Osteria Mocenigo

I beg to differ when people say the food in Venice is not so good. I think it just depends on the neighborhood you are in. There are good finds (and plenty of them!).
We stumbled upon Osteria Mocenigo like the others. Our bookmarks happened to be closed and we were walking through this street when we found this restaurant to be open. We didn’t have reservations but there were plenty walk in tables available.
We were served complimentary breadsticks while we waited for our food. Basically it was from a bag from the grocery store but not to fret. They were still good and this restaurant, while in a casual setting, can really be considered fancy. Ambiance is great and the dishes from the kitchen are quite impressive.
Our first courses were the lasagna of the house and noodles with sea scallops and asparagus. Absolutely excellent! The lasagna was a few sheets of noodles and perfectly square. However, the meat sauce was the high point. It was rich and flavorful as if it had been simmering on the stove for hours. Overall, the lasagna even had a light effect. It wasn’t heavy at all. The seafood pasta was very simple with an olive oil base. The scallops were tender and the asparagus still had that snap to it. There were quite a few cherry tomatoes throughout and with every bite that gave a little burst of sauce to the pasta.
We finished with the fried calamari with vegetables. The calamari had a very light batter, came with zucchini slivers, and the best fried polenta we ever had. They were like polenta fries, firm and salty, and very addicting. We squeezed lemon all over the dish and it really made an impression on us as it was so different from the calamari dishes in the States.
Highly recommend.

Everything was wonderful. Their low-​profile location works for those who are lucky enough to find this place; (1) spacious as opposed to many crammed «elbow to elbow» restaurants in Italy, and (2) very attentive personable owner (I think the tall gentleman who greeted and served us is the owner…) as opposed to sometimes rude servers of many other restaurants who are overwhelmed and stressed out by too many customers…(3) food was very fresh and delicious, yet cheaper than most places. (4) they even have their wi-​fi info (username and password) for each table — something a busy restaurant wouldn’t even think about (they want you to get out ASAP).

We stumbled upon this quaint, unassuming restaurant after a failed attempt to get into La Zucca. Steps from our Airbnb this place was a welcomed surprise. A few tables line the alleyway outside and we chose to eat there. Service was attentive but not overbearing. We tried a number of dishes including Tuna Carpaccio, Beef Carpaccio (fans of Carpaccio I guess) and then gorged on a number of pasta dishes. The squid ink pasta was a fave for me — rich in flavour and seasoned well. The tagliatelle with scallops and porcini mushrooms was also a highlight — as my lovely partner devoured most it.
This isn’t one of those pretentious places you’d Instagram your food from, nor is it a tourist destination with maître’d coaxing you with a menu and a plastic flower. If you’re looking for a great meal while in Venice I’d highly recommend it. The owners are lovely and friendly — and that in itself makes the experience authentic and warm. Then hit the gelato joint two doors down for dessert which was also our favourite in Venice.

Stumbled upon this place completely by accident and I have to say the food here was one of the highlights of my trip to Venice.
Service was very friendly with the owner’s young daughter even lending a hand and as we arrived just as they were opening for evening it was easy to grab a seat outside.
The beef carpaccio was fantastic however the highlight for me was the black spaghetti made with cuttle fish ink and shrimp. The richness from the sauce worked perfectly and if I knew how to make it I would probably eat it every day. It’s probably just as well that Italy is too far away or I would be putting on a lot of weight!
All in for 2 course for 2 people, service and a litre of wine the cost was 65 Euros so an absolute bargain as well. You’d be a fool to miss this place

This restaurant had mostly tourists eating at the establishment. The wait staff were enthusiastic and friendly. Greetings were good. When an item was found to be finished for the evening, they were quick to return to the table and secure a new order. The food was OK. The lasagna was flat and heavy on the meat sauce. The veal was tough/​chewy. The mixed meat platter did provide some decent chicken, but the pork and beef were tough. All tasted of ash rather than smoke or a proper sear. The sea scallop pasta had mostly clams, not scallops. Even the tiramisu was a «restaurant» version that was watery with a consistency of soup. Service was included at € 2 per person. Luckily this is not our last night in Venice or Itally. Day 12 and counting.

My friend and I stumbled upon this place while looking for a late lunch. The owner was very kind to us two lost American tourists and immediately made us feel comfortable. We both had the black spaghetti, which was absolutely phenomenal and stunning in its simplicity. The wine my friend asked for was unavailable, but the owner advised on similar choices and we were pleased with the outcome. It actually might be the best spaghetti I’ve eaten, ever. It’s in a very quaint spot and feels very homey.

AMAZING food and great service! Very affordable as well. The black spaghetti will actually change the way you feel about shrimp. SO good!

Stumbled upon this small place, had to wait 30 min, on a Thursday night, so I would suggest making a reservation. Very small, very quaint, nice people, our waitress spoke good English! We started off with sea scallops, which were big and tasty, then we had the spaghetti with Black sauce and cuddle fish which was great. We also ordered the fried fish platter it was pretty good. We finished with tiramisu, which was pretty decent. Had a nice bottle of wine o go along with the meal. Without the wine, about $ 50.00, so very reasonable.