This is a place where the locals eat. It's a very small place but the service, value, and food are…read morephenomenal. It's rare to find a quiet place, out of the touristy path where you can get honest food for a great price. We ordered the wood fired pizza and weren't disappointed. We got the N'duja and pepperoni (*** warning, the N'duja is spicy hot***) and the seafood pizza (outstanding). Highly recommend, especially in the evening.

Date of visit: May 28, 2025…read more The rule for tourist towns such as Venice: Avoid any place that has pictures on the menu outside, folks waving you in, or giant signs outside. Al Garzoti doesn't have any of these things, with their name only appearing inside on the bar. Service is nothing to write home about; our waiter who looked like a young Nick Jonas, minus the charm, barely interacted with us, but the food he brought us was wonderful! If you've already had some pizza while in Italy, then go with a calzone instead. They are large and a great value, too. Note the ingredients first, though; Italians do not like substitutions. I tried a pezzo di pizze with ham and that too, was great!

The best meal of Italy tour. Brought my family here after touring Rome, and Florence. Did not…read moreexpect much from Venice but got reservations from a tip off Tik Tok and it was worth it! Even if you don't get reservations, it's worth the wait and the host is old school Italian, meaning if you put up with him, he'll treat you with prosecco. We had the Squid ink spaghetti, Bruschetta buffalo cheese, the Calamari Fitta, the Risotto, Ravoli and Rome style spaghetti. To top it off, got the Spritz Hugo and espresso. Bravo. One of the highlights of my entire family trip. Highly recommend.

La Piazza Italian is definitely geared toward tourists, but don't let that discourage you. Te food…read morewas better than expected, and the service was one of the highlights of our meal. Our server struck the perfect balance: attentive without hovering, always aware of what we needed from a distance. We started with the burrata and tricolored tomatoes. The burrata was rich, creamy, and delicious, while the tomatoes were just okay. Living in California, I'm spoiled by the incredible tomatoes from our local farmers markets, so these didn't quite compare. For our main courses, we ordered the spaghettoni with cuttlefish ink. The house-made pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and had a wonderful texture. We also shared the Ducal Grand Fry, a generous assortment of lightly fried prawns and squid served with a bright lemon aioli that complemented the seafood without overpowering it. A thoughtful finishing touch was the complimentary lemon sorbet served as a digestif. It was light, refreshing, and the perfect way to end the meal. While La Piazza has a touristy atmosphere, the attentive service, quality house-made pasta, and little extras made it a worthwhile dining experience.

My hotel concierge had recommended to me only two nearby places for dinner, both of which I'd tried…read moreon preceding evenings. With more dinners in the offing I wanted to find equally promising places but feared I'd settle for one of the ubiquitous Venice spots with mediocre food, catering entirely to tourists. La Lanterna looked promising, with what appeared to be locals spilling out onto a handful of tables out front but when I made the decision to dine there I was seated in the plaza, in a large array of tables that I'd not even taken to be part of the same restaurant. I thought of moving on before quickly checking TripAdvisor and noticing the high rating. "This place might actually be good" I remarked, before ordering up some wine. A Seafood Risotto for 2 was decided upon and it proved a thing of beauty, equally lovely to eye as to consume. So a place in the middle of a plaza - not on a canal - can be all that. This meal was great. Do they seat only tourists in the plaza and locals in the restaurant doorway? I'm uncertain but it didn't matter. La Lanterna was a place that I returned to my hotel telling the concierge he should be recommending.

My group arrived in town around lunchtime and were hungry (not quite hangry, but getting there!)…read more After a brief wander from our hotel, we stopped, saw La Lanterna and decided to give it a try. Pretty good. We ordered a variety of pizzas and pastas - all decent. Efficient and somewhat speedy service, good food in a nice atmosphere. It wasn't extraordinary, just good - definitely not bad. Probably a solid 3.75 - 4 stars. Ciao!

Delicious Venetian seafood dishes at an affordable price! I saw this place on YT so I had to pull…read moreup and try a bunch of their dishes. My order: - Fritto Misto (fried seafood mixed plate) - Spaghetti alla Veneziana (cuttlefish ink spaghetti) - Tagliatelle alla'astice Con Frutti De Mare ( Each one of these were amazing and the service was very kind, even helping us take photos. Seating was perfect and the ambiance was great.

With staff hailing from someplace closer to the Middle East than Italy, Rio Novo Ristorante won't…read moreawe you with their authentic anything. But what they've created can be a very fun experience if approached with the right attitude. Come during daylight hours, hopefully late afternoon (for lunch/drinks/appetizers) and sit only at an outside table along the Grand Canal. Situated near the bridge to Piazza Romolo, Rio Novo isn't on a very attractive part of the canal. Ignore the mass of people hurrying back to the bridge to catch their bus to who knows where. Look only at the canal. This might be the busiest, most intensely crowded part of the Grand Canal and it's a gas to watch. Motorboats kicking up wake, tourists on private water taxis making their way to a more attractive part of town and, once in a while some gondoliers taking passengers in a part of the canal far from serene. Is all of this fun to watch? Indeed. The staff here aims to please and will happily grab your camera and wait patiently for pedestrians to pass by before snapping a few dozen photos of you enjoying the place. After your meal, the server will return with an ice cold, complimentary Limoncello for you. And the food and drink? Very reasonably priced and satisfying (we enjoyed both spaghetti and lasagna), especially when you throw in the waterfront entertainment. There's a million prettier canal-adjacent restaurants, pricier and run by Italians. That said, Rio Novo is a fun place from which to enjoy the hustle-bustle of the canal along with well-priced, satisfying food and drink.

The waiter seated me quickly. The menu was diverse, had LOTS of seafood, and had specials for the…read moreday. Elena, the owner, was listening when I asked for a white wine suggestion and suggested a white (Soave Pieropan) to go with the pasta with scampi and zucchini courgettes. A suave, it was a perfect pair! The homemade tagliolini was prepared JUST right, with just a small delicious edge of al dente. Her homemade tiramisu (light, airy, creamy and the 6th best out of 2500 Venice restaurants) with a small glass of moscato was the perfect ending. EXCELLENT RESTAURANT. Run here, it will be worth it.

Amazing food and service!!! Fair price, everyone pleasant, and very tasty! We had a great time!read more

Personal service in a nice quiet piazza with an expertly seared branzino. Pasta was freshly made,…read moreal dente to the second, with flavors balanced to perfection. A special meal for a venue that somehow didn't make it to any of the "top of Venice..." lists. Ignore the other reviews which don't appear to be tied to the right restaurant. Appetizer: 1. Bruschetta (4/5) 2. Tuna carpaccio (5/5) Primi: 1. Carbonara (4/5) 2. Truffle pasta (5/5) 3. Gnocchi (5/5) Secondi: 1. Grilled Branzino (5/5)

My last meal in Venice was my worst! So disappointed. Just went there since it was across from my…read morehotel. Seafood pasta which was recommended was pure salt and tiny pieces of shrimp which probably equaled one small shrimp in total, a few clams, tomatoes and white pieces I'm assuming is calamari. The taste ... again pure salt and smelly seafood (old or frozen), grease, and noodles that stick to your teeth because they're so chewy. The price???? 17 Euro!!!!! Which is about US$20!!!! Total rip off for disgusting food you could do better reheating something from the frozen aisle. The decor is nice so don't let it fool you.

A spontaneous discovery leading to the BEST meal we had in Venice, and even in all of our Italy…read moretravels. My boyfriend and l discovered Antico Gatoleto when we were walking around the Venetian islands. This restaurant is on Cannaregio, and they are truly a hidden gem among the many restaurants in Venice. To note for my fellow travelers, it is common to be charged a "coperto" or cover charge when dining in/sitting down at restaurants in Italy. This was 2€/person. They brought us complimentary bread, and there were olive oil and vinegar at the table. The bread on its' own wasn't too impressive but it was tasty with the olive oil and vinegar. We share everything, cause it's cute and romantic. From the primi, we ordered Spaghetti Alle Vongole (18€) and Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia (17€). From the secondi, we had the Bistecca Di Manzo Ai Derri (21€) with a side of Verdure Ai Derri (6€). My boyfriend had a Coke (5€) and I had a Calice Sauvignon (5€). Isn't it funny that alcohol cost as much as soda? What a good deal for me. Our primi came out first. Their pastas are AMAZING. The pasta is house made and the perfect texture. The spaghetti alle vongole, or spaghetti with clams, has a generous amount of clams. Also to their credit the clams were perfectly clean and fresh. It was so fresh and delicious. The spaghetti al nero di sepia, or spaghetti with cuttlefish ink, was so special because I have had squid ink but this is a first with cuttle fish ink and surprisingly there was a generous amount of cuttlefish in the pasta as well. Each bite was so unique and flavorful. I love both dishes in a different way. Then for the secondi, the bistecca di manzo ai ferri, or grilled beef steak was a nice complimentary part to our meal since we already had seafood for the primi. The cut of beef was perfectly cooked. There were a few tough pieces but overall really good. The side of verdure ai derri, or grilled vegetables, was much needed to balance out all of the carbs and protein. Towards the end of our meal we were curious about the trend of the Aperol Spritz (5€) so we decided to get one to share to check out the hype. It looks vibrant and refreshing but it has a bitter aftertaste. Not our preferred flavor profile but it's really popular throughout Italy. A fantastic meal from start to finish. I still think of the amazing pasta here. Highly recommended.

Beautiful setting, good food, prompt profession service casual yet elegant; and experience that…read moresays yes this is Venice

Recommended by our hotel at the St. Regis. Overall, great food. The staff were professional but not…read moretoo many smiles, until they opened up and socialized. Note that it's $5 cover PER person to sit outside. It's all over the menu so that wasn't suprising but if you don't read the menu carefully, it may catch you off guard. Enjoyed the bread, pasta, and clams. The fried zucchini is a MUST. Water was good but didn't order any wine this time. Overall, great vibes being in the courtyard and good food.

Not able to comment on the food.... We didn't get that far!…read moreMy husband worked from the hotel and took a quick nap (jet lag) while I did some fun Venice shopping. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately in hindsight) I had a quick lunch alone. We had walked by the place the night before and it looked like a good time. It was rainy, so outside was not an option. There was one couple eating inside at prime dinner time (another clue). We were dressed nicely- aware of the prices and my husband was starving. We ordered drinks, the very disgruntled looking waiter stepped away; we made our decisions, closed our menus and he returned. Given I had a late lunch/snack, I ordered an appetizer and a salad (more than equal to the price of an entree), my husband ordered one of the most expensive seafood pastas. The waiter looked at me again and asked what my entree would be. I politely told him I had a late lunch and this would be plenty for me. He DEMANDED we order 2 entrees. I said we were more than willing and capable of paying for our meal, but am not in the habit of wasting food and if I wanted more I would order more. He told us no. Assuming our drinks were already being made, we said we would have our drinks and leave. Again he said no- "this is a restaurant, not a bar! WOW, enough said, we got up to leave and he shouted "5 euros for the water"! We weee so shocked we forgot to take the water! The state they are a family owned business-maybe they have other "business dealings" and this restaurant is just a front- because they are clearly not in the business of customer satisfaction!