My wife and I came here after having read a number of reviews. It was our second visit to Venice, after many years of marriage. The first was our honeymoon.
It was a 3 minute walk from our hotel, and that helps a lot. For those not from Venice, navigating the small streets can be a crap shoot, and it's easy to get headed in the wrong direction. For us though, it was quite easy, and that was just the beginning of the delight that is Da Fiore.
There are actually two restaurants named Da Fiore, and we are wondering if some of the negative reviews are for the other one. As far as this one, in San Polo Square, it's hard to beat.
We had made reservations more than two months prior to arriving, and had our concierge check, because it was Christmas Eve. The maitre d' immediately said by phone to the concierge, "Yes, their reservation has been valid since October 5th." We walked over on Christmas eve and while once there, we were seated at a cozy table by the window on the canal, and every table seem to get filled within half an hour. The menu changes almost daily.
We each had a soup first course and an entree. My wife had the pumpkin soup, and I had the seafood soup. Both were very unique and delicious. The seafood soup (Cioppino) was as good as I have ever had, and that includes having eaten delicious Bouliabase in the south of France.
These soup dishes, like all others that were to be served hot, they were, in fact, served piping hot. For those of you who don't like your food sitting around cooling off, this was the most timely, fresh-from-the-stove cooking we've had in years. We noticed steam coming off other plates as portions were served nearby. Not hot plates, just hot food! It comes out to you right from the oven, the grill, or the pan. Absolutely fresh, and absolutely delicious.
The house Prosecco, and the house white wine, a local vintage, were both perfect pairings.
My wife had the millefoglie and I the chocolate tartufo - both were delicious but mine slayed. An espresso was rich and not bitter and we could begin to enjoy it about 10 feet away ... aromatic and filling the room with a rich coffee scent.
The Murano glass on the table is a nice touch.
Every member of the staff offered and spoke some English, and mostly it was good English. Even those who did not speak English well, made an effort, and no one seemed annoyed at making the effort.
It's easy to forget that we should speak the local language to some degree, and we felt the wait staff was particularly pleasant to non-speakers. We did not have a single waiter or staff member who did not make a good effort to speak with us in English or be cheerful about it. The comments by others on impolite staff are not shared by us at all. Again, maybe it's confusion with the other restaurant named Da Fiore.
Even when one couple seem to be lingering far too long, the staff politely invited them to the bar for complimentary digestivo, and they accepted. Moments later, a couple who had had a reservation and was waiting were seated comfortably, and without any unpleasantness.
Yes, it's a little pricey, but in this world, it's often true that you get what you pay for. And if you're lucky, you'll get to have dinner here and realize that it's a good value.
We would happily come back to Da Fiore. It was festive, delicious, happy, and a wonderful evening.
There were chef surprises both before and after the meal, and those were gratis. Nice touch. Merry Christmas.
Bon apetito! read more