9 must try food in Venice & best places to eat in Venice, Italy on a budget

Venice — the city of love of Italy is already very famous for its romantic, charming scenery on the canals and unique and ancient architecture. Besides, it can’t help but to mention the uniqueness of the cuisine here. The food in Venice is not fussy but bearing bold local impression that you will hardly find anywhere in the world. If you are still wondering what to eat in Venice for your upcoming trip to Venice, check out the list of best restaurants in Venice below that you absolutely should not miss when traveling to this deam city. So, where to eat in Venice Italy, where to eat in Venice on a budget and where to eat in Venice cheap (where to eat cheaply in Venice)? Let’s check out our suggested 10 best places to eat in Venice Italy on a budget as well as what to eat in Venice, must eat in Venice, must try food in Venice, Venice traditional dishes and best foods to eat in Venice Italy… to clear the answer!

Note: These are all my personal experiences during my recent self-sufficient trip to Venice through the advice of a friend who has lived in Venice for a long time. So, you can rest assured.

Where to eat in Venice on a budget and what to eat in the mainland area of Mestre, Venice

Because I stay at a hotel in Mestre mainland area, I asked my friend to recommend some restaurants and best places to eat in Venice Italy on a budget here. You can also refer to them if you also intend to stay in this area on your next trip to Venice.

Pizza at da Pino Mestre

Delicious and authentic Italian pizza, service is quickly, staff is helpful, ambient atmosphere. The price is affordable, around €8-11/piece. I was very pleasant with this restaurant. Highly recommend!

Address: P.le Luigi Candiani, 17/19, 30100 Mestre VE, Italy
Hours: 12–2PM, 6:30–10:30PM
Phone: +39 041 505 5499

Korean cuisine at Korean restaurant of Opera Ristorante Coreano

Very authentic Korean cuisine, the food was very tasty and delecious at reasonable prices. The staffs are friendly and very enthusiastic. It’s value for money. The restaurant is just 10 minutes away from the train station by bus. Theprice range was average, about 10-15 euros for a main dish. Interesting experience!! See more at its fanpage.

Address: Via Castellana, 13, 30174 Venezia VE, Italy
Phone: +39 041 802 0528

Japanese cusinse at Saikesushi restaurant

This Japanese restaurant was close to my hotel so I had to try it. Every night after 8pm the restaurant will be full with no free tables, so you should take advantage of time to make a reservation. The dishes here are just great, the service was perfect, great prices.

The pictures on the wall (painted on real wood) are really beautiful. What a great Asian restaurant in Mestre. I’m always fascinated about sushi so, I’m always trying out diferent sushi restaurants at every place I visit. Sushi here is fresh, beautiful in presentation. Not too diverse in menu but enough for you to choose from. The fried shrimp with rice was excellent. Lovely sushi at affordable prices.

Address: Via Forte Marghera, 77, 30173 Venezia VE, Italy
Hours: 12–2:30PM, 7–10:30PM/Tuesday: Closed

In addition, there are 2 Lidl supermarkets in the Mestre mainland area, so if you want to buy fruits and drinks, you can visit them. Indeed, what to eat in Venice, Italy has a lot of options and prices are also affordable too.

Where to eat in Venice cheap? Best places to eat in Venice and what to eat in Venice (on main island)

Must try food in Venice: Pizza

Pizza al Volo

Address: Dorsoduro, 2944, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Hours: 11AM–12AM
Phone: +39 041 522 5430

Its pizza is so delicious and tasty and reasonable prices. This is considered one of the best pizzerias in Venice. The price is only about €2/piece and the minimum of €4/pizza. In general, it is very cheap compared to other shops in the area, one of the best places to eat in Venice Italy on a budget. I ate very delicious and true Italian pizza taste, not like those of the Turkish shops that specialize in selling kebabs and pizzas. Highly recommend!

What to eat in Venice: Gelato ice cream

Gelato (Italian ice cream) is already very famous worldwide, so don’t miss the opportunity to taste it when you have the opportunity to travel to Italy. I feel like I prefer Italian ice cream over Greek yogurt ice cream. Italian ice cream has a moderate sweetness and fat.

Gelatoteca Suso: This Gelato shop is already very famous in Venice and is always praised by everyone as the best. The price is about €2.5/1 coop of ice cream. Duringn my trip to Venice, I had the opportunity to taste various gelato at 5 ice cream shops here. In general, this shop is the best among the places I have eaten. The rest of the shops are pretty good. The prices at these shops are not much different.

A 2-min walk from the Rialto Bridge
Address: Sotoportego de la Bissa, 5453, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Hours: 10AM–11:30PM

There is another shop that I find the price is cheaper but the food is also delicious, which is Gelateria Igloo. Only €1.8/1 ice cream. You can try it.

Address: Calle Larga Giacinto Gallina, 6381/b, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Hours: 10AM–9PM

Best foods to eat in Venice Italy: Specialty of fresh noodles

Bigoi Venezia restaurant

This restaurant specializes in selling fresh noodles made on the spot, so the food is delicious. The price is quite cheap, about €6-6.5/serving. There are many different flavors such as seafood, black squid noodles… Note that you have to standing up to eat, there is no place to sit. Next to it, there is a restaurant specializing in fried seafood and porridge, each portion is from 5-7 euros, it’s also quite delicious.

Address: 1415 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10021, United States
Hours: 11AM–10PM

Must try food in Venice: Cicchetti

Every lunch break or after work, Italians often have a habit of going to bars to sip a glass of wine and have a few snacks before going home. The Venetians call this habit is giro d’ombra. Giro in Italian means “to wander around” and ombra in the Venetian dialect means “a glass of wine”. Therefore, giro d’ombra is understood as wandering around the bars (the Venetians call it bacaro) to enjoy a glass of wine and snacks. And here they often have the habit of drinking wine and eating snacks. These snacks are nicknamed cicchetti.

The word “cicchetti” comes from the Old Latin word “ciccus”, which means “small pieces of food”. In the past, this dish was quite simple, mainly bread with boiled eggs, olives, Italian cold cuts. But since Venice became famous and known to many people, this dish became a feature of Venetian cuisine. Currently, cichetti has been processed quite diversely with many different toppings on sliced ​​bread such as cheese, cold cuts, sausages, seafood, vegetables.

Address: You can eat at restaurants along Fondamenta dei Ormesini street. There are many choices here.

What to eat in Venice: Venetian cuisine

You should try some typical local dishes such as rice or noodles with Cuttlefish in black ink sauce, seafood noodles, sardine cooked with onion vinegar, branzino, grilled orata, seafood soup, Spritzt drink.

Rice or noodles with Cuttlefish in black ink sauce

Honestly, I didn’t dare try it at first. It looks black, so it’s quite weird. But the taste was fine. Venetians use nectar of squid and its ink mixed with spices to create a black broth and mix it with rice or noodles to cook..

In addition, thanks to vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes, onions… make the dish richer in flavor. This dish has a relatively strong pungent smell but a hint of sweetness from the seafood. In general, each person has their own taste, but if you don’t mind, you can try it.

Best food in Venice Italy: Sweet and sour sardines (sarde in saor) – Sardines with vinegar and onion sauce

Sarde in Saor has the main ingredient of sardines and vinegar as the flavor base. The Venetians use sardines after being marinated in vinegar, onions, raisins, pine nuts, etc., then deep-fried. The dish has a strong concentration and a slightly strange taste. Local use Sarde in Saor as an appetizer for family meals or traditional party occasions.

To enjoy the above Venetian specialty, you can visit some canalside restaurants. The view is so beautiful, so the price is also a bit higher than normal restaurants.

• Ristorante Florida Venezia: (A 1-min walk from the Rialto Bridge/Address: Fondamenta del, Riva del Vin, 733, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy/Hours: 10AM–1AM), the restaurant near the foot of Rialto bridge. Minimum price €10.
• Restaurant Terrazza Danieli: (Address: Riva degli Schiavoni, 4196, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy/Hours: 3–11PM), the restaurant with super nice view, located on the rooftop of the luxyry Hotel Danieli. The minimum price is €40/serving.
• La Palanca: (Address: Fondamenta Sant’Eufemia, 448, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy/Hours: 7AM–9PM; Sunday: Closed), affordable price in the range of €9-15, nice view.

Of the three restaurants above, I just tried the last one and was quite satisfied. Friendly service, affordable prices and beautiful views. Highly recommend it!

Hopefully, the above review will help you have more choices in what to eat in Venice and have a memorable trip.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from, and to Venice you can refer to

• Shared Marco Polo Airport (VCE) Transport for Venice by Alilaguna Waterbus
• Venice Gondola Ride
• Venice Guided Day Trip from Milan
• Venice Excursion Day Trip
• Venice Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Boat Tour
• Gondola Ride and Discover Venice Tour
• Murano, Burano, and Torcello Day Trip
• The Doge’s Palace Tour in Venice
• St. Mark’s Basilica Tour in Venice
• Best Of Venice Walking Tour
• Tasting Venice: Food and Wine Walking Tour

Are you looking for more top things to do in Venice: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here: Venice travel blog — The fullest Venice city guide for a great trip to Venice on a budget for the first-timers. And more Italy travel guide here.