Venice’s best food & drink

Venetian specialities include baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod), sarde in soar (sardines with onions and vinegar) and seppie  (inky black squid) with polenta. Fegato alla Veneziana (liver with onions) and beef carpaccio are good choices for non-fish eaters. Also see Nicky’s round-up of the traditional Italian foods you must try in Italy.

Cichetti are Venetian tapas, tasty morsels to whet the appetite and soak up a glass of wine or two. A plate of cichetti is one of the cheapest ways to fill up in this expensive city; 6 or 7 make a light meal, and at an average price of €2, along with a glass of inexpensive local wine, that’s a bargain.

Veneto wines are among Italy’s best. Reds include Valpolicella,  Bardolino and the hefty Amarone while whites include Prosecco, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Manzoni Bianco.

Spritz, the ubiquitous orange-coloured aperitivo, is a Venetian institution;  served on ice with a green olive and a slice of orange, it is made with Aperol, Campari or Select (a Venetian bitter) plus prosecco and a squirt of soda.

Like all cities, Venice has its share of white-cloth, Michelin starred establishments serving (pricey) gourmet riffs on the traditional cuisine. Locals mainly eat at simple neighbourhood trattorias, serving hearty home-cooked local food.

Cicheti are traditionally served in a bacaro (wine bar), which also offer wines by the glass; Venetians eat cichetti before lunch or dinner, usually standing at the bar.

Avoid anywhere touting a set ‘menu turistico’.