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Osteria Trefanti

4.6 (16 reviews)
PriceySeafood, Venetian
Open • 12:00 pm - 2:30 PM, 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Osteria Trefanti Photos

OSTERIA TREFANTI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Dressy
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Osteria Trefanti

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mantis shrimp
Grace N.

ordered dry white, Mantis shrimp as appetizer, Sea bass as main, egg custard (flan) as dessert, about 54 euro. mantis shrimp was cooked with lemon zest n olive oil, simple n tasty, incredibly fresh. sea bass was delicious, fresh ingredient, salty sauce, combined with under salted steam vege, i like the way it cook n cleaned up the plate with bread. dry white is recommended by server. (safe choice) ** highly recommend for seafood lover. ** 5mins walk from the St Lucia Train station/ Scalzi Bridge, easy access

Scallops!
Richard B.

Get reservations, only 8 tables and they turned several people away while we ate. Service was friendly and impeccable and the menu changes, they had new offerings that had started the week before. Wines by the glass were dry and tasty. Sparkling water was affordable and very good, a different brand than most. A gazpacho amuse Bouche was served, delicious nice touch. We started with the scallops with strawberries which were savory with just a hint of sweet. Our first course was also delicious. For second course we had the swordfish with capers and olives which was a large portion full of flavor. We also had the turbot with artichokes which was much more subtly flavored, but nice. We were too full for dessert but they looked delicious. The meal ran 89 euros.

Jeff M.

We had an excellent meal here last night Turbot in coconut milk with cashews and artichoke stems was wonderful. To start I had the marinated shrimp salad with sesame seeds, caramel, blueberries and currents Service was impeccable Dinner for two was €108 which included 2 apertivos, each of us had 2 courses, a bottle of wine and a shared dessert of orange marmalade cake baked by the owners mother!

Jeanie D.

We stopped in here for a nice lunch. We were so happy with the quality of the food. We ordered the clams and mussels to start, sea bass ravioli, and the turbot as or main. We enjoyed everything. All of the dishes were flavorful and well balanced. I bet all of their dishes are simply delicious. I'd definitely give this place a try. It's on the pricier side but I'd definitely say it's well worth it.

Baby octopus
Halley D.

I could pen a novel about my food, but I'll get to the point: hands down, the freshest and most interesting dishes I had in Italy. Osteria Trefanti is a small, cosy restaurant serving straight-outta-the-Adriatic seafood. While in Venezia, I was fraught with the dilemma of trying to get cheaper (but potentially lower quality) food or breaking the bank in the hopes of tasting perfection. Let's be honest, nothing is cheap in Venice. However, Osteria Trefanti served 5 star food at a not unreasonable price [plates run in the €15-25 range]. Freeze-thawed fish at a fancy East Coast spot can be in excess of $40, so I was totally willing to invest several courses at Trefanti. The service is also personable and knowledgeable; I visited on two separate occasions and had delightful experiences both times. So on to the important stuff, the food: 1. baby octopus - tender and delicious, soaked in a herbal EVOO concoction. It's accompanied by a small garden salad and some fresh tomato (which actually work nicely with the octopus). As with the complementary bread, I shied from the salad as I wanted to save stomach space for the mains! 2. Shrimp with caramel and raspberry salad - ok, so this is a salad worth eating. The first time I've ever had caramel in a salad (it's small flecks, not a gooey sauce) but it worked well. Didn't sample the shrimp, but my dining companion was in love. 3. Fresh scallops with cherry tomato and fennel - not a big dish, but SO WORTH IT. The fennel is licoricey rich and complements the scallop. The presentation is also stunning. 4. Sea bass with chicory, olives, and garam masala curry - the veg and sauce accent the fish nicely, but it really is the freshness and execution of the bass that takes center stage. 5. Sole with strawberry and lime - my favourite meal of the year (2017). Proof that simple, harmonizing ingredients cooked well can be a stunner. I never thought to pair white fish with berry and citrus, but it was a winning combo. The sole was also impossibly moist and light. Perfection. 6. Torte della nonna - a classic cake with thick, hazelnut fudge base. My nonna is not much into cooking, but this is exactly the kind of cake your kindly 'ol nan should be whipping up. Again, a simple meal but executed so well. Trefanti is small and Italians love to dine late, so I recommend coming on the earlier side to snag a window-side table. The neighbourhood gets pretty quiet and sleepy, so it's the perfect place to wind down for a gustatory exploration and good conversation.

grilled baby octopus
Cameron B.

Nice little restaurant. 8 tables, so reservation suggested unless you come early (they open at 7pm). Typically mostly the foreigners come before 9pm as I've learned ;-). Menu is only in Italian but both of the waiters speak English quite well so it's no problem and they are happy to basically translate the whole (fairly large) menu on the fly. Food was very tasty. Grilled octopus, branzino, squid ink & cuttlefish pasta were all great. And the homemade deserts were a treat as well. And delicious wine was only €3 a glass. Great value and great food. Service was good and staff friendly. Try it.

The gnocchi with squid.

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11 years ago

Food isn't that great In my opinion. Service is excellent though. It is quite pricey! Small place, cheap house wine (3 euro a glass)

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Review Highlights - Osteria Trefanti

“Next, we got the tagliatelle with monkfish cheeks - best pasta of Venice so far with a delicious sauce and tiny nuts.”

Mentioned in 5 reviews

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Trattoria da Denis - Spaghetti with garlic, oil and chili....outstanding!

Trattoria da Denis

4.2(28 reviews)
1.6 km
•€

Was able to make a reservation for 3 somehow on some local platform (spouse) for 8 pm Sunday…read moreevening in June. Other walk in accommodated as much as possible. Arrived a bit early and seated at window seat inside immediately. The inside is cozy but adequate. The staff hustled and were very efficient and friendly. We ordered the seafood special based upon walking in and seeing a huge pan on fresh seafood on table and thus made it easy for me and the kid to decide. It was their house special at 35 euros per person (minimum 2). Included lobster and a bunch of shrimp, clams, mussels, and calamari in a red broth. Also two large scallops. Takes at least 30 minutes to prep so need the appetizers to get you by. The also close out the special by tossing in pasta after your done with the seafood into the remaining broth. Full disclosure it's a mess to eat. Must use hands. The cover you with s bib. It was delicious. The spouse does not like briny seafood so she didn't eat much but more than enough for 3 (except not for the scallops and lobster portion). We started with a few appetizers. Spouse had the lasagna. It looked good and home made but again I ignored it due to the mountain in front of me. A few drinks and bottle of water. I wish the pasta was available before the end but understand they want to toss it into your pan of sauce. I had originally asked to order a pasta to complement but they said it came with a pasta after ( so I agreed ). Obviously we are tourist so I can't take extra home of which would have been plenty. Total cost about 143 euros. (No additional taxes or tip). Credit card available but we needed to roll home to hotel so left 150 cash on table.

2 words- food poisoning. We came here for dinner on our first night in Venice because of the great…read morereviews. The staff was so kind and helpful! We sat indoors which felt so nice with the AC! The food and drinks were okay taste-wise. I would give the taste a 6.5 out of 10. Good yet not tons of flavor. The food was good for filling our tummies in the moment but not good enough to return. The worst part - food poisoning. I had the calamari and boyyyyy was I sick afterwards. It turned our experience from "okay" to "ouchhhhh". Unfortunately, we will not be returning for more. :(

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Trattoria da Denis - Store front.

Store front.

Trattoria da Denis - Sea bass

Sea bass

Trattoria da Denis - Spritz's - 7.5/10

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Spritz's - 7.5/10

Osteria Trefanti - seafood - Updated October 2026

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