A Greedy Guide to Venice

All my favourite spots to eat, drink and be merry

I’ve lived in Venice since I was six years old and more than anywhere else in the world, to me it feels like home. Perhaps because I am one of THE greediest people, one of the questions I get asked most often is where to eat in Venice, so I’ve put together a list of my favourites to share with you here. The list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it it a guide to the newest or trendiest restaurants, rather it’s all the places I love most and go back to again and again and again. I hope it’s helpful for when you’re planning your next trip to town.

Da Ivo
S. Marco, 1809, 30124 Venezia; +39 041 528 5004

Small, cosy, intimate and just a short walk from Piazza San Marco: think red check tablecloths and walls covered with old copper pots and pans. Da Ivo remains delightfully unchanged in the nigh on forty years I’ve been eating there: a favourite with film stars and artists alike, you likely will find yourself on a table sandwiched between Damian Hirst, George Clooney or Miuccia Prada. The food is classic, un-fussy but wonderfully delicious fare. Must haves are the tiny pickled peaches which they serve with drinks before dinner, the prawn and fig salad (when in season) and the artichoke hearts topped with baccalà (creamy white cod). For dessert, their zabaione is cloud like and the Dai Dai (miniature chocolate ices) that come with coffee are the stuff of legend.