Osteria ae Cravate

The concierge at our hotel recommended this as where to eat if you want Veniceian Italian food in Venice. Although the gentleman owner is nice and with his broken English tries to explain items on the menu beware as food doesn’t come as described. Only owner and another server handle the whole restaurant including patio, so service is VERY SLOW. Bread is stale and hard. Pasta dishes are bland and dry. They also change a cover charge (which may be the norm, at 3 Euros person). Our last visit we very much enjoyed Ristorante Ribot which was on the same street — recommend you go there instead!

Excellent small local spot away from the heavy tourist areas.
We were looking for someplace away from the tourist areas and close to our apartment. This is a small local place with maybe 10 tables. Communicating was part of the fun as their English was about as good as our Italian.
We had a small meat appetizer (fantastic, but then this is Italy), mussels & clams with an outstanding wine sauce (we let the bread soak in it and it was pure heaven), tagliatelle with scallops (loved every bite), sea bass ravioli (with a wonderful tomato sauce) and a lasagne that while very simple was hands down the best any of us had ever had.
We finished off the meal with some chocolate mousse. Not the best we’ve had, but still very good!
The only debate was whether to go there again the next day or try someplace else!

Eight tables, one chef owner and two helpers. You just know it’s going to be good, because there’s no where for anyone to hide if it isn’t.
You’ll receive a warm reception and a very enthusiastic host. Be prepared to meet the owner half-​way. HIs English is not much better than your Italian, but you’ll get there if you summon up your Italian from menus at home. Gnochetta is still gnochi, etc. Spaghetti is still, well you get the picture.
We found the eggplant appetizer and the very fresh salad caprese a great way to start. What followed was very fresh homemade pastas, obviously made right there. The eggy fettuccini was fantastic tossed with tomatoes and the linguini tossed with pesto so fresh it wasn’t quite pesto yet was equally fresh and appealing. The gnochetta with seafood was just okay and frankly didn’t offer a lot of flavor or seafood for that matter. Still, I’d go back again to have more of the pasta and seafood offerings.
Make sure you stay for dessert. The tiramisu was predictably great, but the cream flavored with strawberries was equally stunning. Here’s tip though. Don’t just come for dessert. A couple arrived asking for dessert only just as we were leaving and they did not receive a warm reception. Either you are in for the whole meal or don’t bother stopping by.

Typical trattoria near Piazza Roma… good for last minute decision for lunch or dinner. The do have a good tomato and basil penne dish that is worth mentioning and their tiramisu is excellent.

We spent a week in Venice and ate at a different restaurant each night. This one was one of the best. It is easy to walk to from the train station, and also near several four star hotels. We stayed at the Carlton, and it was about a five minute walk, located only a couple of blocks from the Grand Canal. The service was professional and friendly, and the pasta and seafood selections were superb. Great local atmosphere.