Can the STW jet set recommend a good restaurant for a special dinner in Venice? Eating well in Italy is generally not much of a problem but I'm afraid of tourist-oriented cr@p in a place like Venice!!
I took my wife to Venice in May this year and you really do have to choose where you eat carefully, as you say. We were recommended a place called A Beccafico on Campo Francesco Morisini, a short walk from Ponti Accademia. Absolutely superb place. The fish is generally good in Venice, as you'd expect but this place was great for quality meat too. The waiters kept bringing "little extra's" to the table, aperitifs, after dinner liquers etc, to the point we thought we were going to get shafted when the bill came but it was all complimentary.
3 courses with a nice bottle of wine came to about £100 so not the cheapest but highly recommended!
Edit: seemed to be plenty of locals eating there too (waiters all seemed familiar with lots of the diners)
We went to a nice one on The Grand Canal about 50m south west of Rialto Bridge.
The waiters were wearing wellies to tend to the tables at the waters edge!
Sounds like it's too late but my recommendation would be to avoid anything that is close to the front. Find something in the interior.
I find that's pretty good advice for Venice in general though. Once you're away from the tourist hotspots, it's a much nicer place.
Vesuvius - local pizza place in the 5% of Venice that isn't a tourist trap. Up around the Ghetto area.
just avoid the lights! seriously,go in to the back streets and you'll eat better for less. and definately go to the street pizza shops, they are brilliant!
Unless you have a dead cert recommendation , another one for the street pizza shops up towards the ghetto - nice and cheapish too. Saves the risk of being ripped off with rubbish food.
not dinner, but lunch on the roof terrace of the Danielli Hotel was my highlight. Stunning views of the bay. Can't recommend it enough
2nd the Danielli. Cocktails on the roof and coffee after dinner. V. Pricey but has to be done 8)