Does anyone know of a great place to eat where the locals go in northern Italy, that is reasonably priced?

Question

Specifically I am looking for places the locals eat at, nothing touristy, in Lake Como, Bellagio, Managio, Lugano and Venice.

Answer 1

Here are some links to check out..  Remember to scroll down  to read everything..

Lake Como

http://realtravel.com/lake_como-italy-re...

Menaggio

http://realtravel.com/menaggio-lombardy-...

Bellagio

http://realtravel.com/bellagio-italy-res...

Lugano

http://switzerland.isyours.com/E/guide/t...

Venice

My friend gave me this some time ago. I have been searching my files for helpful information for everyone.

Dining in Venice

Venice, full of tourists, is also full of tourist restaurants with bad food and high prices. It is very easy to leave the city with a “bad taste in your mouth.” There are also many good restaurants and bars in the city, and hopefully this list will lead the reader to some of them. I lived in Venice for a year so I have eaten at all of them on several occasions.

A couple of things before you read this - I am no expert on Venice’s "finer" restaurants, because I rarely eat at expensive places. These are all places that cater to either mostly locals or a blend of locals and tourists. I love wine and food and I am extremely picky. Try to eat outside of San Marco and watch out for places with pink tablecloths (my favorite rule). Also, the "menu turistica" may sound like a great deal, but usually the food is dry, bland, and generally disgusting. There are exceptions here, but I rarely order a "menu turistica" because the food is nasty.

When in Venice and if you haven't done so before, try a Spritz. It is a Venetian ritual; an aperitif. I am not going to try to explain - just say Spritz con Aperol if you like sweeter drinks or Spritz Bitter if you like Campari. You will either love it or hate it, but you will have experienced something truly Venetian.

Also, you must try tramezzini and cichetti. Tramezzini are little sandwiches and are imitated all over Italy and I even saw some in Budapest, but they are really a Venetian thing. Arrigo Cipriani from Harry's Bar says they invented them. Hmmm, I don't know. Every bar has them, some have more types than others, and I have included a few bars that I go to just for the tramezzini, which I have listed below. You can get a bunch of different fillings, most include meat or seafood or cheese in various combinations, and they usually cost between 1 and 2 Euros (more if you sit). My favorites are gamberetti (shrimps), tonno & cipolle (tuna with little marinated onions), and piccante (mysterious spread with spice). Cichetti are tasty nuggets of all shapes and sizes to be eaten, for lunch or in the evening, with a glass of wine. You will see all the Venetians hanging out in local bars and osterie at lunch or after work, drinking little glasses of wine and eating cichetti. It is wonderful to join them and go from bar to bar, sampling along the way.

These are organized by Sestiere. Please email me at [e-mail] with any comments.

Dorsoduro

Taverna San Trovaso, Fondamenta Priuli 1016, tel:[phone]

This restaurant will always be special to me for several reasons, the first being it is the first restaurant I dined in, in Venice, right after I crossed the Accademia Bridge for the first time, which changed my life forever. It is very comfortable. A combination, I guess, of the low, black, painted brick ceiling, the friendly service, almost always being able to get a table, and almost always eating something really tasty. The food won't rock your world but it is close to gourmet by Venice standards, and is a very good price, with large portions, so watch how much you order or you may not be able to finish. The green salads are really good for Venice. The pastas are good, and they have my favorite lasagna here. Also great are the fried shrimps. In fact, this is my perfect, I am going to stuff myself Sunday night dinner: lasagna, then fried shrimps, then profiteroles, washed down by a bunch of red wine, at Taverna San Trovaso. They are closed Monday, and it never hurts to make a reservation. They even have a non smoking room that is not smoky.

Pizzeria Accademia,

On the Dorsoduro side of the Accademia Bridge

Really good, inexpensive pizza with an amazing outside sitting area, right on the Grand Canal with a view of the Salute church. Service is slow but who cares with this view? My favorite pizza here is the Verdure (vegetable). They serve a breakfast in the morning, and sandwiches all day. They have Veuve Cliquot on the wine list in case you want a $70 bottle of wine with your $7.00 pizza. I think the view rates a bottle of Veuve for an extra special treat. If you are going to splurge on the Veuve please give me a call.

Vini al Bottegon Cantinone, San Trovaso 992

A wine bar - all locals, right on the San Trovaso canal by the gondola repair shop. The best time to come is around noon when they have fantastic crostini for lunch. Try the tuna spread with leeks, or a mild goat cheese with fruit mustard. After the lunch rush they are usually sold out of crostini but have a selection of other nibbles. They have a great selection of wines for sale and great people watching. This is a good place to stock up on wine for your hotel room if you are staying in Dorsoduro or in the Accademia area of San Marco.

Casin dei Nobili, Dorsoduro 2765 (next to Campo San Barnaba, Accademia side), tel:[phone]

Big, fun, happening place with reasonably priced, tasty food. A big plus is the huge non-smoking room. Closed Monday, reservations recommended.

San Polo

Osteria Antico Dolo, Vecchia San Giovanni 773, tel:[phone]

A wonderful place, with a lot of care and love put into just about everything. Small, warm, welcoming, with big bowls of flowers on every table. The food is exceptional. Try the antipasto misto, an everchanging heaping platter of really well done vegetables, a couple of crostini, and some standard fried thingies. The vegetables are really great. I hate cooked carrots yet I ate my cooked carrots here and they were as good as profiteroles (well almost.) They have beautiful risotto with black ink, the black risotto topped with a tomato rose and parsley - so beautiful, so much care. On my last visit I had huge, potato chunk looking gnocchi with a wonderful sauce of chopped olives and vegetables. Besides this, fish dishes are offered. I would consider this restaurant a splurge now that I live in Venice, but back when I was a tourist I would have considered it a delicious bargain.

Osteria alla Patatina, Calle Saoneri 2741A, tel:[phone]

Though this osteria offers a "menu turistica," I have never seen any turisticas in here. All I see are Venetian blue collar guys. So you know the food is good, right? Lots of wines by the glass and carafe, dozens of seafood and vegetable dishes on the bar counter, wonderful pasta and gnocchi. Try and arrive early, like 11:45 for lunch and 7:30 at dinner, to get a table.

Due Colonne, San Polo 2343, Campo S. Agostin, tel:[phone]

A great pizzeria frequented by mostly Venetians. In the summer they set up a huge tent in the campo outside. Still, at any time of the year try to secure a reservation because this place gets packed. Closed Sunday.

Osteria da Andrea, 122 Campo S.Giacometto, 30125 Venezia, tel:[phone]

I am going to let you in on a sweet secret here. This restaurant has tables outside, right on the Grand Canal. This restaurant has very, very reasonable wine prices. If you come at about 6 or 6:30, you can hang out at these tables for a while and drink wine. Eventually, you will be kicked out if you don’t have a dinner reservation, but they also have reasonable, tasty food if you want to stay for dinner. It is a magnificent place to hang out when the weather is warm. And you will pay peanuts for wine here compared to what you pay right over the bridge at the Lowenbrau bar.

Osteria Vivaldi, 1457 Calle de la Madoneta, 041-523-8185

This whole restaurant, including the bar, is completely Non-Smoking. It is a nice place to stop for a plate of cichetti and a glass of wine, and look out onto the busy main thoroughfare. Of course, they play only Vivaldi on the stereo, and have lots of Vivaldi stuff to look at.

Santa Croce

La Zucca, Ponte del Megio 1762

One of my two favorite restaurants in Venice. La Zucca offers inexpensive, interesting, and sometimes extremely rich pastas and vegetable dishes, the only truly magnificent green salad I have had in Venice, served up by a super nice, helpful staff. Avoid the meat dishes (this started out as a vegetarian restaurant and it shows) - and it helps to have your Marlings Menu Master. If you go and they have the pumpkin soup, definitely get it. And if you like perfect food and wine pairings, try a glass of Soave with the pumpkin soup. Mi Dio! That is good. They have an eclectic wine list with really low prices. If I could picture one "California bistro" style restaurant in Venice, this would be it. You should absolutely make reservations before you go to La Zucca. And, as I said, the food can be rich, so it may be best to order a few items and share. For dessert, my favorite is the panna cotta with honey and nuts – incredible. NOTE: I used to never get meat here, but on my last visit I had a steak with guacamole. Guacamole, in Venice! It was a wonderful dish. Closed Sunday.

Pizzeria Ae Oche, Calle delle Tintor 1552 (near Campo S. Giacomo dell’Orio), tel:[phone]

I searched and searched for a spicy pizza that was spicy enough for me, searched in vain, until I tried the Pizza Mangiafuoco at Ae Oche. That sucker is HOT. So hot I could not finish it. I love this place, I love the pizza, I love the no-smoking room. Go with a group and at least split one Mangiafuoco if you like spicy foods. Closed Monday.

Cannaregio

La Cantina Wine Bar, Campo San Felice

This cozy place is run by two guys, Francesco and Andrea, who love what they