ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1120

the glass, and one agenda: a great dining experience. This is a good spot to let loose and
trustyourhost.Reservationsareamustfortheirthreeseatings:12:30,19:00,and21:30(€20
pastas, €26 secondi, plan on spending €50 for dinner, closed Sun-Mon; on Calle del Mondo
Novo, just off Campo Santa Maria Formosa, at #5801; tel. [phone]).
Osteria al Mascaron is where I've gone for years to watch Gigi, Momi, and their food-
loving band of ruffians dish up rustic-yet-sumptuous pastas with steamy seafood to salivat-
ing foodies. The seafood pastas seem pricey at €24-32, but they're meant for two (it's OK to
askforsingle portions).The€16 antipasto misto plate—have funpointing—and twoglasses
ofwinemakeaterrific lightmeal(€2.50cover,Mon-Sat12:00-15:00&19:00-23:00,closed
Sun, reservations smart Fri-Sat; on Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, a block past Campo
Santa Maria Formosa, at #5225; tel. [phone]).
Fast and Cheap Eats: The veggie stand on Campo Santa Maria Formosa is a fixture.
For döner kebabs (€3.50) and pizza to go (€2/slice), head down Calle Lunga Santa Maria
Formosa to Peter Pan at #6249 (daily 11:00-24:00).
Rialto Market Area
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here . )
As with market neighborhoods anywhere, you'll find lots of hard-working hole-in-the walls
with a line on the freshest of ingredients and catering to local shoppers needing a quick, af-
fordable,andtastybite.Thisareaisverycrowdedbyday,nearlyemptyearlyintheevening,
and packed with young Venetian clubbers later.
Most of these places are informal, serving cicchetti and/or light meals. At each place,
look for the list of snacks and wine by the glass at the bar or on the wall. When you're ready
fordessert,trydippingaBuranobiscuitinaglassofstrawberry-flavored fragolino oranoth-
er sweet dessert wine. Most bars are closed 15:00-18:00, and offer glasses of house wine for
under €1, better wine for around €2.50, and cicchetti for €1-2.
My listings below include a strip of trendy places fronting the Grand Canal, a stretch of
dark and rustic pubs serving regional tapas, three little places on the market (one for sand-
wiches, one for seafood, and a cheap and cheery low-end restaurant), a venerable old Vene-
tian diner, and a couple of solid places for pasta and pizza (see map on here ) . Most of these
eateries are within 200 yards of the market and each other.
The Bancogiro Stretch: Five Places Overlooking the Grand Canal
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here . )
Just past the Rialto Bridge, between Campo San Giacomo and the Grand Canal, this strip
of five popular places has some of the best canalside seating in Venice. I call this the “Ban-
cogiro Stretch” (Bancogiro is the strip of old banking buildings they front). Each place has
a unique character and formula. During meals, they charge more and limit table seating to