10 Things To Eat In Venice, Italy september 22, 2021 – Posted in: Italy, Travel – Tags: Food, Holiday, Italy, Restaurants, Reviews, Tapas, Vacation, Venice
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What dishes should you try in Venice?
If you are already used to traveling in Northern Italy, you will be amazed at how different the cuisine of Venice really is from all the other major cities in the area. Where Bologna has its parmesan and Milan its buffalo mozzarella, the food in Venice is dominated by seafood from the surrounding lagoon.
Venetians are also very happy with their ombra and cicchetti (pronounced tji-ket-ti), a glass of red or white wine with a small slice of bread on the side, which is topped with cod mousse, cheeses or sardines. It is consumed around the clock, and you will in no way be looked down upon if you just kick off the morning well at half past 10 am with ordering this delicoius snack set. Did we say we love Venice?
All that and much more you can read about here in this little guide to amazing food experiences in Venice.
10 things to eat in Venice
1. Cicchetti
In addition to the slice of bread with the wonderful filling, cicchetti can also be small polpette (deep-fried meatballs), olives, or just a slice of mortadella.
When you stand at the counter trying to choose, you should definitely pick a piece of bread with baccala mantecato, a puree of cured fish, stirred with olive oil, salt and pepper. If there is also a piece with sarde in saor, you’ll have to try this Venetian classic. The sardines have been pickled in a sour / sweet brine with raisins and pine nuts.
Cichetti is eaten standing up with an ombra de vin. Incidentally, ombra means “shadow” and refers to the time when wine merchants moved their stand around with the shadow from the bell tower to keep it cool.
2. Risi e Bisi
Not really a risotto, nor what the Spanish would describe as a pealla, risi e bisi is right in the middle. The dish is made on risotto rice with green peas, pancetta and parmesan and tastes heavenly! If you are not fond of green peas, then you also get an insanely good risotto in Venice, sometimes colored black with squid ink and other times just plain simple with freshly caught shrimp and local mushrooms.
3. Spaghetti alle vongole
If you order Spaghetti alle vongole, you will be served a plate of spaghetti with the finest little Venus mussels. The dish is very simple and only flavored with garlic, olive oil, white wine and parsley.
4. Fritto Misto
So this is one of the most fun dishes we have ever eaten! You take all the small fish and tiny prawns you just caught that can not be used for something else, dip them in tempura dough and deep fry them along with a little squid rings and peppers! In other words, you get a plate with everything good from the sea, including shrimp shells and sardine heads – but it tastes really good!
5. Bigoli in Salsa
At first glance, you would probably think that this was just another serving of spaghetti, but bigoli are thicker and made on whole grain flour, often buckwheat flour. The salsa consists of onions and salt-dried anchovies. It’s Italian cuisine at its best: few ingredients, but with lots of flavor.
6. Ffegato alla Veneziana
Do you like liver? No? Well, maybe it’s just because you’ve never tasted it in Venice. Slices of veal liver with soft onions served with polenta is something you will simply have to try.
7. Tiramisu
There is much discussion about which Italian region can actually take the credit for inventing tiramisu. One of the places that is mentioned again and again is “Le Beccherie” in Treviso, the airport town in the Veneto region. No matter where tiramisu saw the light of day, it’s a fact that many restaurants in Venice have the delicious Italian coffee dessert on the menu.
8. Bussolai
The golden, butter-baked cookies come in the round shape, where buso means hole, or as essi, resembling an S. Together they are called Buranelli, authentic cookies from the island of Burano. Fortunately, they can be bought anywhere in Venice.
9. Bellini
Many good things have come out of Harry’s Bar in Venice over time. In addition to the delicious carpaccio, the bar, where Hemminway and Peggy Guggenheim hung out, is also famous for inventing the Bellini, an aperitif made on pureed peach and prosecco. You have to taste it, and as Harry’s Bar is quite expensive, it’s served everywhere in Venice.
10. The Spritz
You probably already know an Aperol Spritz, which you can get everywhere in Venice. Venetians, however, prefer a Select Spritz, made on the local liqueur Select. It’s a nice reddish in color and more Vermouth-like in taste, like a Negroni.
Note that a spritz is not considered a cocktail in Italy, but an aperitif, to be drunk before the meal. But hey hello, the Italians drink their own spritz like juice, so you just order it whenever you feel a thirst coming up!
More tips for your holiday in Venice
Where to stay in Venice?
There are many wonderful hotels in Venice, but where is the best place to stay? On Booking.com you can see the large selection of hotels in Venice, and in the article Where to stay in Venice you can read more about where in Venice you should book your holiday. There are several romantic hotels for couples on the list, and you also get a really good tip if you are on holiday in Venice with kids.
You can also do your own search on Booking.com for a good hotel in Venice right here:
A recommendation: Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo
Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo – click here to read more!
Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo is a perfect setting for a romantic holiday in Venice. The hotel is located right in the heart of Venice, away from the tourist crowds and with a vaporetto station (San Stae) down the street. Otherwise, the Rialto Bridge is only a seven minute walk away and St. Mark’s Square a quarter of an hour.
The small boutique hotel has just 10 beautiful rooms, all decorated in Venetian 18th-century style with exposed ceiling beams, damask curtains, large chandeliers and soft beds. In the morning, the hotel offers a wonderful breakfast in the small courtyard, serving eggs and bacon, crispy croissants and most importantly: great coffee!
See more good hotels here: Where to stay in Venice
How do you get to Venice?
Venice has two airports: Marco Polo Airport, 10 km from the city center, and Treviso Airport, 40 km north of Venice. If you land in Treviso, there are airport buses to Venice all day, which cost 12 euros (2021) for a single ticket. Read more here: Treviso Airport Shuttle Bus.