cafes, bars & "cicchetteria"
Many cafes (called “bars” in Italian) serve coffee in the morning, light lunches, as well as spritz, wine, and beer all day into the evening. Here we give a list of those types of places that usually have snacks or lighter menus. We also include” cicchetteria” (bars when you can have an aperitivo with Venetian bar snacks). If you’re looking for a more substantial meal such as pizza, seafood, and Venetian restaurants please see Restaurants.
This is the first place we go when we want to buy cakes or patisseries. Great for a stand up coffee and brioche in the morning.
Wonderful cafe in the backstreets behind San Marco. One of our favourites! Delicious sandwiches & cakes.
A cafe in a greenhouse with lots of grass to play on for the kids. This is a great place near Via Garibaldi to take a break with children.
If you ask our children for their favourite restaurant they always choose Vecia Gina! Play in the nearby park in Sant’Elena. Then have a pizza on the terrace.
Luckily you can find 3 Rosa Salva cafes around Venice. This one is in front of the hospital and has the same delicious sandwiches & cakes as the others.
Enjoy a coffee or spritz under the sun in Lido’s main square. This cafe sells a delicious selection of cakes, which are all freshly made on site.
A charming, tiny wine bar where you can sit out by the canal and enjoy some of the best “cicchetti” in town. A good place to stop off for a quick glass of wine or even pick up a bottle to take home.
Great little place, just behind Zattere. This “cicchetteria” is a favourite with both locals and tourists. They have a wonderful selection of “cicchetti” snacks to have with your aperitivo (standing only).
This is a great place for a light lunch – salads, burgers, cous cous, and wonderful cakes. They have branches in Sant’Agostino, Campo S. Giacomo dell’Orio, Dorsoduro, Ghetto, Via Garibaldi, & Giudecca.
Close to Rialto bridge this historic Venetian cafe has some of the best “tramezzino” sandwiches in town. A wide range of fillings.
A charming little cafe in the Castello district close to San Zaccaria. Their cakes and pastries are beautifully made. Popular with locals.
Small cafe bar between San Marco & Rialto with fabulous cakes & biscuits made in their bakery. No tables, just standing room only.
This bar is on a charming canal called Fondamenta dei Ormesini. Stop by to choose from their wonderful range of “chicchetti” snacks and hang out on the canal watching the boats.
Right in front of the Arsenal you can take a table next to some stunning statues in the square and enjoy a coffee or spritz. You might even see some Navy recruits passing by in their uniforms.
We love this “chicchetteria” on Via Garibaldi. Though small you can grab a table outside and the kids can play on the street while you enjoy a few of their meticulously prepared “chiccetti”.
A super little café in the centre with wonderful cakes. A good place for a quiet sit down a rest on a day when you’re visiting the sights.
Half-way down the island of Lido is this delicious bakery where locals stop off for coffee or a spritz. Wonderful cakes and bread.
On Gran Viala, the main street on the island of Lido. Grab a coffee, spritz or ice-cream and enjoy watching the locals pass by.
Good little bar on Campo Santa Maria Formosa – great for a coffee or evening spritz while the kids play in the square.
If you have a babysitter (or grandparents) with you, leave the kids with them and head over to Giudecca for a drink with a fabulous view!