Venice 2012 Guidebook
Best and worst restaurants:
Best: Ca d'Oro Tavern
Why: I can't find the book for an exact name match but it is the place with the polpetti. It was an ear-splittingly noisy mob scene from the minute the doors opened at 6:30, seven people deep at the bar. The polpettis were good and very filling, the house wine will remove the enamel from your teeth. I had dinner there (pasta) and it was salty and very bland. Cookies and dessert wine were great.
Worst:
Why: I traveled alone and as a single diner I was always seated in a deserted part of the restaurant, away from any noise, life and charm. On my next trip I might re-think the "stay away from touristy areas" rule and choose a place near St. Marks that is warm, lively and full. I was not impressed with the food in Venice overall, even in recommended restaurants, so I feel one place would be as good as the next.
Suzanne in San Diego, CA USA 12/27/2011
Worst: Ristorante All Conchiglia
Why: Pre-Fixe dinner is average at best.
Peter Fabriele in Scotch Plains, NJ USA 10/20/2011
Best: Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci
Why: Really good fish and vegetables, pleasant and friendly staff, lovely location by canal. Very accomodating at squeezing us in when restaurant was full.
Elizabeth Bamberger in Portland, OR USA 09/26/2011
Best: Antica Berraria la Corte
Why: Exactly as recommended by RS, we ate dinner there two of our three nights in Venice. Food and service were excellent; lots of outdoor seating on the big neighborhood square which our grandkids loved. They played with other children from the restaurant and neighborhood while the older folks finished our wine and relaxed. A great spot.
Ron in DeWitt, MI USA 06/30/2011
Worst: Osteria La Duca in Verona
Why: Although the food may be traditional Veronese, we found it to be pretty dreadful. The grilled chicken had absolutely no flavor, the pasta with anchovies had so many anchovies it was almost too salty to eat and the veal with tuna sauce was just a bunch of mush that tasted like bad tuna fish from a can mixed with Miracle Whip. Who says you can't get a bad meal in Italy?
Michael in Seattle, WA USA 05/23/2011
Best: La Lanterna in Padua
Why: Great staff and wonderful experience dinning out in Piazza dei Signori. Come early, tables filled up by 8:15 PM when we were there in early April.
Bill Bozo in Springfield, VA USA 04/13/2011
Best: Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci
Why: Why?!!!! Oh, let me count the ways! First, Roberto is great! My husband and I got there a little ahead of our reservation time and we stood on the bridge a few feet away just watching the world around us. Seeing the speed and fluency with which the outdoor server conducted business immediately resonated with your reference to Roberto in your book. We did reserve for canal-side and he was our server! The best! He recommended the house special" flounder, which he brought to the table fresh! Then he described how it was going to be prepared, and we were sold. We ordered a bottle of wine and began our dinner extravaganza. We started with a shrimp appetizer with some kind of mustard sauce and, of course, bread. It was killer! Then the flounder was ready and a girl brought it out and filleted and de-boned it right there WITH A SPOON! It looked so easy - but I know better. Then it was time to eat...I'm pretty sure the heavens opened and angels sang! It was glorious! We ordered another bottle of wine and since the one we had ordered was out Roberto recommended another that was so close it was hard to tell the difference! We had desert and cappuccino and probably would've started all over again if we had any room left to put it! My husband and I talk about this dinner frequently and are planning our five year anniversary to include time in Venice and we will go back to ai Greci as many nights as we can afford! Thank you for this recommendation!
Shannon Fonferko in Schaumburg, IL USA 03/20/2011
Best: Osteria alle Testiere
Why: Loved the food and welcoming service. It was like being in someone's home. The simple grilled fish was fresh, cooked to perfection and served beautifully. Would recommend to others and plan to return.
Elaine Wolfson in Reston, VA USA 12/04/2010
Best: DaGiovanni
Why: We have eaten here many times and always enjoy the family type atmosphere and friendly waiters.
Cherie Bernave in Walla Walla, WA USA 10/19/2010
Best: Villa Nani Moncenigno
Why: Excelent food and friendly employees. Located in Dolo,VE, Italy about 500 meters from the Hotel Villa Gasparini. The restaurant in rated in Michelin Guide.
Ron Palumbo in Houston, TX USA 08/02/2010
Best: Pizzeria Peter Pan
Why: Good pizza at a very reasonable price (4.50 euros for a huge slice of pizza + a soda)
Karen Campbell Motsinger in Urbana, IL USA 06/03/2010
Best: Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci
Why: Nice canalside dining. Service and food were good.
Worst: Ai Quattro Feri
Why: We tried to eat their during lunch, but they closed. We went back for dinner. Very unfriendly. Worst Seafood Spaghetti we had during our 10 days in Italy. No flavor. Do not go there. The service was poor with an attitude with only 8 tables in restaurant.
Susie Deyo in LaConner, WA USA 05/22/2010
Best: Muro and Ae Oche
Why: Muro was recommended by and only a block from our hotel (Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo). It was somewhat upscale, but reasonably priced and the pastas, salads and desserts were all wonderful! Our favorite meal in Venice!
Ae Oche (pronounced "A-OK") was a casual pizzeria that had a HUGE selection of wonderful pizzas and good pastas as well. Fun vibe--reminded me of a good college town pizza place. Right on Piazza San Giaccomo in Santa Croce.
Steve in Tulsa, OK USA 04/21/2010
Worst: "Le Chat Qui Rei"
Why: Please, please...remove the restaurant "Le Chat Qui Rei" from the Venice guidebook. It's the worst food I've ever seen and eaten.
The pasta looked and tasted as if it had been lying in the open, unrefrigerated, for days. Not even the obligatory reheat could save it.
The "chicken and mushrooms" dish was beyond rubbery and tasted like some dirty chew toy.
The baked chicken was so oily my sister was sick for two days.
The vegetables, in typical style elsewhere, are cooked to the point of soup.
Prices have gone up. No longer the 5,00 Euro or so quoted in the 2009 Guidebook, pasta will run you about 6,50 and it goes up from there.
We were shocked, to say the least. This is one time where the guidebook was horribly wrong.
If I were starving and this eatery was the only place on the planet, then _maybe_ I might consider eating there...but I doubt it.
Tonya in Phoenix, AZ USA 10/28/2009
Worst: Harry's American Bar
Why: The prices were astronomical! No mention is made in the book about how outrageous the prices are in this restaurant. Even a bowl of soup is 29 euros! Plus there was zero atmosphere in the upstairs room...no music, just awkward silence. It should be listed under "Ripoffs and Security Alerts".
Lisa in Dallas, TX USA 09/23/2009
Best: Gelato (your number 1)
Why: Because it is delicious.
Worst: le Chat Qui Rei
Why: While it is an "oasis of efficiency", the food is not one you would see in a mirage. The food has been sitting there for what seems like days and is not the stuff you'd want to enjoy.
Julia Bodson in Salt Lake City, UT USA 08/14/2009
Worst: Trattoria Pizzeria Nono Risorto
Why: Surly service. We went during the weekend of an anti-American military protest in Vicenza, and there were signs throughout the restaurant and menu in support of that protest. Maybe that's why we were treated badly. Anyway, the food was some of the worst we had in Italy. Horrible penne con verdure. We've followed dozens of Rick Steves' restaurant recommendations, and this is the first time we've been disappointed.
Meredith USA 07/07/2009
Best: Brek
Why: Cheap prices, good lasagna, delicious wine, all for about 15 euros for two people!
Laura in Louisville, KY USA 06/05/2009