The ultimate guide to cheap eats Venice 2024

You, gorgeous Venice! I’ve loved the floating city since my first visit many years ago, but unfortunately, no matter the season, Venice is always full of tourists, and, it is expensive. As there is hard to find a solution to the former, I created a list of tips and a cheap eats Venice guide to help you! So, Venice restaurants, here we come!

For a comprehensive guide on how to visit Venice on a budget, click here!

Content:

Must know tips
Supermarkets in Venice
Pasticcerias
Cicchetti bars
Best cheap eats Venice 2024
Average prices/person in Venice 2024
Food map

Must know tips

Here are some simple and basic tips to know about Venice restaurants.

• In most cases, Italians include the coperto in the menu. This is the tip, but watch out, because during our stay, we had coperto ranging from 1.50 to 3.50 euro/person. Thus, it may happen that you have to be more generous than you imagined. That’s why!
• It’s good to know that if you want to grab breakfast/a snack, there are different prices if you eat at the counter (al banco) or have a seat (al tavolo). The former is about 25% cheaper, that’s why it’s likely to see many locals having their espresso standing. Just saying, sitting has a price 🙂
• In some menus you will encounter the phrase minimum 2 persons after the name of the dish. It means that they only prepare the dish for 2 people or more because it is meticulous to do.
• There are also places which charge for servizi (services) besides the coperto (it happened to us in Murano), while others do not take your money for else than the dish. You can check the charges in the menu before having a seat.
• Run from the places with people calling you out on the street! Instead, try small and local places such as osterias or hidden eateries!
• For informal food and drink at a fair price, try Venice’s bacari. These are tiny traditional bars that serve plates of food and drinks decently priced, adding to the cheap eats Venice concept.
• Venetians are fond of cicchetti (small finger food similar to tapas or bruschettas), so during your stay you must try a cicchetteria.
• Usually, restaurants in Italy are closed for siesta between lunch and dinner, but being crammed with tourists four seasons, this is not the case in Venice. At least, not usually.
• In high season, it is best to book in advance.

As Venice is a highly tourist destination, you need to pay attention and dodge, whenever possible, the tourist traps.

General belief has it, that a restaurant close to major attractions has to be either very expensive or totally touristy with bland food! Although this is true most of the time, the floating city can surprise you! Sometimes, the best Venice restaurants are just steps away from a main attraction, and cheap eats Venice are under your nose!

Supermarkets in Venice

Venice is not cheap. So according to the money you are willing to spend/day, you can cater for your own needs from a supermarket. In this case, opt for accommodation with the basics in terms of kitchen and head shopping. Despar, Conad and Coop are the chains we encountered in Venice and are available even in touristy areas.

Probably the cheapest food in Venice is the one you buy at the supermarket and prepare at the accommodation.

Pasticcerias

However, if you think vacation is not for cooking, there are many cheap eats Venice options.

You may choose one meal at a restaurant/bacaro/osteria and grab a morning snack (sweet or salty) with coffee from a pasticceria (pastry shop). They are absolutely tasty. Besides, you basically bump into pasticcerias almost every corner. If you opt for something sweet, you may take a croissant, doughnut, brioche or other local specialty, but in many such places you may also have tramezzini (very soft triangular-shaped sandwiches) generously stuffed with anything from tuna and eggs to beef.

The price of such a treat is totally decent, so you get yourself energy for the visiting part and don’t empty your pockets.

Here are some pasticcerias totally worth visiting:

• Pasticceria Rizzardini is a place very much loved by locals. Serves delicious pastry;
• 1000 coffee and bakery is part of a chain that specializes in breakfast and coffee;
• Pasticceria Tonolo has a delicious breakfast pastry selection and the kindest owners.
• Bar Pasticceria Ballarin specialises in sweet treats, such as cannoli and pistachio croissants.

Cicchetti bars

Venetians are very fond of cicchetti (finger food similar to bruschettas or tapas), the excuse for an aperitivo any moment of the day. Proud of their invention (don’t say to a local that cicchettis remind you of tapas!), Venetians simply looove chatting over a cicchetto while sipping a spritz. Such places are usually small and very cozy with few tables and some bar stools.

Cicchetti come in various flavours: from the cheaper vegetarian ones with herbs to the more sophisticated with seafood. They are most commonly associated with a prosecco or aperol spritz. If you try some cicchetti, you’ll soon realize how delicious and wholesome they are!

In the cicchetti places you can also find other snacks ready to nibble, like polpette di mozzarella e fior di zucca (meatballs with zucchini flowers) or bocconcini di pesce (fish snacks)!

But be aware that these yummy snacks are not available until the evening. They prepare them and sell till the last bit. so, from my experience the safest option is not planning cicchetti for dinner!

Here is a selection of cafés that serve good cicchetti, but not only:

• Adagio is a small and cozy place reasonably priced that serves fresh food and a variety of tasty cichetti.
• Ai Do Leoni is the proof that you can have a fabulous location without overcharging the prices. Totally recommended spot for cheap eats Venice! Very nice owners.
• Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi has affordable prices and a large variety of cicchetti and drinks.
• Magna Bevi Tasi is situated in the vicinity of San Marco and is famous for its reasonable prices and good service.
• Osteria dai Zemei is another fabulous spot with reasonable prices and five-star bites.
• Cantina Do Spade stays in front with fair prices and good cicchetti.
• Bacareto da Lele is again remarkable by its more than fair rapport price-quality. A must try!

Best cheap eats Venice 2024

Needless to say, that there are lots of restaurants, trattorias, osterias, rosticcerias and other eating possibilities in Venice. Here, I selected some of the most appreciated Venice restaurants both among tourists and locals. The local impression is highly important on the cheap eats Venice list.

• Bacaro Quebrado is a very cozy eatery. You cannot book ahead, but if you are patient enough, you’ll soon get seated. This place was very good value for money and surprisingly, did not have coperto. So, we totally wanted to tip!
• Rosticceria Gislon is a bacaro much valued by the locals. You should give it a try, too! Cozy, with a passion for freshness, it is close to Rialto.
• Due Colonne is a no frill restaurant with good food at decent prices. Had great lasagna and were offered a shot on the house.
• Trattoria alla Madonna is an institution among the Venetians. This accessible trattoria is famous for the fresh fish and risotto, and serves above all Venetian food.
• Tre Archi is placed in Cannareggio and offers fresh fish and good pizza.
• Osteria Fanal del Codega has excellent reviews and a good reputation. Prices are fair as compared to services.
• Osteria a la Campana is a discreet place not far from St Mark’s. It serves authentic well-priced Venetian dishes.

Average Venice prices/person (2024)

These are the average prices for a snack or lunch as we experienced them in some Venice restaurants.

Pasticceria product (croissant/doughnut with filling/large cannolo):	2-3.5 €
Orange juice (spremuta d’arancia):	4-5 €
Still water: large bottle at restaurant	Around 3.50 – 5 €
Icecream (gelato):	2,20-2,50 €/flavour, around 3,50-4 €/2 flavours, even 5,50 if it’s specialty icecream
Pizza slice/panino/sandwich	4-6 €
Cicchetti (small snacks, similar to tapas):	2-3 €/piece
One dish of pasta/lasagna	12-20 €
Sarde in saor (Venetian sardine specialty):	14-17 €
A pizza	8-13 €
A drink (glass of wine/aperol spritz):	3-5 €
Desert (tiramisu/cheesecake):	4-7 €

Food map

This is an interactive food map of some of the best cheap eats in Venice. Pasticcerias are coloured in red, cicchetti bars are green, while restaurants are represented in black. Happy wandering and bon appetit!

Have you been to Venice before? How did you like it? Do you have any further tips for restaurants? I look forward to reading your experiences!