L’Anice Stellato

Best in Venice. Away from the tourist areas. Beautifully prepared and presented. The beef cheeks – exquisite. Don’t miss the carpaccio. I will dream of this place until I get back to Venice.

Hands down the best meal I have ever had in my life! I say this based on all courses being spectacular! First of all, make sure you make a reservation because they are booked solid — mostly with locals. Unless you are staying on that side of the island it can be a little tough to get to but 110% worth it! It is a tiny restaurant, dark, rustic and the servers are fantastic. All the food is homemade, fresh caught and cooked to order. I even had my server tell me that the chef scrapped the mash for my meal because it didn’t come out meeting his standard.
So here we go on what to try! …
1 — Spinach and cheese ravioli with a broccoli purée. They are huge and the way ravioli you’ll ever have!
2 — fried octopus — so tender not a bit rubbery!
3 — Pecorino Romano cheesecake (appetizer made of cheese — not a dessert!)
4 — Beef cheek in red wine sauce with a cauliflower purée. To die for. The meat was so flavorful and tender — just unbelievable! This wasn’t on the menu, it was a limited quantity item the server mentioned but ever hurts to ask!
5 — Seafood stew. The broth was just the right consistency with a little kick and jam packed with fresh fresh fresh seafood!
All the desserts are delicious but try the tiramisu — best I’ve had.
Take the extra time to come to this restaurant, it’s a must visit while in Venice!

An authentic and romantic place off the beaten path for a relaxed, drawn out meal. Do yourself a favor and order a few things to share, and a liter of their moderately priced wine.

I cannot explain in words how amazing and spectacular this restaurant is! You must come to experience it (if I ever do come back to Venice). Staff was very friendly and wonderful. The food itself was very wholesome and amazing. My brother ordered one of the beef dishes. Even though there was no seasoning, the cut and the way it was cooked by itself was amazing. Highly recommend it.

Was recommended this restaurant by a local and we were not disappointed. Delicious Venetian food with beautiful ambiance. The restaurant itself was located along the canal away from many of the touristy streets which allowed for a relaxing and peaceful place to have dinner. There is an English menu available which is very helpful. I highly recommend making a reservation as I saw many turned away as this place was booked. Service was friendly and fast (by Italian standards). My favorite dishes were:
–sardines in «saor» with pinenuts and raisins
–grilled octopus, chickpeas and mint oil
–fresh bigoli with anchovies and onion sauce
–tuffoli with smoked fish amatriciana sauce

We were warmly greeted by a lady who might have been the owner. But things went downhill from there. There was a long delay before anyone took our order and some confusion about the translation of the items on the menu into English. The amuse bouche was a nice carrot purée with what seemed to be a sort of fish condiment added. Then we had spaghetti with prawns, fine, a sort of fish stew with red snapper and other white fish, fine, and grilled sea bass, very nice. we then waited a very long time to get any attention perhaps because we were seated in the back. Then one of the cooks left the restaurant with a scowl on his face and a bottle of beer in his hand. Fine Italian drama. I finally had to get up and ask the nice lady again for the bill. So food 3.5 service 2. They need a visit from Robert Irvine!

I always feel a sense of satisfaction when the one or two places I get to call for our trips end up being the best meals we have. File L’Anice Stellato in my win column. We both loved it.
It is away from most of the tourist areas, along one of the many beautiful canals of Cannaregio. Service was helpful and polite. They worked with the little Italian that I spoke and pleasantly explained dishes or ingredients we were unfamiliar with. We got seafood. Venice is surrounded by water, it is a wise choice.
We started with a veggie sampler and grilled octopus with kimchee. I favored the octopus and it confirmed my unscientific findings that Italians know what they are doing when it comes to polpi. For our mains the lady had branzino and I got the moleche; soft shells coated in egg and fried with artichokes and polenta. Devoured it. This excellent meal was capped off by the best Tiramisu we had during our nights in Italy.
This is also a very cool and scenic part of Venice, with many cute little places for a glass of wine before or after. Not very far at all and the walk back to the San Marco area was easy. Mangia!

This was our best meal in Venice. Every course was a standout. Appetizers were baked tuna «bites», cubes of perfectly cooked tuna encrusted in sesame and other seeds. This was served with delicate pickled vegetables and dipping sauces. The tuna was flavorful and sweet. Next app was a grilled baby octopus salad served on fava bean purée. The greens were a thick disk of slightly blanched spinach and others. The greens sat on the purée and were surrounded by several small, lovely, perfectly grilled baby octopus. Primo one was a soufflé-​like concoction with cubes of angler fish, chunks of artichoke and thin pasta noodles. Primo two was a plate of spaghetti in a light tomato sauce with two gargantuan shrimp sitting on top. Secondo one was baked branzino served with a little mound of tomatoes and fried potatoes. It was incredible and the portion size would have easily fed two, but I managed it.
Secondo two was a gorgeous Frito misto of vegetables and fish. It was jaw dropping.
Everything was simple, yet refined in its presentation.

Great modern-​Italian cuisine. Friendly and English-​speaking waitstaff. Reasonably priced.

After many years of success in the local community and of praise on several food guides, l’Anice Stellato remains a good, solid restaurant, which is not to give for granted in a city like Venice.
It’s in Cannaregio, one of the quietest areas of Venice, and you might want to choose a hotel there as it’s a very nice, quiet location with good places to drink and eat.
From a typical local trattoria l’Anice Stellato has now become a renowned restaurant with a satisfying menu, good wines and good quality/​price.
The ambience is pleasant and intimately lit, the staff helpful, portions are abundant (fritto misto is a specialty that can alone be enough for a meal).
In all, maybe not an unforgettable experience, but a sure choice in a city that can be tricky, foodwise.
Tried in January 2013

Food in Venice gets terrible reviews– often for good reason. I was absolutely charmed by this place, in an out of the way canal… walkable from the train station area. The service was absolutely outstanding, knowledgeable, and spirited– especially about the unique wines by the bottle. We were so full we almost skipped dessert– but on a cold winter night the fruit trio in local liquor was exactly the right touch. A flavorful & romantic evening in Venice.

It’s a 3.5 stars. Our first meal in Venice was quite satisfying. The anchovy pasta was al dente and had great flavor. We ordered raw fish platter for antipasti and it was pretty good. The classic fried seafood platter is generous, too. Overall a nice experience.

We had one of our most enjoyable meals during our stay in Venice at the very lovely and welcoming L’Anice Stellato. It’s situated right by a quite canal with a pretty dining room and three tables out front. Despite being in a part of town that most tourists don’t explore it’s very popular so booking in advance will avoid disappointment. However, if you have been turned away worry not as Osteria Ai 40 Ladroni is only a couple of doors away and their food is also very reasonable and pretty tasty.
The menu here is well put together and has fewer dishes than most restaurants in Venice (a good sign in my opinion) but there is still plenty to make the mouth water. Choosing was proving difficult so we ordered some local wine while we tried to make our minds up a great bottle of Monteforche which was dry but aromatic with a long finish. Great value for Venice at under 19EUR.
After a chat with our very friendly waitress who spoke excellent English we decided on a plate of 6 fish cicchetti to start with and left the choice to her a very sensible decision as they were all excellent. These were not the usual cicchetti to found in the bars throughout Venice a little more refined and with more complex flavourings. Stand outs were the classic sweet and sour sardines, the swordfish tandoori and the tuna. A great way to start a long lazy lunch.
For the main course I had a oven baked turbot which came with small roasted potatoes and sweet baby tomatoes. Expertly cooked with delicate flavours this was a really lovely plate of food. B had the bucatini con amatriciana with smoked tuna and marlin and declared herself to be well pleased with her pasta.
A short break was needed as we were keen to try a dessert. Sitting by the canal is very peaceful and it was a real pleasure to while away half an hour chatting and watching the locals on the water no tourist Gondola tourist trips in this neck of the woods.
Having had a bit of a breather we decided to share the trio of zabaglione gelato which is a bit of a house speciality. Yet another good choice and in the heat of the afternoon it slipped down a treat.
This was a very fine meal and by Venitian standards something of a bargain. This is a restaurant I’m already looking forward to eating in again when I next have the pleasure of a trip to Venice.

Superfreundliche Bedienung, absolut lecker, für Gourmets, Reservierung wichtig oder früh kommen.

I research a lot on foodie blogs and books when I travel internationally as bad food spoils my trip. After reading about this place from Fred Plotkin, I was excited to try it.
This restaurant is a few minutes walk from the Jewish Ghetto in a part of Venice that sees very few tourists. I actually got lost and had to ask an old Italian man directions in my broken Italian… he was so happy to know that I was visiting this restaurant. He signaled with his thumb and finger that this was an excellent choice!
I would recommend making a reservation here or at least call ahead as it was packed with locals (we were the only non-​venetians here). The food is excellent and the bill was really moderate (for Venice).
5 stars for super friendly service. The servers spoke very little English but they were so cute and nice, always smiling and answering our questions as best they could. Its right next to a canal and you can sit outside for a romantic date…:) I loved that as we were eating, a couple got off a small boat and came here for dinner (guess that’s their normal ride in Venice!)
The food is in Venetian tradition and seafood is the specialty here. I ordered the seafood platter and it did not disappoint. I was surprised to see a tandoori fish on the platter (who knew Venetians had Indian taste!). The platter came with a variety of seafood and was excellent. The seafood risotto was superb. I enjoyed pansoti (pot-​bellied ravioli) filled with scallops and shrimp as well.
I tried the grappa here with my expresso and I can tell you even though I can drink hard liquor like a man, I couldn’t handle this drink. Maybe I’m getting old or after the bottle of wine this was a bit much but this was STRONG! My husband though loved it and I was happy that we had a nice walk back to our hotel instead of driving.
Overall, a great restaurant… non-​touristy, filled with locals, great service, reasonable prices for Venice, excellent food. Go here when you are in Venice, you won’t be disappointed.

Osteria familiale située dans le quartier du Cannaregio loin des sites touristiques. Il suffit de remonter le grand canal en vaporetto puis de trouver son chemin entre petites ruelles et ponts. Accueil sympa, la décoration est simple avec tables en bois et son carrelage rétro. A la carte une vraie cuisine vénitienne revisitée avec un grand choix d’antipasti et de produits de la mer. Nous débutons avec des St Jacques au four et un meli mélo de poissons de la région parfaitement assaisonnés. Puis risotto aux fruits de mer et un St Pierre parfaitement cuit. En dessert, nous partageons une délicieuse mousse chocolat orange. Comptez 40 EUR par personne. Réservation indispensable. Un très bon rapport qualité prix à Venise.

Slow food restaurant I think. Excellent fish. Try the sardine, cuttlefish ink sauce, etc…

Sehr schönes und leckeres restaurant in der man die typisch italienische Küche Venedigs genießen kann.
Hier sitzen neben ganz wenigen Touristen die wie wir das Glück hatten dieses Restaurant zu finden nur Einheimische mit ihren Familien.
Das Preis-​Leistunsverhältnis ist in Ordnung. Mit allen Gängen (Antipasti, Primi Piatti, Secondi Piatti udn dolci) ist man jedoch trotzdem inklusive Wein, Wasser, kaffee und Grappa seine 100 EUR los.
Tipp: Einfach mal gönnen, gehört zu einem kulinarischen Venedig Wochenende dazu!

Genau so stelle ich mir eine gehobene Stadtteil-​Osteria in Venedig vor! Blank gescheuerte Holztische, eine kleine Karte, die schnörkellose Gerichte mit venezianischem Einschlag aufführt: perfekt. Die Nudeln mit herzhaftem, rotweinbetontem Hasen-​Sugo waren ein rustikales Vergnügen, die Schmorgerichte sind ähnlich handfest, aber nie grob. Sogar der Salat war interessant und gut, mit frischen Artischocken-​Würfeln. Unkomplizierte Weine, und das alles für kleines Geld. Im Sommer kann man schön am Kanal sitzen. Das Lokal wird frequentiert von viel Stadtteil-​Kundschaft, seit einem guten halben Jahr sieht man vermehrt deutsche und amerikanische Gäste — das Anice stellato (zu deutsch: Sternanis) scheint Eingang gefunden zu haben in irgendeinen Restaurantführer. Der Qualität des Gebotenen tut das keinen Abbruch, und auch die Preise sind unverändert erfreulich.