Dinner in a Speciality Restaurant When in Venice.

[karpela]

Remember when you are planning that a dinner in Tuscan almost always takes at least two hours, and three hour meals there are not uncommon.

 

You are forgetting we are from the UK and that's normal for us too when we eat out somewhere nice. :)

[bbappel]

We spent several days in Venice before boarding the ship. The more memorable places were:

Ai Sportivi (Campo Santa Margherita, 3052, for pizza, not too expensive but good in an easy to find, busy area - Google Maps), Taverna Capitan Uncino (Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, for a full meal, also on Google maps, but not as easy to get to) and Trattoria Al Ponte (around the corner from San Giacomo in Santa Croce near Residenza Al Doge Beata on maps). We had good meals at all of these places. We just had pizza and a glass of wine at Ai Sportivi for $26; Trattoria Al Ponte was $86 for a full meal with wine, and Uncino was $120. Al Ponte is more of a neighborhood place, with very friendly owners. At Uncino I had the cuttlefish - and while it was good, I realized I didn't much like cuttlefish. I figured if I didn't like it there - where I could tell it was well-prepared, I just am not a fan. I forget what my husband had, but I think I stole some food from his plate. The service was very nice and we were under some lighted trees. Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio is more difficult to find, so might not be a good choice if you are unfamiliar with Venice, but it is worth it. My recommendation is that if it is a beautiful evening, go for the places near San Giacomo. The walk back to the ship will burn off the calories from the meals and be beautiful. We were there in late May and were hit with a surprise rain storm and had to go inside Al Ponte midway through our meal. The staff took care of moving everything for us, we just grabbed our wine glasses. We were a party of 5 (the price was for 2 of us). Our hotel was near Piazzale Roma and we waited for the rain to subside before walking back. So if it seems like rain, you might settle for Ai Sportivi and pizza. The Pizza Margherita was very very good.

Hope this doesn't confuse things too much. If you have questions, you can reach me at ebappel at yahoo dot com.

 

PS - I'm glad you decided to stay in Venice for dinner.

[Floridastorm]

We are not big on eating a full meal in one of these ports. Seeing the sites is expensive enough, especially doing the tour thing in Florence and Rome. However, stopping at a small cafe, having a mixed drink, and taking in the local atmosphere is acceptable. That being said, in Euros what does one expect to pay for something like an Old Fashioned. I have heard that they charge you more for sitting at a table than for standing at the bar. I definitely don't want my wife standing at a bar. Do these cafes serve quality liquor like Jack Daniels, etc?

 

Thanks

[karpela]

We spent several days in Venice before boarding the ship. The more memorable places were:

Ai Sportivi (Campo Santa Margherita, 3052, for pizza, not too expensive but good in an easy to find, busy area - Google Maps), Taverna Capitan Uncino (Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, for a full meal, also on Google maps, but not as easy to get to) and Trattoria Al Ponte (around the corner from San Giacomo in Santa Croce near Residenza Al Doge Beata on maps). We had good meals at all of these places. We just had pizza and a glass of wine at Ai Sportivi for $26; Trattoria Al Ponte was $86 for a full meal with wine, and Uncino was $120. Al Ponte is more of a neighborhood place, with very friendly owners. At Uncino I had the cuttlefish - and while it was good, I realized I didn't much like cuttlefish. I figured if I didn't like it there - where I could tell it was well-prepared, I just am not a fan. I forget what my husband had, but I think I stole some food from his plate. The service was very nice and we were under some lighted trees. Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio is more difficult to find, so might not be a good choice if you are unfamiliar with Venice, but it is worth it. My recommendation is that if it is a beautiful evening, go for the places near San Giacomo. The walk back to the ship will burn off the calories from the meals and be beautiful. We were there in late May and were hit with a surprise rain storm and had to go inside Al Ponte midway through our meal. The staff took care of moving everything for us, we just grabbed our wine glasses. We were a party of 5 (the price was for 2 of us). Our hotel was near Piazzale Roma and we waited for the rain to subside before walking back. So if it seems like rain, you might settle for Ai Sportivi and pizza. The Pizza Margherita was very very good.

Hope this doesn't confuse things too much. If you have questions, you can reach me at ebappel at yahoo dot com.

 

PS - I'm glad you decided to stay in Venice for dinner.

 

Thank you so much for your recommendations.

I shall have a look at them on Tripadvisor and try to work out the locations.

I suppose we are looking at spending around 60/70 euros for the 2 of us including wine, which is roughly what it would cost us at the Tuscan Grill.

I fancy sitting somewhere beautiful but not nessecarily too touristy.

So for that price, perhaps a good pasta and a bottle of wine and maybe some Cichette to start with!

 

Adele :)

[cruiser87654321]

We have eaten at Muro a couple of times. There are two of them in Venice one near the Rialto, the other near the Frari. Both serve good pasta for a very reasonable price.

 

This is the TA review: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1778661-Reviews-Muro_Frari-Venice_Veneto.html

[Lsimon]

I don't think you can say what the typical price for a mixed drink is since it all prices seem to vary depending on the overall pricing of the establishment and it's location. You're likely to pay a lot more at a cafe on St. Mark's square or with a view of the grand canal than you might in a small cafe along a side street.

 

One thing that does come to mind is wine. We've always found that the general house wines served at local spots in Italy, France or Spain is far better than the low priced wines you might get in a restaurant at home in the USA. We'd hardly ever order a house wine at home but do it all the time when traveling in Europe.

[karpela]

I don't think you can say what the typical price for a mixed drink is since it all prices seem to vary depending on the overall pricing of the establishment and it's location. You're likely to pay a lot more at a cafe on St. Mark's square or with a view of the grand canal than you might in a small cafe along a side street.

 

One thing that does come to mind is wine. We've always found that the general house wines served at local spots in Italy, France or Spain is far better than the low priced wines you might get in a restaurant at home in the USA. We'd hardly ever order a house wine at home but do it all the time when traveling in Europe.

 

I remember sitting in Piazza Navona in Rome and realising it was cheaper to order a carafe of house wine than a coffee.

No brainier really :D

[Hawks11]

I understand what you are saying but this isn't our first Med cruise and we are from the UK, so flying to beautiful European cities is something we do frequently. We have been to Rome many times so know how expensive it is to eat well in Italy.

However, we haven't been to Venice before and the reason we chose this cruise is for the overnight Venice visit as we will have 2 half days to explore.

We would like to have an after dinner drink sitting at a beautiful bar on the edge of the canal but we won't be eating in Venice! :):)

 

We have been to Venice several times and had something to eat and drink and never had to pay much. The last time we shared a pizza with a carafe of wine (usually better than a bottle in my experience in Italy) and coffee for about 25Euros. It was a small family place. I would do that and take in one of the local shows:

http://www.classictic.com/en/special/venice-concerts/2/

Most of these are classical pieces easy on the ear and great entertainment.

[nibird2]

OP:

 

Without knowing your history of visiting Venice previously, I can only offer this..... Venice at night is very magical, with less crowds and all the lights reflecting on the waterways. I could NOT imagine being on the ship when one could be enjoying the sights and sounds while riding a vaporetto along the Grand Canal, or taking in the music in St Marks square, or sipping a glass of wine at a casual bistro.

 

Tuscan Grill (IMHO) simply couldn't hold a candle to enjoying one of the world's most interesting cities at night.....

 

Agree with you 1,000%. While the food in Venice is not the best, the atmosphere is magical. Riding the canals at night is a memory maker.

 

Besides, the ship's "Specialty" retaurants are far from being special and certainly not worth the additional money one must pay.

 

Dennis

[FTLcruisers]

did you know that you can get your empty water bottle filled with wine for only about 1 euro in Venice? Many people get the wine, buy some cheese/bread in a local market and sit in San Marco to listen to the music at night. here is the link from the thread on CC.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/archive/index.php/t-1460474.html

 

We saw one of the shops the last time we were in Venice but it was already closed. Peeking in the window, we saw they had the empty bottles there so you didn't have to bring your own and there were 4 different types of wine available.

 

Marianne

[karpela]

did you know that you can get your empty water bottle filled with wine for only about 1 euro in Venice? Many people get the wine, buy some cheese/bread in a local market and sit in San Marco to listen to the music at night. here is the link from the thread on CC.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/archive/index.php/t-1460474.html

 

We saw one of the shops the last time we were in Venice but it was already closed. Peeking in the window, we saw they had the empty bottles there so you didn't have to bring your own and there were 4 different types of wine available.

 

Marianne

 

Wow! That sounds great :)

[cruisegirl1]

I don’t believe I saw mention that most of the restaurants have a fixed price 2 or 3 course “tourist menu” for about 20 euros pp.

Enjoy

[Bobal]

We've eaten at several of the restaurants which are part of this Association http://www.veneziaristoranti.it/index-en.htm

 

Some are more expensive than others but many of the links to the individual restaurants will show you a menu with prices.

 

Venice is not a cheap place to eat and many of the 'tourist menus' are inexpensive but poor. Unfortunately it's often the luck of the draw if you stumble across a really nice restaurant in a side street - and you have a better chance of finding a nice, reasonably priced, restaurant away from the main tourist areas. We've had some great results and some awful meals.

 

They do have a saying that there are 3 prices in Venice - one for the Venetians, one for those who speak Italian and one for tourists - so an attempt at a little Italian may go a long way ;)

[karpela]

We've eaten at several of the restaurants which are part of this Association http://www.veneziaristoranti.it/index-en.htm

 

Some are more expensive than others but many of the links to the individual restaurants will show you a menu with prices.

 

Venice is not a cheap place to eat and many of the 'tourist menus' are inexpensive but poor. Unfortunately it's often the luck of the draw if you stumble across a really nice restaurant in a side street - and you have a better chance of finding a nice, reasonably priced, restaurant away from the main tourist areas. We've had some great results and some awful meals.

 

They do have a saying that there are 3 prices in Venice - one for the Venetians, one for those who speak Italian and one for tourists - so an attempt at a little Italian may go a long way ;)

 

 

Ciao Bella ;):D

[travellerin1984]

We ate in a nice restaurant in a not so touristic part of Venice. Easy location from the port. They have 3-course dinner for 25 euro. Good price for that kind of restaurant because they have been recommended in Michelin guide. Romantic atmosphere and easy going service.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.se/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1466163-Reviews-Ristorante_Ribot-Venice_Veneto.html#mtreview_158401886

[karpela]

We ate in a nice restaurant in a not so touristic part of Venice. Easy location from the port. They have 3-course dinner for 25 euro. Good price for that kind of restaurant because they have been recommended in Michelin guide. Romantic atmosphere and easy going service.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.se/Restaurant_Review-g187870-d1466163-Reviews-Ristorante_Ribot-Venice_Veneto.html#mtreview_158401886

 

That's a coincidence, I'd already short listed this one on Tripadvisor. :)

[Dylandude]

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1804139&highlight=bib+gourmand

 

Posting #10 on this thread is one I posted earlier about dining in Venice, and how good research pays dividends