Osteria di Santa Marina

Campo Santa Marina, 5911
30122, Venezia
Tel. 041 528 5239
www.osteriadisantamarina.com
ostsmarina(at)libero.it

Tues-Sat 12:30pm-2:30pm and 7:30pm-9:30pm
Closed Sunday and Monday
Reservations highly recommended

In a city full of “tourist traps,” this charming osteria in the castello neighborhood manages to stand out to an audience of visitors and locals alike.

Warm and welcoming, Osteria di Santa Marina finds a balance between traditional and modern, proposing a menu with some interesting choices but never straying too far from its roots.

The recently renovated locale has two air-conditioned rooms (a huge plus in Venice in the summer) filled with elegant yet cozy furnishings.

Warm wood covers the walls, while crisp white tablecloths lighten up the dim, romantic interior.

In summer, you can even enjoy a quiet and romantic dinner in the garden by candlelight.

The menu offers a wide range of appetizers; it is perhaps here that the modern additions to the traditional Venetian cuisine are felt the most, for extra attention is paid to the presentation, which is in and of itself quite modern.

Small bites are served on slate, glass or marble platters; sauces are drizzled artistically over the dish and along the edges, providing a splash of color.

These are not the servings one typically associates with Italian cooking, either, but perfectly sized bites of exquisite flavors that will leave you wanting more.

Hand made pasta is served with seasonal first fruits of Veneto garden regions, while the secondi offers a number of fresh fish and other seafood.

The dessert and wine offerings are varied and with your waiter’s recommendation, will pair perfectly with your meal.

As a primo, try the artichoke ravioli, served with sweet aged balsamic vinegar and chive oil;

Go simple with the secondi with a sautéed white fish over grilled vegetables, or perhaps, for a richer flavor, the turbot on porcini mushrooms with veal sauce.

Before moving on to dessert, sample some of the cheeses, which are sublime, served with marmalades and jellies to provide a touch of sweetness.

Fiaschetteria Toscana

Cannaregio 5719
30121, Venezia
Tel. 041 528 5281
www.fiaschetteriatoscana.it

Thurs-Mon 12:30-2:30pm; Wed-Mon 7:30-10:30pm
Reservations recommended
Closed the last week of July and the first three weeks of August

Consistently one of the highest ranked restaurants in Venice, Fiaschetteria Toscana is a strictly traditional Venetian restaurant serving first-rate fish and seafood.

Once a Tuscan wine retailer, this restaurant has now become known for its perfectly fried fish and clams, dark, nearly black squid ink pasta, and local lobster.

This is a family place, as it has been for decades: father Albino runs the dining room, mother Mariuccia makes desserts, while son Stefano heads up the kitchen.

The freshness and quality of the food is clearly the priority here, though that’s not to say that it’s not also a charming place.

The atmosphere is relaxed, yet still somehow elegant; Venetian glass lamps are abundant in this small restaurant, as are typical painted plates, used decoratively on the colorful walls.