Dining in Venice is a generally pleasant experience, ranging from take-away windows, bars (cafes) to hosteria and enoteca (wine bars), and pizzarias to full ristorante. It's important to choose the right kind of establishment for your tastes and degree of hunger.
Venice is surrounded by water, and so seafood is prevalent. Most restaurants serve fresh fish, which can be scampi (shrimp), white fish, cuttlefish (squid) and octopus. If you're not sure what you're ordering ... ask!
Pizza is available all over Venice, and it is surprisingly good (despite what many tour books say about pizza in Venice). There is a small chain restaurant (Ae Oche -- pronounced A-OK) with three locations in the city with very predictable choices and probably a hundred individual pizzaria-ristorante located in squares throughout the city. Take-away windows can be found on nearly every street, serving sandwiches, panini, and pizza by-the-slice (note: these often close around 6pm).
Ristorante open no early than 7:00pm, many at 7:30pm. Reservations are recommended, especially during the summer months and when the weather does not permit outdoor seating.
Following are some recommendations from other visitors to Venice:
La Colombina di Sigfrido e Domenico. This is the place to go when you want to eat some of the best Italian food you've ever had, period, whether in Venice or elsewhere in Italy. You will be met with the freshest of seafood, vegetables and pasta, cooked to perfection in interesting sauces. Service is kind and Fabio tries his best with English, and speaks it better than he admits. Fresh vegetable soup you couldn't have dreamed of. Tiramisu and cannoli like no other. This is the place to go when you can spend about 20 Euros each for dinner (not including wine or dessert). You will want to return again the next night, and then the next. In the last year La Colombina has ranged from #8 to #1 in TripAdvisor's list of restaurants and it seems every time they get a positive review they zip up to the top again. It's worth every penny and you definitely will go back!
Directions: Vaporetto to San Marcuola stop (or walk about 10 min. from the train and/or the bus station). Once there, you will see the ancient, plain brick church of San Marcuola. Head to the right of the church and go straight past the building with the two lions sitting outside. Proceed to the end of this little street, turn left where you will be at the back of the church; then go right onto a short, unnamed street. Follow to the "main drag" and turn right. Go right again at the newsstand, and you will see La Columbina on the left. The owners, Stacy Corson & Domenico Iacuzio, also have a lovely, reasonably priced guest house. For the guesthouse, keep going straight past La Columbina, and turn left, and you will find it about 200 from there on the right, under the sottoportego.
Osteria al Ponte "La Patatina"
A very nice and cozy restaraunt, right in the centre, frequented by locals, which is much to say when a city is so full of various places for tourists. Helpful and friendly waitresses, relaxed atmosphere, good food (zuppa di cozze e vongole is fantastic!).Ristorante Falcian, S. Marco 353
With 20 Kinds of Pizza, Lots of Spagehetti, and much more, this place is a must! Small but VERY Good Food. Say Hello to the Owner, Cheribino. Try the Pizza Genovese.
Trattoria Alla Madonna(take 2nd alley off canal-side south-west of Rialto Bridge)
This is a lovely restaurant, with excellent food and service. Lots of tables, with a lively atmosphere: not long to wait 'till tables become free.
Trattoria Borghi, S. Basilio 1526
This lovely small restaurant, off the tourist areas, gives you a sight on the local life and there's a lovely old man waiter. It's worth coming for, because of tasteful spaghetti and other delicates.
This restaurant often sees artists coming to dine during the biennale, but the food, always fresh and traditional is a delight.
This is the most famous cafe in Venice. In the summer months, sit outside and enjoy the orchestra. But beware the pigeons which flock around the square depositing pigeon feathers and worse in your food and drink.
Directly Across from Caffe Florian. They also have an orchestra and it is fun to listen to the "dueling orchestras" between the Caffe Quadri and Caffe Florian.
Terrfic Bellinis and great barmen. Located steps from the St. Mark's Square near the vaporetto stop.
Hesteria Al Vecio Bragossso, (Apostoli end of) Strada Nuova 4386, (near Ca' d'Oro stop on route 1, or walk north from east side of Rialto Bridge), 041 5237277.
Cosy, smart restaurant, with friendly staff serving "Cucina tipica Veneziana" (typical Venecian cooking). Tuesday - Sunday.
Ai Gondolieri (almost directly across a small canal from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Food of a higher standard than Harrys Bar or Cips Club. Free glass of Prosecco and small savoury plus chocolates at the end of the meal. Unusually for Venice this restaurant serves no fish but focuses on meat and mushrooms although there were a number of vegetarian options. Service excellent and reasonable wine prices.
Frommers Venice Day by Day shows the wrong location for this restaurant - it's NOT on Cugnai.
It is very reasonably priced, home-cooked cuisine. The menu is hand-written and therefore hard to read to a non-Italian eye, but the staff will tell you all about the dishes so it doesn't really matter. A lovely feel to the place and the peculiarity of the decor (numerous ties hang from the ceiling, hence the name) add to the ambiance.
Very nice small restaurant, located on the south side of the Dorsoduro on the Zattere. Menu is only in Italian but the waiters speak perfect English and will translate on request. Friendly feeling and great view of the Giudecca at night.