Exploring Venice Through Cicchetti: The Best Spots to Try This Tradition

Venice sees over 20 million visitors each year, which may be why you can’t find a table for two in any of its restaurants. Whilst this statement may be a bit of an exaggeration, there is still a much more convivial and memorable way to have dinner on any night of the week whilst visiting Venice. As predecessors of modern finger good, cicchetti is a culinary tradition which provides light yet flavourful mouthfuls and a window into the city’s culture and history. 

Venice at dusk (Albert Canite)

To simply put it, cicchetti can be envisioned as an Italian version of the typical Spanish tapas. They are small portions of local delicacies which can be enjoyed around the table with a glass of the region’s finest wine (the go-to drink order is ombra - think of it as a house wine). What makes this tradition so memorable is its inclusive nature of letting outside visitors stand elbow-to-elbow with locals. For a tourist, this may feel like an incredible experience to recount to friends back home while for the typical Venetian, it is an easy and affordable way to dine out.

Cicchetti are always put on display so you can pick the ones you think look the best (Luca Bravo)

The bite-size portions range from sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines) to affettato served on crostini (a selection of Italian’s infamous hams on toasty bread) and baccalà (creamy cod). As more apertivo-based dishes, ask for olive ascolane, polpette or mozzarella in carrozza. 

Olive Ascolane: deep-fried olives stuffed with a savoury filling (more often then not it's minced meat)

Polpette: Italian meatballs - they are small, rustic and packed with flavour

Mozzarella in Carrozza: mozzarella sandwhiched between two slices of bread and deep-fried

Eating out in Venice can end up being the perfect opportunity to explore the city (Annie Spratt)

Il cicchetto is one of those traditional details which can best describe the history of the region, Veneto. Merchants, travellers and even locals used to live a lot more on the road, obsessed with making the act of socialising a crucial part of their day-to-day lives. Cicchetti were a solution that everybody was only too happy to adopt: the informal setting created a perfect environment not only to indulge in the cheap delicacies but in small chit-chat too. These local spots are small, with extremely limited seating and the actual experience of eating cicchetti doesn’t actually require utensils, making the affair low-cost and efficient for both parties. 

While you may find it enough to find one local bar to divulge in the art of il cicchetto, a common practice for tourists and locals alike is to make an evening out of it. Similar to bar-hopping, it isn’t uncommon for people to start the night in one of these local spots (also known as a bacaro) and end up on the other side of the city with a whole other selection of cicchetti. Not only does it open up the possibility of trying new dishes along the way, but it is one of the more local-infused and gastronomic ways to explore Venice.  

Here are our top five bacari to indulge in the art of the chicchetto

An example of a selection of cicchetti (Bar All'arco)

Bar All’arco

Specialising in the simplicity of crostini, this bar is run by a father-son duo. Regarded as one of the smallest chicchetti bar in Venice, their outside seating area is the perfect spot to do some people watching in warmer months

A classic layout in a bacaro - small, cosy and welcoming (Cantina do Mori)

Cantina do Mori

Some say this is the oldest bacaro in Venice while others say Casanova used to frequent it. Whether or not these can be fact-checked, its old-fashioned atmosphere, speciality in tiny square sandwiches and well-chosen wine selection proves to make for one delicious experience 

Just outside of Al Timon - it's the one with the red banner (Al Timon)

Al Timon

Just off the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, this bacaro is a popular spot among locals and students. Its lively atmosphere and bustling wine bar serve up cicchetti such as beef skewers and marinated seafood

A selection of chicchetti, both savoury and sweet (Vino Vero)

Vino Vero

Located in the quieter part of Cannaregio, this bacaro knows what its talking about when it comes to wines (its in the name after all). Their crostini are served with a very colourful selection of toppings including delicacies such as baccalà mantecato and burrata

That Italian atmosphere is always felt when on a cicchetto adventure (Cantina do Spade)

Cantina do Spade

Among many of the other bacari in or around the Rialto Market lies another gem. Squeeze your way through to the bar and order some of their specialities such as polenta, calamari fritti and calamari ripieni