If you, like me, are interested in exploring new places like a local, get an insight into the food and culture, find out what locals eat, how they interact and what they like, visiting a local food market, particularly on a weekend, seems like a great choice.This was reaffirmed recently when I got the chance to join the Venice food tour at Rialto Market, led by Rachel from Context Travel. Thanks to her, I got an insight into the local produce, hear some stories of the historic center as well as the people working there and try out some fresh fruits, vegetables, followed by some local snacks, sweets, and drinks. As I love researching all about food, traditions, and culture, and I know that a lot of you might be interested in getting tips about local food, I decided to put together this guide to eating like a local in Venice, Italy. I hope this will give you an idea of what to eat in Venice, specialties in Venice, what to drink, what to buy in Venice and also how not to get ripped off while there! Let me know if you have additional tips or suggestions and I’d be glad to include them too. Here we go:

A guide to eating like a local in Venice. Pin me please!

1.What to eat in Venice: Navigating the Rialto Food Market

The Rialto Market, located close to the iconic Rialto Bridge, is the main food market on the island of Venice (the Venetian lagoon has 118 islands). It used to be an important center of international trade even before the 10th century and you can get a glimpse of  history by simply walking through the old square, past the fourteenth century clock which was meant to help merchants keep track of time, and the old currency exchange house called bancogiro which still retains the name although it has now been converted to an eatery. The market mainly consists of two sections: the fish market or Pescaria and the fruits/vegetables area called Erbaria. As it is located just next to the canal and Vaporetto stop, it is not uncommon to see vendors unload fresh produce from boats in the morning. The market is frequented by locals , many of whom use it as a spot to meet up with friends, before going to an Osteria(See: Venice traditions) or a local eatery in the vicinity. During the food tour that I joined on a Saturday morning, Rachel took us to the various stalls at the market, giving us an insight into what is grown in the vicinity, what people like buying and how certain things are cooked. Here is some of the food you can spot at Rialto Market:

-Locally grown fruits and vegetables in Venice

One vegetable you will come across frequently at the market is artichoke, which is grown on the San Erasmo island , about a 30 minute ferry ride from Venice. You will find them kept in water and they can be cooked in different ways. For instance, artichokes and hard boiled eggs is a common dish in the spring, while the popular way is stuffing and roasting them. Some people also like making Pasta sauce with artichokes.

You can also spot a lot of asparagus in the market ; white asparagus is more delicate as it is picked before it comes up from the ground. You can either just boil the asparagus and eat it or use it in a variety of dishes like Rissoto, sandwiches, salads etc.

Rachel also showed me ‘Monk’s beard’ or ‘Barbe di Frate/Agretti’, a grass like vegetable grown during Spring in Italy. Honestly, I wasn’t aware of this but from what I found out, it could taste similar to spinach and can be sauteed or added to Pasta.

We bought some strawberries (fragola and fragolini) to try out along with some fennel. I spotted Kiwis from Italy, oranges from Sicily, tiny zucchini, and tomatoes. As a rule, the vendors have to explicitly write where each fruit/vegetable is from , so you know for sure before buying it.

Whether you rent an apartment in Venice (here are 18 Euros for you) or stay at a hotel, I feel it is beneficial to have this info so you can decide what kinds of dishes to order outside or what vegetables to buy to cook by yourself.

For our tasting session, Rachel bought a few different fruits and vegetables for us, washed them under a hand pump (several of these offering drinkable water are installed throughout the city) and proceeded to place a mat on a table nearby before cutting them and making us try. I love Fennel anyway but am curious to try a salad with Fennel, oranges, onions, lettuce etc, as suggested by her.

Vegetables at Rialto Market

-Sea food specialties in Venice : What to eat in Venice

The fish market or Pescaria has been bustling with activity for the last 700 years and there are some families that have been involved in getting and selling fish in the market for several years. As I am vegetarian, I didn’t buy or try any sea food in Venice, but if you love sea food, there is a wide variety of food for you to try out. At the market, I found vendors selling sardines (the name comes from Sardinia, Italy) , scallops, canoche, squid, octopus, Red Mullet and cheeks of Monk Fish, to name a few.

Interestingly, I came across this post on National Geographic which says that the fish market was moved to the other side of the Rialto bridge when wealthy bankers complained of the smell and the loud fishmongers to the government in 1459!

2.Local snacks and sweets in Venice – What to buy from Venice

Heading out from the Rialto Market, you will come across several grocery stores, bakeries and cafes.  Look out for the Buranei, traditional cookies originating from the Burano island. You could find them shaped like an ‘S’ or an ‘O’ or even some packages containing a mix of different shapes.  Alessandro from Wanderjack suggested visiting Carmellino Palmisano – the bakery on the island of Burano, although I missed out on it. By the way, if you’d like to go to Burano and the surrounding islands, getting a 24 hour travel pass for 20 Euros is a good idea.I did come across this recipe for Buranei, in case any of you might want to give these butter cookies a shot.

Another local treat I loved and decided to buy some were the Confetti – almonds coated with sugar. Rachel introduced me to the traditions associated with these candies and I was intrigued by the fact that the confetto can come in different colours, each of which represents a particular event or occasion. For instance, several couples like giving out white confetti on their weddings, pink is associated with the birth of a daughter, blue for newborn boys, silver for the 25th anniversary, red for graduating from university and so on. Since I had none of these occasions in my mind, I decided to buy a mix of 3 colours on my last day in Venice. Keep in mind that ‘etto’ refers to 100 grams. So, if you only want to sample a few confetti at first, ask for 1 etto. 100 gms of these candy almonds might cost roughly 2.5 euros or so.

Other sweet treats of Venice include Balcoli, Zaleti, Pan del doge, to name a few.

Colorful Confetti- traditional sweet treats from Italy

3.Traditional Food in Venice- Cicchetti and wine

Speaking of traditions, one experience you should not miss while in Venice would be visiting a Bacari or Osteria (local bar) and trying out some Cicchetti with a glass of wine or prosecco. Cicchetti refers to snacks or side-dishes (think Tapas) and commonly includes small slices of bread topped with a variety of ingredients. You can choose the type and number of these snacks for yourself and having a plate all by yourself could even suffice for a meal at times. Each of the snacks might cost between 1-3 euros and I remember paying about 10 euros or so for a plate once. This is accompanied by a glass of wine or prosecco, made locally. I only tried the vegetarian cicchetti but loved them all, especially one with Robiola cheese. Another cheese I tried at my apartment and liked was Caprinho.

If you check out my previous post about Venice, I mentioned the cool Bacaro which had extended seating arrangement on a boat in the open. Relaxing on a boat with a plate full of delicious Cicchetti was quite an experience in itself, aside from the fact that I learnt how to row a boat while getting there.

Ciccheti and Wine – Venice traditions

4.What to drink in Venice

As I just mentioned above, wine and Prosecco are produced in the region itself and if you do drink wine, you should certainly try it out there. If you’d like to find out more about wine in the area, meet some of the winemakers, visit vineyards and have exclusive wine tasting sessions, there are some day trips you can check out, such as the wine tours at Venice Day Trips or a Venice wine tasting tour by Context Travel. A popular drink in Venice is the Spritz , the refreshing orange-coloured white wine based drink which can be found easily in all bars, restaurants, etc.

Another drink associated with Venice is the Bellini, a mixture of peach and Prosecco. It has a very interesting story behind it. At one point, mixing peach with wine had started becoming known but when Giuseppe Cipriani mixed peach puree with Prosecco, it apparently became quite a hit.The colour of the drink reminded him of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, which led him to name the drink in honour of the artist.

If you happen to order a beer in Venice, make sure you check for the quantity before ordering a Large. A friend of mine got reminded of Oktoberfest when he was served a 1-liter jug of beer, on asking for a large one.

Bellini can also be bought as bottles of different sizes

5.Eating out in Venice

While visiting Venice, one might have a lot of queries about eating out: what to order, where to go, how to save money, what to keep in mind, etc. Here are some points that I hope are helpful, a very important one being – how not to get ripped off in Venice. Venice is a popular tourist destination due to which you might end up spending a lot more if you are not aware of how things work in restaurants and cafes.

-What to order in Venice: Traditional food in Venice

Venice, being an island, has a great variety of sea food on offer. Some of the dishes that I have heard and read about time and again include ‘Sarde in saor’ (referring to sardines), risotto with squid ink, cod fish based dishes, crabs and molluscs (see point #1- sea food).

If you are a vegetarian like me, look out for different kinds of Pasta , Gnocchi and Risotto. Many people also like Polenta, which used to be the staple food for many farmers earlier. I found an interesting post all about the relationship of Polenta and Venice. I was looking forward to try Lasagna in Venice, but didn’t come across a vegetarian one.

Italy has some of the best cheese available, Parmesan being one of them. It is also suitable for those who are lactose intolerant, as the bacteria in such aged cheese consumes the lactose. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post (#1-Local vegetables), vegetables grown locally give us a better idea of what to expect while ordering out. So, if you come across asparagus or artichoke based options, try them out. You can easily find quite a few vegetarian options if you order Cicchetti and Bruschetta is a vegetarian starter too.

You might think of Pizza when it comes to Italy, and certainly, I’ve had the best pizza so far in Florence. But, Venice is not particularly known for the traditional form of pizza, as the wood-fired ovens are not allowed on the island. Nevertheless, you can find Pizza in every restaurant and is very affordable when it comes to grabbing a quick take away.

When it comes to desserts, Tiramisu is a delicious Italian specialty that yous hould try out when you get the chance. I also happened to come across a delicious blueberry cheese cake near San Pantalon, although cheesecakes do not have their origin in Italy.

-How not to get ripped off in Venice

Be wary of where you eat 

This is the most obvious point but I’ve seen how prices vary drastically depending on which area you decide to eat out at. Expect to pay a lot more even if you decide to sit down for a coffee at St.Mark’s Square. Any place offering live music will include a cover charge and make everything more expensive. In comparison, if you go to a more residential area like Cannaregio or Campo Santa Margerita, expect to find a lot more affordable and delicious options.

Sit or stand?

If you sit down in any cafe or restaurant, you pay cover charges and higher prices. Make sure you ask about all extra charges before sitting down to order. If it is a fixed cover charge like 2 Euros, it would still be better than paying 10-15% of your bill as cover charges. At some places, if waiters serve you, you might be given a menu with higher prices. Like I said, ask clearly before taking your seats and deciding between self-service or being served. Tipping is not prevalent, because of which all these extra charges come into play.

Take away food is often a good idea.

Refill your bottle or ask for tap water

Drinkable water is available throughout the city. Some places can easily charge you 5 euros for filling your glasses with mineral/filtered water.

If you’d like tap water, ask for  “acqua semplice” or “acqua da rubinetto”.

For carbonated  mineral water , ask for “acqua minerale gassata” and for still water, ask for “acqua minerale naturale (or “non gassata”).

-Take away food in Venice

If you are not in the mood of sitting down at a restaurant and would rather just grab a quick bite, there are plenty of takeaway options in Venice. The most common option is of course Pizza. You can choose if you’d like a slice or an entire one, and can then go enjoy it while sitting along the canal or walking around.

Other options include sandwiches, meatballs for non-vegetarians and fried food. Around the time of the Venice Carnival, a sweet treat called Fritter is available at all bakeries and I’ve heard quite a lot of good things about it.

This delicious blueberry cheesecake was the specialty of the day at a small cafe near San Pantalon

-Where to eat in Venice: Locals recommend

So, now for the final question: where should I go out to eat? I asked a few people in Venice where they would recommend and here are some of the suggestions I received. Even though I could not go to many of these places myself, hope you find it useful while planning your trip.

Rachel from Venice Day Trips and Context Travel recommends –

–Vineria all’Amarone – Near Rialto Bridge

-Trattoria Promessi Sposi – Cannaregio

-Al Prosecco -Campi San Giacomo dell’Orio

Osteria Alla Staffa – Castello

Elena from Wanderjack  suggests-

Paradiso Perduto – Cannaregio

Remer – Cannaregio

Antic a Osteria Ruga Rialto – San Polo

Ristorante Da Fiore – San Polo

Some more suggestions can be found here. and here.

Rissotto – An Italian specialty

Hope you found this guide helpful. Would you like me to add another restaurant or tip of your choice? Comment and let me know! Do share the post with your food and travel-loving friends.

Big thanks to Context Travel for inviting me on the food tour and to everyone who gave me suggestions, answered my queries.

Context is a network of scholars and specialists across various disciplines who design and lead in-depth walking tours for small groups of culturally curious travelers.  I would love to revisit Venice and explore more

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