We’ve traveled to Venice many times. The first time we went, we had a horrible experience. The “hotel with canal view” ended up being a view of one of the alley canals with the only traffic being the garbage boat. We ended up at all of the tourist traps because we just weren’t in the know. We had to go back because of a work trip but then had an amazing time because we were able to spend more time exploring all of Venice. We’ve gone back several times since and finally have a list of restaurants we’d recommend.

You can get exhausted walking around Venice and be inclined to sleep in during the mornings. Don’t do that though! Get your body up and moving and see the locals starting their day, walking their dogs, going to the Rialto Mercato, opening their shops, etc. It gives you a chance to see Venice without the crowds around San Marco and take in a better view of this lovely city.

Rossopomodoro San Marco — Okay, so this is a chain, I get it. But, it’s an Italian chain, we’ve not been to the one in New York yet, it’s close to St. Mark’s Basilica, they had an open table, and we had tickets at a museum shortly, so had to eat. All of that having been said, this was perfect. Beautiful pizzas, quick service, hearty pastas. We’ll be trying the one in New York soon too.

Co Vino — This place is tiny. I mean, really tiny. You will need reservations, and you’ll need to make them with a credit card. But, it’s truly worth it. The menu is 3 courses of an amazingly fresh and local selection. The wine choices are incredible — ask for their help and make sure to enjoy the one you’re drinking because you may not be able to get another bottle of it! The team here works incredibly efficiently and have so much love of food to share. You could go to the famous Al Covo around the corner from Co Vino, or you can go here for a third of the price and an incredibly memorable experience. They are also open on Sundays, which makes me love Co Vino even more!

Oliva Nera — Warm restaurant that has 2 storefronts allowing it to accommodate many people. You need to take a winding path to find this, but it’s worth it. Quiet area out front of the restaurant where you kids can go run around between courses. At the end of the meal, you’re typically sent home with a bottle of their house olive oil.

Taverna San Trovaso — This gem over in the Dorsoduro has beautiful calzones, savory pastas, memorable lasagna bolognese, Tagliata con rucola e parmigiano, and some well-liked fish dishes. You don’t have to stick to the traditional Primi + Secondi, but you’ll be happy if you do. We’ve spent entire afternoons here and have had many local families around us doing the same.

Birraria La Corte — Beautiful al fresco seating in Campo San Polo makes this a wonderful evening setting. If you have small kids, it’s also great for you to be able to have a long lunch while the kids play in the campo — it’s the largest campo in Venice. Our daughter prepared for her track future by doing 8 laps around the campo while we were waiting for our food. Many choices for pizza, and they do takeaway in pizza boxes, so you could order and take your food to go to sit on a quiet canal and have a picnic.

La Zucca — We started out one of our trips with a lunch to La Zucca. Around a quick corner in the San Croce by a photo-worthy bridge, this is a wonderful choice. There is an emphasis on vegetables at this Osteria, but it is not a vegetarian restaurant because there are still many meat dishes, including rabbit when we were there.

Farini — It’s with a bit of a heavy heart that we recommend Farini, as it is a newer chain with locations in Milan and a handful in Venice, and likely many more to come. The colazione can start out your day right, and their focacce and pizze can keep you going during the day. We still got our espresso at smaller and quieter bars where you could still hear the spoons tapping against the saucers. The baked goods here are really a treat and a welcome addition to our experience in Venice.