Trattoria Maddalena

We walked 20 minutes from our Burano VRBO, and we’re just sorry we didn’t discover this last night. What a wonderful, low key, elegant, local place with perfect service. The food was some of the best we’ve had in Northern Italy. The mixed grill fish platter had 5 different selections and the soft shell crab of the lagoon rivaled the best Maryland soft shell crab I’ve had. The octopus appetizer was tender, warm and mixed nicely with olives, lettuce, potatoes and olive oil. Yum. The only mis-​step for us (and it’s a common one) was with the 80’s lite pop music (think Air Supply) playing softly in the background. We’d like to hear some thing local. The meal was complimented by a dish of local deserts, on the house.

Friendly staff, light and modern rooms with great view on the laguna from the quiet Island. The sea food is fresh and prepared with style. The risotto from the local gò fish is great, the white house wine a perfect fit. And give the home-​made deserts a chance — I enjoyed the tiramisu very much.

I really recommend this restaurant if you are visiting Venice and especially if you are doing a DIY-​tour visiting Murano and Burano. I found it hard to find a nice quiet spot on the Murano and Burano islands except on this small Mazzorbo island next to Burano, connected by a bridge
The restaurant is one where locals escape to in their weekends. They hop on the boat, jump off at the Mazzorbo stop, have lunch and go back to Venice.
It has a nice garden with tables both in the sun and in the shadow.
They have a daily menu, but not the typical tourist menu, which is nice and really value for money.
The food and wine is good, prices OK, coffee excellent, the location excellent.