Venetian Cicchetti Crawl: The Bacari Guide to Eating for €15

How to Eat for Cheap in Venice: The Cicchetti Tradition

Venetians do not sit down at expensive canal-front restaurants. Instead, they partake in "andar per bacari" (wandering between traditional wine bars).

How a Bacaro Works

1. Walk up to the glass display counter filled with freshly made cicchetti (Venetian tapas).
2. Point at what you want: toasts topped with creamy whipped salt cod (baccala mantecato), fried meatballs (polpette), marinated sardines (sarde in saor), and gorgonzola with walnuts.
3. Order an "ombra" (a small glass of local house red or white wine) for €2.00 to €2.50.
4. Each piece of cicchetto costs €1.50 to €2.50. Four pieces and a wine make a satisfying lunch for under €12.

Top Neighborhoods for Cicchetti

• Cannaregio (Fondamenta dei Ormesini & Misericordia): Bustling with students and locals sitting along the canal bank.
• San Polo (Near Rialto Market): Classic old-world standing bars like All’Arco.