Al Timon

Fun atmosphere and not just for tourists! They have two small boats out front where you can sit on the water with your food. We had wine and some small appetizers, which were good. You do lose some of the charm when you have wine out of a plastic cup, though!

Avoid. This is mostly a loud, local hangout. Lots of repetitive singing and general drunkenness. So bad we sat at tables just down the canal a few shops.
Avoid.

It’s all about expectations. We only had time for about a four hour trip into Venice and I’m thinking, «oh, hell no»… train station with tourists, restaurants with tourists, gondolas with tourists, tourists with more tourists.
But are you really gonna spend the night 10 miles from Venice and not go into town and see Venice? So we got on a bus and got dropped of at ground zero for tourists… shops with trinkets and little plastic gondolas, restaurants that actually advertise «tourista menu». (Don’t get me wrong… I AM a tourist… but it doesn’t mean I want to hang out with others.)
Anyway, if you walk a quarter mile beyond the tourist zone you see that people actually live in this city and there are small shops that serve the community and restaurants where locals go… this seemed to be one of them.
The menu was only in italian and fortunately the server stopped us from ordering the Chateaubriand (if we had read the smaller print we would have seen that it was Chateaubriand DE CAVALO… horse… which might have been good but not what I was envisioning). The service started off slow as we got there just as they were starting dinner service (damn tourists eating at 7!!) but within half hour our wine glasses were full, our food had been ordered and the place was filling up (with locals!). Everyone was smoking, drinking, eating… when it started to rain they jammed us all inside and continued eating and drinking. You just have to look at all the Unilocaler photos to see that you want to eat here.
The food was good but the ambiance, sitting next to a canal with people hanging out on the boats docked next to the tables … magic hour… great night. Took bus back to hotel and was back in LA 24 hours later.

Ok food. Tasty but Small serves. Not great service, waiter with attitude. Nice drinks.

This place is great. The steak is great and you really can get it cooked how you want. Looks like a college dive but if you let that put you off you will miss the best food in town. You can also get reservations and you will need them on a weekend.

Very easy going restaurant, perfect for drinks with friends and eat some tapas. Choose a table outside, since it has a perfect location by the canal. If you are still hungry, don’t miss the argentine steak, perfectly cooked.

Super! Der Kellner empfahl uns gleich das Steak als Spezialität des Hauses. Es war auch wirklich gut. Allerdings waren wir vom Preis etwas überrascht. Für ein (wirklich großes) Steak für zwei Personen und zwei Getränke wurden 73 Euro fällig. Die Qualität und Menge hat aber auf jeden Fall gepasst. Die Location ist super. In der Umgebung gibt es auch wirklich viele Bars. Am Samstag Abend tummelten sich dort Hunderte von jungen Menschen. Wenn man die Straße weiter nach Osten läuft, kann man nach dem Essen noch einen Stop bei Vino Vero machen. Die haben tolle Angebote (Wein und Desserts) und die Preise stimmen alle mal.

The good: the steak platter is delicious, comes with a large t-​bone surrounded by fries and grilled veggies. The house wine was really good and inexpensive. This place is really popular among locals.
The bad: it’s really really busy and loud, and the service is slow (20 minutes until they came to our table) and curt compared to other Venice restaurants. You *need* a reservation. They basically just gave us one menu option (the steak platter) even though they had a menu with other options (we were going to order it anyway so it wasn’t a big deal).
I’m being generous with 4 stars, because it seems like Unilocal reviews here in Venice tend to be higher (at least compared to San Francisco) and I did think the food was delicious.

Came here for dinner on my family trip’s first night in Venice. It was a little unexpected as it’s more of a pub/​dive bar than a sit down restaurant with service. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great place to be if you’re going with friends and willing to sit anywhere; including chilling on a boat with your plate of cichetti and glass or spritz. However, if you want a nice sit down dinner, I wouldn’t advise. First of all, it’s tough to get a table/​seat. It’s a first come first serve, on your own type of venue. The waiter (yes I meant singular) isn’t much help at all because there is only 1 on a busy Saturday night. You’ll be waiting for service the whole night and will feel lucky if you’re able to get the waiter/​busboy bring you some ketchup/​more sauce for your fries.
We ordered the cichettis from the bar and I definitely recommend the chicken liver/​pâté, and the raw meat tar tars. They’re only 1 Euro! As for entrees– steak for 2, lamb chops and lasagna and it was delicious. The lamb chops were slightly overcooked, but the yogurt sauce it came with complimented it very well (if only they had brought more over :[) Steak was perfectly done medium rare. Every bite felt as if it were melting in my mouth. The lasagna was deliciously creamy and rich. A little too rich for mi mama, but perfect for my sister and I. All in all, great food with mediocre service.

Our family is visiting Venice and concerned that we’d not enjoy the food here. Enter Al Timon. Delicious steak for two, complete with amazing potatoes, grilled veg, and tasty sauce for the steak. They also serve up fun Italian tapas — I recommend the arrancini. The best part is that the vibe is that of a local bar and restaurant — a neighborhood spot. If my favorite bar was in Italy, this would be it! Stay for dinner! The music and the wood walls both contributed to the amazing ambience. The place was full and energetic all night!
Get out of tourist land and come to Al Timon.

Very casual bar with a menu if you’re hungry. We tried the chechetti and dolci and both were delicious. Tiny place with only a few tables. Seems to always be hopping. Only one bridge and a few doors down from Boscolo. If you want a local (non-​tourist) experience go here. You could probably use a dictionary because no English menu and they don’t really help explain it. Good place to have a drink and a snack but they also have full menu items including horse (eek!)

Final night in Venice, and it is pouring rain. We were scrambling to find a place that was 1. open on a dreary monday night and 2. close to our hotel — since our feet were already soaked from walking back from the Main Square.
So with the threat of aqua alta threatening our dinner, we ended up at Al TImon, which is known for the reasonably priced chiccetti and wine.
We did end up eating dinner here — and based on previous reviews of others — yes we fell for the tourist bait and ordered the 1-​kg t-​bone florentine style. But for it was — I thought it was well deserved for one final hurrah here in Venice.
The service was friendly and welcoming, we ordered two spritz to start and they really do mix in a different type of alcohol depending on your gender, so you either get aperol or Campari, in your spritz. Reason how we found this out — was because we tasted each other’s spritz — we had discovered they tasted different from each other.
It is definitely worth ordering some of the chiccetti to start — if you order the florentine steak — I would stay stick to no more than two chiccetti each person. The chiccetti are so prettily displayed at the bar counter — so don’t be nervous to eat, order drinks and chat with the bartender — they were super nice and the atmosphere is friendly and cozy and oddly relaxing.
Overall the service and atmosphere is what mostly made this place completely enjoyable for me.

Cheap wine but good wine. Awesome cicchetti. Highly recommend the ricotta/​sundried tomato, prosciutto/​artichoke, and the fried round bites (not sure what they are but they are great!).
Go for happy hour or late night. Fun atmosphere and clearly a spot locals like. It’s away from the main touristy spots of venice.

Great bartender equals great drinks
great crew equals great service
great food equals great time
You want steak in Venice go here.

I went here on my first night/​meal in Italy and it was amazing! I went with my friend around 7 which is pretty early for italian time and was able to snag a table. We started off with some prosecco and small appetizers that they call chicherri (?). Super yummy and delicious. I especially liked the sundried tomato with goat cheese. For our main course, we had the steak for two which was also amazing. They didn’t ask how we liked it and it was cooked to a medium rare. Thus, if you would like your meat more cooked I would let them know. Overall, very delicious and would love to go back.
When we were walking out, we could definitely see a lot of the locals hanging out of the boats drinking and eating the small bites. Definately a good atmosphere.

Excellent cicchetti and cheap drinks!
This place offers cicchetti snacks for 1 Euro and cheap house wine for 1.50 Euro. Anyone who fell for the «70 Euro meat platter» or «steak» scam is the type of person who would buy speakers out of the back of a white van in the United States. I would advise speaking at least a few words of Italian to the staff, even if you struggle. It goes a long way. This place is off the beaten path for sure. It is situated in the heart of the «Jewish Ghetto» so it is a local bar and you should try to act like a local. We saw an obnoxiously American couple come in, wearing their college team shirts and hats, look around, snub their noses and walked out. If you are that type of traveler then this place isn’t for you. However, if you do make the trip over to Al Timon, greet the barstaff with Ciao or Buengornio and know how to ask «how much is the house wine» you will be fine. Treat yourself to the 1 Euro cicchetti snacks and 1.50 Euro «vino rosso della casa» and you will have a wonderful time. We stuffed ourselves, established a solid buzz and walked out paying about 25 Euros for the both of us. The barstaff was friendly and quick as they took care of all their customers. Just be advised, this is a place for locals so respect the locals and they will respect you.

Ahhh Venezia!
I wanted to have a true Venetian experience away from the touristy bustle and lo and behold…
Unilocal saved the day!
I couldn’t believe this place popped up on my phone and I am so grateful it did.
A wonderful night spot frequented by locals! Perfect!
Grab a glass and sit by the water with some cichetti for an unforgettable Venezia experience.
*What is cichetti? Small snacks — an array of meats and fish piled on bread with cheeses and vegetables
*Waitstaff spoke English (my Italian is for the birds)

Favorite restaurant in Venice! Great service– owner is very nice and remembers you. Some nights may require a reservation. A lot of people seem to hang out here whether it’s for some drinks or to get great tasting food!
We got the steak platter with assorted vegetables and potatoes– the owner will proportion it based on how many people. Steak was so tender and juicy! The pastas and varied bruschetta also looked delicious.
Great selection of wines! Owner gave us complimentary dessert wine at the end. I wish we had more time in Venice and I definitely would have came back to this restaurant!

Ein großartiger Ort abseits der Touristenströme. Hier gibt es gute Weine und Spritz, den man auf Tischen direkt am Kanal oder auf einem Floß auf dem Kanal genießen kann. Das Publikum ist recht gemischt. Auch hier ist es international, aber eben nicht touristisch. Waren am Ende jeden Abend hier.

Absolutely loved everything about this late night bar! Food, staff and wine were amazing! After being jet lagged from Paris, this was the perfect place for a boost of energy! We felt like an old friend to all staff

This was my husband’s fave place, hands down. He would probably give it five stars. The only reason I’m not is because the bartender lady was sooo stressed out — it was kind of unpleasant. That and Venice has too many mosquitoes! (and of course their windows are always open).
What this place does rock is an extensive wine list, and an amazing array of cichetti. We had several plates the first night and my hubby loved it so much, we went back our 2^nd night as well.
Among the hoards of locals that crowd in as the evening gets underway are tourists lucky enough to have stumbled along the back ‘streets’ and found this little gem. There is indeed a docked boat the younger Venetians like to sit on to enjoy their wine and Cichetti (or aperol spritz).
Definitely a cool place. Highly recommended.

for a local taste, walk the back streets away from the tourist fray to the Cannaregio district, 20min from Piazza San Marco, and find this lively bacaro good for cicchetti (tapas), wine, spritz or late night grappa. great atmosphere on the canal that draws a crowd of residents and hip venetians. sit in, al fresco or on a bragozzo, a small flat barge, moored just outside also used as stage for music summer eves.
the wooden bar is stocked with loads of crostini & small plates, cheap (1 €-2 €) but delicious — pecorino, prosciutto, spicy coppa, creamy bacala, marinated anchovy, antipasto, smoked eel — over crusty bread or cheesy polenta. tutti molto buono.