If you eat every meal sitting down at a restaurant in Venice, you are doing it wrong. The Venetian way is the “giro d’ombra” — a bar crawl from bacaro to bacaro, sampling cicchetti (small bites) and ombre (small glasses of wine) as you go. It is the single best food experience the city offers, and it costs a fraction of a sit-down meal.
What to Know Before You Go
Timing matters. The best cicchetti appear around 11:30am and 6:00pm. By 1pm and 8pm, the good stuff is gone. Arrive early for the best selection.
Stand at the bar. Sitting at a table often doubles the price. Venetians eat cicchetti standing up, chatting with the bartender and fellow regulars.
Point and order. Most cicchetti are displayed under glass at the bar. Point at what looks good and ask for “un’ombra di bianco” (a glass of white) or “un’ombra di rosso” (red). Each cicchetto costs EUR 1.50-3.50.
Pay at the end. The bartender keeps a mental tab. When you are done, they will tell you the total.
Our Favorite Bacari Near the Hotel
Osteria Al Portego
Calle de la Malvasia, 3 minutes walk
The closest excellent bacaro to Hotel Palazzo Vitturi. Their counter is legendary, loaded with hot and cold cicchetti from late morning. The baccala’ mantecato is superb. They also serve full meals at tables in the back, but the bar is where the magic happens.
Must try: Baccala’ mantecato, polpette di carne, artichoke bottoms with shrimp.
All’Arco
Near Rialto Market, 7 minutes walk
Franco and his son Matteo run one of Venice’s most beloved bacari. The cicchetti here change based on what is fresh at the Rialto market that morning. Arrive by 11am on market days (Tuesday-Saturday) for the best selection. Standing room only. Cash only.
Must try: Whatever Franco is making that day. The crostini with seasonal toppings are always exceptional.
Cantina Do Spade
Near Rialto, 8 minutes walk
Operating since 1488, Do Spade is one of Venice’s oldest bacari. Casanova allegedly drank here. The cicchetti are traditional and reliable, with excellent meatballs and marinated seafood. Good wine selection by the glass.
Must try: Polpette, sarde in saor, fried seafood mix.
Bacarando in Corte dell’Orso
Corte dell’Orso, 5 minutes walk
A slightly more refined bacaro with creative cicchetti that go beyond the traditional repertoire. Good for those who want the cicchetti experience with a modern twist. Nice outdoor seating in a quiet corte.
Must try: Creative crostini, seared tuna, seasonal vegetable preparations.
Osteria alla Testiere
Calle del Mondo Novo, 2 minutes walk
This is technically a restaurant (and one of the best in Venice), but they also serve excellent cicchetti at the small bar area. Wine selection is outstanding. Reservations essential for the restaurant; the bar is first-come-first-served.
Must try: Whatever fresh fish cicchetti they have that day.
The Classic Giro d’Ombra Route
For the full experience, try this walking route from Hotel Palazzo Vitturi:
- Start: Al Portego (11:30am) - warm up with baccala’ and polpette
- Walk through Campo San Lio toward Rialto
- Stop 2: All’Arco - market-fresh crostini
- Stop 3: Do Spade - sarde in saor and an ombra
- Return via Bacarando for a final cicchetto and spritz
Total time: 2-3 hours. Total cost: EUR 20-30 per person including wine. Total satisfaction: immeasurable.
Ask Our Concierge
The bacari scene evolves constantly. Some old favorites close, new ones open. Our concierge keeps an updated map of the best current options and can point you to hidden gems that guidebooks have not discovered yet.