ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1123

Near St. Mark's Square: Dining Fine and Cheap 'n' Cheery
For locations, see the map on here .
RistoranteAnticaSacrestia isaclassicrestaurantwheretheowner,Pino,takesahands-
onapproachtogreetingguests.Hisstaffservescreative€33-50fixed-pricemealsandahum-
drum €20 turistico one. You can also order à la carte; try the delightful €21 antipasto spread.
This isagoodplace ifyou'relooking forquality pizza inalovely setting near St.Mark'sfor
lunch, or a romantic splurge for dinner. My readers are welcome to a free sgroppino (lemon
vodka after-dinner drink) upon request (€12-16 pastas and pizzas, €17-30 secondi, Tue-Sun
11:30-15:00&18:00-23:00,closedMon,immediatelybehindSanZaninovo/GiovanniNovo
Church onCalle de la Sacrestia at #4442,may move in 2014to nearby spot onCalle Corona
at Castello 4463, tel. [phone]).
“Sandwich Row”: On Calle de le Rasse, just steps away from the tourist intensity at St.
Mark's Square, is a handy strip I call “Sandwich Row.” Lined with sandwich bars, it's the
closest place to St. Mark's to get a decent sandwich at an affordable price with a place to
sit down (most places open daily 7:00-24:00, €1 extra to sit; from the Bridge of Sighs, head
downtheRivaandtakethesecondlaneontheleft).Iparticularly like BirreriaForst, acafé
that serves a selection of meaty €3 sandwiches with tasty sauce on wheat bread, or made-to-
order sandwiches for €4 (daily 10:00-21:00, air-con, rustic wood tables, Calle de le Rasse at
#4540, tel. [phone]), and Bar Verde, a more modern sandwich bar with fun people-
watchingviewsfromitscornertables(big€5sandwiches,splittable€9salads,freshpastries,
at the end of Calle de le Rasse at #4526, facing Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo).
Ristorante alla Basilica, just one street behind St. Mark's Basilica, is a church-run, in-
door, institutional-feeling place that serves a solid €14 fixed-price lunch (including water)
daily from 11:45 to 15:00. It's not self-serve—you'll be seated and can choose a pasta, a
secondi, and a vegetable side dish off the menu (air-con, on Calle dei Albanesi at #4255, tel.
041-522-0524).
Rizzo, like most Venetian “bars,” is an eat-at-the-counter café with sandwiches, pizza,
pastries, and other reasonably priced snacks. It stands out for its handy location, north of St.
Mark's Square on the main drag of Calle dei Fabbri, and its tiny grocery shelf with yogurt
and other quick bites (Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, closed Sun, on Calle dei Fabbri at #933a, tel.
041-522-3388).
Picnicking: Though you can't picnic on St. Mark's Square, you can legally take your
snacks tothe nearby Giardinetti Reali, the small parkalong the waterfront west ofthe Piazz-
etta.