La Bitta

Was looking for a place off the beaten path. This place was great. Had the pork cheek, it was probably the most delicious meal we had in Venice.

This defeats the myth that all restaurants in Venice are touristy and underwhelming. Both food and wine selections were excellent. I had a leg of goose. Reservations are a must — I was there in off-​season and mid-​week and still it was a full house.

So delicious. Servers are great. Got the artichoke salad and venetian liver & onions, both great. The panna cotta was out of this world.

We had a great dinner at La Bitta. We were all craving not fish and this meat centric place did not disappoint. My husband had tender liver and onions with creamy polenta. My daughter ordered a wonderful beet ravioli, while I reveled in my choice of fabulous gnocchi. We ate on the patio. Prices were reasonable, service was excellent, and wine list was good. Funny to me complaints of eating where tourists are. Venice at this point would not exist if not for tourism, so what’s wrong with a great meal surrounded by an international crowd in a lovely setting?

Yep yep yep.
This was the best restaurant we had in Venice — the zucchinis gnocchis (€ 11) were out of this world, try them if they have them on the menu! The beef carpaccio (€ 11) and the bolognese tagliatelle (€ 10) were also homemade and very good, but not comparable.
The desserts were good too; prefer the caramel panna cotta over the chocolate cake, a bit disappointing (but served with fig jam, a nice touch).
Service is very friendly (+ free tap water! yay!) and the room is very cosy, perfect for a romantic dinner.

Just when you think Venice is too touristy, you come across a place like this. I ate here last night and had an amazing meal. This is the sort of place where you can ask the waiter what they recommend and everything is great.
I initially ordered the pork loin and was asked if I wanted a starter. She recommended the ravioli so I got it. I knew I wanted to drink wine, so I asked for her recommendation. She initially opened a white, but after a taste I knew I really wanted a red. Next, she opened a red wine and it was perfect. They also have a great policy where they only charge for what you drink. You drink half of the bottle, you only pay for half of the bottle.
The ravioli was filled with eggplant and covered with just a little red sauce and olive oil. They are pretty big and could probably make a meal of it. For my main course, I ordered a pork loin and it was fantastic. I’m not sure what was on it, maybe oregano or something, but it was amazing.
After all of this food, I went for gold and asked what she recommended for dessert. She said tiramisu, so it was so. The tiramisu was great. There was just the right amount of cream to lady fingers which weren’t drenched in alcohol. Needless to say, I ate all of it.
Things fill up here pretty quick and early, so make a reservation too.

Thanks to other Unilocalers we found this little gem of a restaurant. Tucked away on a little street near a small square you will find this foodie lover restaurant. Reservations are a must. They only have about 20 tables and do two seatings an evening. Everything is super fresh and as close to farm to table as you can find in venice. The menu is handwritten offering only what they are making that day plus the occasional special that the wait staff will tell you about once you are seated.
We started with the smoked beef cappacio over a bed of micro greens and a fresh baby artichoke salad. The artichokes were thinly sliced and amazing. Next up we order the stewed rabbit and the fresh lamp. The rabbit was one of the best I have ever had. There were little bits of rabbit liver chopped up in the sauce with raisins and fresh mushrooms. Amazing. The lamb chops were served medium rare and probably one of the freshest tasting lamb we have ever had. Once again the sauce was perfection.
The waiter helped us find a local wine that went with the meal. Their collection of veneto wine was really interesting. As was the grappa. Name the style of grappa and they had it!
Couple of notes — CASH ONLY, make a reservation, and this is a very meat centric place. However the vegetarian option also looked delish. No seafood at this place.

Le soir de notre arrivée à Venise nous nous sommes dirigés vers La Bitta en espérant y dîner bien que les guides et les avis s’accordent sur le fait qu’espérer y manger sans réservation est peine perdue.
Nous y sommes pourtant parvenus malgré les tables déjà réservées, un serveur nous a installé à une petit table après rapide réflexion.
Le cadre est agréable et les serveurs sont sympathiques. Ceux-​ci parlent anglais et français, ça peut être utile.
Au repas, tagliatelles au porc et légumes suivi d’un gâteau au chocolat maison avec marmelade oranges, le tout accompagné d’un vin au verre bon et peu onéreux.
Une très bonne adresse sur Venise mais pensez vraiment à réserver !

We had La Bitta recommended to us by a friend who lives in Venice, and we’re so happy we went! They have seatings at 7:00 and 9:00pm which fill nightly, so it’s best to call or stop by to make a reservation a day in advance. The wine list has many reasonable choices, the staff is attentive and concerned for your happiness, and the food is fabulous. I had an excellent gnocchi appetizer and the fillet wrapped in bacon as my entrée — both were top notch. A must-​stop during your time in Venice.

Great restaurant for genuine local dining experience and a one-​night respite from the seafood that forms the base for most of the local cuisine. The menu is hand-​written in Italian and English and has daily selections of classic dishes of the Veneto. We had smoked beef carpaccio, salad of warm Casatella Trevigiana, pumpkin soup and braised veal and mushrooms with polenta. All dishes were excellent. The waiters were also able to provide good recommendations for local wines to accompany the meal. Very reasonably priced, but remember to take cash because the restaurant doesn’t accept credit cards. The waiter will very graciously allow you time to run to the local ATM two blocks away in case you do forget.

Delicious food at a reasonable price. And the fact that they don’t do fish is pretty amazing. It’s in an area of Dosorduro that has great food all around. You definitely should make a recommendation before going, as it’s a small scale restaurant and if it’s any day aside from maybe a Tuesday, it’s going to be fairly busy. My boyfriend’s family and I shared two appetizers and a bottle of wine. ¾ of us got steaks, one had the chicken on greens. All of it was amazing, and the service recommended good wine and was very on point and friendly. An excellent experience in Venice!

Really enjoyed our dinner here and thought the price was completely reasonable. Shared a pasta dish and had two insalatas — everything was outstanding

Good food and a very pleasant atmosphere. The service was a perfect balance of attention without being intrusive. We met some expats sitting next to us that have been living in Venice for 6 months. They told us their meal was one of the best they’d had in the city. They said it was much better than anything near San Marcos.

Our least expensive dinner in Venice, but the best restaurant. Felt more local, small quaint. Food all had great flavor. House white was not great, but drinkable. They serve the whole bottle then charge by how many glasses you drink — loved that idea. Panna cotta with caramel sauce was amazing. Very slow getting us the check after we asked, which made us late for our classical music at Vidal church. I should have warned them we had a time crunch.

On né vient pas à Venise pour ses restaurants, souvent arnaques à touristes et presque tout le temps hors de prix. Et c’est bien dommage car la région regorge de beaux et bons produits (qu’on peut d’ailleurs voir et sentir au marché du Rialto). Alors ce restaurant là, la Bitta (comme bite d’amarrage, je vous vois venir…), est une vraie bonne surprise !
Pas de menu à rallonge ou de menu «turistico», mais une carte qui change chaque jour en fonction du marché et des saisons. Trois entrées, trois plats, trois desserts et du fromage, le tout sans poisson. Rien n’est révolutionnaire, mais tout est particulièrement bon et bien mis en valeur.
Des gnocchis (de pommes de terre évidemment !) aux courgettes et carottes sauce safranée pour moi, et un sauté de veau aux herbes fraiches avec une polenta crémeuse à se damner et le meilleur tiramisu de mon (trop court) séjour là-​bas. Le tout était arrosé d’un vin rouge très bon, léger en bouche (mais pas en degré) et à prix raisonnable, recommandé par la restauratrice.
J’ai bien aimé également le principe de l’eau, plate ou gazeuse, mais de source dans tous les cas, servie à la tireuse pour moins de gaspillage et de bouteilles inutiles.
Il faut normalement réserver, nous avons eu de la chance qu’ils trouvent de la place pour nous ajouter une petite table le long du bar.
A noter que La Bitta est régulièrement recommandée dans de nombreux guides touristiques, sans apparemment avoir perdu en qualité ou authenticité.
Au final, un antispasti, deux plats, deux desserts, une bouteille de vin et une bouteille d’eau gazeuse, le tout très bon, pour 70 €. Pas donné, mais très bon rapport qualité-​prix pour cette ville.

This was definitely our favorite Venice restaurant!
We were in Venice last week for a mini vacation, and we asked our concierge to make reservations at La Bitta. Wow… it was amazing. We were so impressed that we ended our first dinner with making reservations for a second night during our stay. They have two seatings per night — 7:00 and 9:00. The 9:00 seating is perfect for people who want to linger, and I’d definitely suggest reservations. Our first visit was a weeknight, and the 7:00 seating had availability, but 9:00 was packed. On Saturday, both seatings were totally full.
I have shellfish allergies, so Venice food can be a challenge for me. La Bitta proudly states «No Fish» on their business cards — it’s a variety of meat dishes. Our personal favorites were the beef carpaccio, the soup of the night, a lasagna special, beef filet wrapped in bacon and Ventian-​style liver and onions. Note that the menu changes nightly.
For Venice, the prices are really good — we had a bottle of wine and each had two courses, dessert and coffee for approximately 120 Euros. We could have gotten away cheaper, but we were splurging a bit. They do not accept credit cards, so ensure that you have cash on you.
The woman who served us (and everyone else in the very small restaurant) was friendly, helpful, and made excellent wine recommendations based on the food we chose.
We are looking forward to going back!

I came here my husband, who is not a seafood lover. He endured days of shellfish and seafood with me in Venice. When we went to Osteria La Bitta, he was excited.
Reservations are a must. We were seated promptly and saw others get turned away because they did not have reservations. The restaurant filled up quickly, and unlike other European cities, Venetians dine early.
Each of us ordered a starter in the form of a pasta, and main entrees (veal and pork stew). The pork stew was one of the best dishes I’ve had in Europe. We skipped desert only because we were stuffed and also wanted to try the gelateria down the street. It is a lovely restaurant, and I will definitely return.
The neighborhood is charming, and if you walk past the church square, cross a small bridge, you will find a supermarket. We stocked up on waters/​chips/​bread for our hotel room.
Good dining options in Venice are scarce… and La Bitta is a great restaurant to try if you want to avoid the tourist traps around San Marco.

Grace and I heard food in Venice is a crap shoot before our trip, but we were able to find good places to eat. This is one. It’s small and fills up fast for a reason. I think this was our best meal in Europe during our visit.

Venice is a pain in the ass if you’re 1. used to good food and 2. on a budget.
We wandered the streets for days, trying unsuccessfully to find something halfway decent. On our last night, we found this. I had read about how the best food in Venice was definitely NOT in San Marco, but just over the bridges in the other hoods. So we walked over the Rialto bridge and weaved our way down to Dorsoduro. It wasn’t easy but definitely worth it.
Looking inside, you can see a hand written menu. Everything sounded delicious! The prices were decent (10 € for apps, 10 – 13 € for pasta dishes and the big one was 27 € for the steak wrapped in bacon dish), it looked cozy and pleasant. It did not have the same vibe as all the other touristy Venetian spots, so we went in.
We ordered the grilled raddichio with melted gooey taleggio to start, then I had a pasta dish that I can’t remember. It started with a P and the sauce consisted of like, 10 different kinds of cured meats sauteed with leeks. My boyfriend ordered the infamous steak wrapped in bacon. Everything was delicious! We eyed a bunch of different stuff, but were pleased with our selections. The lady running the show was extremely friendly and explained the menu in English. The portions were misleading; at first they looked tiny, but halfway through you realize that the food is heavy.
We were done and realized we were the only ones left in there, Instead of pushing us out, they encouraged us to order a few grappas to settle our stomachs. The lady sat down with us and explained the distillation process, which was a highlight!
I would come back here in a minute. For a Coke, a bottle of water, an app, two entrees and two grappas the bill was 65 €.
Venice’s best kept secret! GO HERE.

Venedig Ostern 2011
Essen, Service, Preis-​Leistung nicht nur für Venedig sehr zu empfehlen.
Gemütliche Atomsphäre. Von aussen absolut unscheinbar. Und das ist gut so.
Nur Abends geöffnet. Unbedingt Tisch reservieren. Achtung keine CreditKarten.

Nur aus einem Grund haben wir uns für das Restaurant entschlossen. Nachmittags ausserhalb der Öffnungszeiten gingen wir vorbei und es roch verdammt lecker. Von aussen wenig einladend schauten wir durch das verschlossene Fenster. Der Koch öffnete uns auf Klopfen die Türe und wir reservierten für 19h einen Tisch.
Um kurz nach 19h waren wir die ersten Gäste, das änderte sich aber in zehn Minuten. Die handgeschriebene Speisekarte steht auf einer schönen Staffelei und ist italienisch und englisch.
Das Essen war der Hammer. Mit dem dumpfen Gefühl nach Venedig kommend dass es kein gutes Essen gibt waren wir hier sehr überrascht. Es ist eine fischlose Hausmannskost der Oberklasse. So würde ich es umreissen. No Fish lautet der Slogan.
Die Nudeln mit Spargel und Roter Beete waren als Vorspeise göttlich, der Salat ebenfalls. Das Fleisch zum Hauptgericht war auf den Punkt perfekt, butterzart und in den Aromen umwerfend. Das Kartoffelpüree mit Speck ebenfalls super.
Der Nachtisch war ebenfalls durchaus überzeugend.
Die Preise sind für venezianische Vehältnisse günstig. Pane /​Coperto 2 Euro pro Person, 2 Gläser Wein (Hauswein) zusammen drei Euro, zwei Falschen Wasser für zusammen 4 Euro, die Antipasti 10 Euro die Portion, die Hauptgerichten um die 20 – 25 Euro, Dolci dann 6 Euro.
Alles in allem für mich ein absolute Empfehlung!

Sehr gute Lage, vom Ableger nur wenige hundert Meter entfernt. Restaurant ist klein (ca. 10 Tische/​20 Stühle) und von außen schwer zu erkennen, da der Schild nur ein Paar cm. groß war.
Das Essen war perfekt! Das Motto «No Fisch» scheint noch gültig zu sein, was eher ungewöhnlich für venezianische Restaurants ist. Als Vorspeise gab es Caprese mit hausgemachtem Büffelmozzarellazopf und sonnengereifte Chery tomaten, abgeschwenkt mit aromatischen italienischen Kräutern (Oregano, Thymian, Schalotte). Als Hauptspeise gab es Tagliatelle in Tomatensauce mit Salsiccia und Paprika. Dazu wurde gehobeltem Parmesan (ohne selbst danach nachzufragen!)
Die Weinkarte war genau so klein wie die Speisekarte. Zum Trinken habe ich Flasche einen sehr fruchtigen Pinot Grigio bekommen.
Der Nachtisch — Tirami sú — war recht bitter, vermutlich durch den starken Espresso.
Die Portionen sind ziemlich klein, man sollte schon 2 Gänge zu bestellen, dann ist man auf jedem Fall satt. Der Preis ist für die Lage (und Venedig überhaupt) sehr gut eine Vorspeise, zwei Hauptspeisen, ein Dessert, eine Flasche Wein und Wasser und Kaffee für 65EUR. Sehr positiv ist auch aufgefallen, dass kein Serviceaufschlag berechnet wurde. Dafür war der Service sehr nett, jugendlich und motiviert.

Das la bitta ist eigentlich mein Geheimtipp für Venedig, ok. nun nicht mehr.
Spätestens wenn ich keinen frischen Fisch und Meeresgetier mehr sehen kann, führt mich mein Weg in die kleine Gasse zu dieser recht versteckt liegenden Osteria. Kein Fisch ist das eher ungewöhnliche Motto und so stolpert man schnurstracks hinein (Vorsicht: kleine Stufe und schwer zu öffnende Tür). Der Gastraum ist klein, so dass sich eine Reservierung empfiehlt, die Tische sind schnell vergeben. Die Restaurant-​Besitzer sind Slow-​Food-​Mitglieder und konzentrieren sich somit auf die Verarbeitung lokal/​regionaler Zutaten.
Wir aßen: köstlich angebratenen Radicchio aus Treviso in einer Taleggio-​Soße, ein große Portion frisches Carpaccio, selbstgemachte Gnocchi mit geräuchertem Käse sowie Ente in einer hervorragenden Soße (bestehend aus Kräutern, Hühnerleber und vielen mehr) und Polenta. Alles fingerleckend köstlich. Dessert ging dann leider nicht mehr. Die Flasche Rotwein dazu wurde nach Verbrauch berechnet — gut, müßig bei uns, denn selbstredend war sie geleert, als wir mit dem Essen fertig waren. Die Wein– wie auch die Grappakarte ist sehr umfangreich und trinkerfreundlich kalkuliert. Gezahlt haben wir für 2 Personen inkl. Kaffee und Grappa, Wasser usw. 60, — Euro. Für Venedig fast schon günstig. wir hatten bereits deutlich teurer und dabei deutlich schlechter gegessen.
Wir fanden den Service auch diesmal (und ich gestehe, ich bin Wiederholungstäter, kein Venedig-​Besuch ohne Essen im la bitta) sehr freundlich und aufgeschlossen, aber das kann winters durchaus anders als im Sommer sein.
La bitta heißt übrigens Klampe — und für uns Nicht-​Schifffahrtskundigen Poller…

Nur Fleisch heisst hier die Devise. Das Menu war fein und echt. Die Weinkarte gross und abwechslungsreich. Der Service könnte etwas freundlicher sein. Trotzdem: Da gehe ich gerne wieder hin.