origin? The answer is of course "no" but even food products from other continents have been enhanced in a way only the Italians know. A thousand mouth watering dishes await the intrepid traveller, hundreds of gastronomy specialities, a host of truly tasty typical products, and all kept very much alive by a modern agricultural system that is careful about preserving the traditional flavours and nutritional values..

TRATTORIA DONA ONESTA, (Dorsoduro 3922 - Calle Dona Onesta)
Tel: (+39) 041 710 586.
Simple, friendly restaurant between Campo Santa Margarita and the Frari, much frequented by locals (always a good sign). Excellent sarde in saor (a typically Venetian starter, sardines marinated with onions giving a sweet-sour flavour), good fish generally, and pasta cooked to perfection. Pleasant service and highly drinkable house red (merlot) make this a recommended spot. Inexpensive.
Closed Sunday.

DA CRECOLA (Santa Croce 1459 - Campo del Piovan, next to San Giacomo dell' Orio)
Tel: (+39) 041 524 1496.
If the weather's fine you'll spot this restaurant easily as it spreads its tables over the charming small square. It's a must on every visit we make to Venice, if only for the spaghetti aglio, olio peperoncino. Other reasons include olive ascolane (huge, stuffed green olives fried in breadcrumbs) and salame piccante as antipasti, veal escalope in a fresh lemon sauce and excellent vegetables - especially cipolline in agrodolce and carciofi della casa. Their pizzas also have a very good reputation. Service is friendly and efficient, credit cards are accepted and it's very inexpensive.
Closed Tuesday.

ANTICO GARAFO (Santa Croce 116/a - Salizzada S. Pantalon)
Tel/Fax: (+39) 041 524 2823
This large restaurant near Campo dei Frari perhaps suffers from also being within striking distance of both the station and Piazzale Roma. If you're desperate for a pizza and your favourite pizza restaurant in Venice has closed, as was the case during our recent visit, this seems like an option. However the fact that there is a 'Pizza McDonald' on the menu should have been warning enough. The service here is pleasant enough but the pizzas really don't cut the mustard - an inferno, for example, one of the great staples, needs more than three lonely pieces of salame piccante to merit the name. Inexpensive, credit cards accepted.

LA SGURA (Chioggia, Fondamenta Marangoni 1295)
Tel: (+39) 041 40 32 32.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that fish will be good in Chioggia, still the base of many local fishermen (and a two hour ferry ride from Venice... - ed.). La Sgura bears out the reputation both for freshness and good value. On a quiet canal side parallel with Chioggia's main street, Il Corso del Popolo, it has tables inside and out depending on your taste. There are some dishes here to test the most knowledgeable traveller - such as cicale, which translate as locusts or grasshoppers, but (luckily for the faint-hearted) are actually a type of large shrimp. The sarde in soar were not as good as I've had elsewhere but the turbot was out of this world. Marinated whole (it was a small one) and then grilled, it was perfection. Pasta was also good (and substantial) and there is an excellent torta della nonna, one of those Italian staples that can be ambrosial or rather dull, depending on the cook. This one, with masses of lemon, was the former. The only real downside to this restaurant is that the shutters come down at 3pm sharp, whether or not you've finished your meal. Inexpensive, credit cards accepted.
Closed Monday.

ANTICO CAPON (Campo Santa Margarita)
With the tragic closure of the best pizza house in town (Al Sole di Napoli), the search is on for its replacement in the Dorsoduro / Santa Croce area. Antico Capon could fit the bill - the list of pizzas is almost endless and there are some very interesting combinations on offer, without any of those that make one wince. The Pugliese, with artichokes, onion, salame piccante and capers, was delicious. The pizza base is also fabulous - thin, crisp and sweet. There are plenty of other dishes on offer here as well, and a small number of rooms above in case the house wine (San Giovese) gets you. Inexpensive, no credit cards.

AI GONDOLIERI (Dorsoduro 36, Ponte Del Formager)
Starve yourself before coming to this small restaurant in the quiet backstreets of chic Dorsoduro, the home of the most stylish Venetians. The food and wines are superb, though fairly expensive. The surroundings are simple, they play (mostly) quiet jazz and the service is excellent. Booking essential.
Closed Tuesdays.

FLORIAN (Piazza San Marco, 56)
Yes, it’s wildly expensive but you’ll get the best cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted, the view of San Marco is sublime and the service is impeccable. Wander inside to see the 18th Century paintings - the café was founded in 1720.
Closed Sundays.

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