Eating and drinking in Cannaregio in Venice

In a nutshell: the Fondamenta della Misericordia and Ormesini are Venice's drinking strip - natural wine, cicchetti and craft beer - and the sestiere's tables run from Anice Stellato to the kosher Gam Gam. Back to the Cannaregio overview or the Ghetto.

A canalside aperitivo

Venice's favourite evening ritual unfolds along Fondamenta dei Ormesini, which continues as Fondamenta della Misericordia, two quays that merge into one long drinking strip on the Rio della Misericordia, immediately above the Ghetto. When the aperitivo hour arrives, the easy-going bars and osterie fill with locals and visitors, who drink, nibble and chat far into the night. Estro Pane e Vino champions natural wines; Al Timon is loved for inexpensive cicchetti and huge boards of meat; Birreria Zanon pours craft beers; and party-minded Paradiso Perduto on the promenade's eastern stretch posts its live music on social media. Right alongside sits the Vino Vero wine bar for connoisseurs, while just off the fondamenta, La Sete serves boutique vino with excellent crostini.

Eating in Cannaregio

• ✦Gheni - polished and hospitable, with contemporary Italian plates, an intriguing French-Italian cellar and a pretty garden (Tue–Sat 11:00–24:00, €€€)
• ✦Dama - inventive cooking with local ingredients, eaten on the water or at communal tables of recycled wood (12:30–15:00 & 19:00–22:00, €€€)
• ✦Anice Stellato - excellent Venetian dishes given a twist of spice and Eastern flavour, served on the water (Tue–Sat 19:00–22:00, €€€)
• ✦Old-school favourite Vini da Gigio - classic dishes, a deep cellar and ancient ceiling timbers (Wed–Sun 12:00–14:30 & 19:00–22:30, €€€)
• ✦Trattoria Pontini - a friendly family trattoria with honest Venetian cooking at fair prices; reserve several days ahead (Mon–Sat 11:30–22:30, €€)
• ✦Osteria Alla Frasca - a rustic, fish-centric trattoria on a small campo that has been cooking since 1903 (12:00–15:00 & 19:00–22:00, €€)
• ✦Da Luca e Fred - cicchetti counter and hearty plates, bigoli in salsa among them (Wed–Mon 9:30–21:00, €€)

• ✦Da'a Marisa - a loud, lively trattoria whose bargain lunch deal of two courses includes wine; reserve in advance (Tue & Thu–Sat 12:00–14:00 & 19:30–22:00, €)
• ✦Cantina Aziende Agricole - among the neighbourhood's few surviving traditional bacari, ideal for comforting pasta (10:00–14:00 & 17:00–22:00, €)
• ✦Crepes House by PePe - a minuscule canal-side hideaway turning out crepes to order, with vegan choices (Thu–Tue 9:00–16:00, Fri & Sat 19:00–22:00, €)
• ✦Rizzo - a bakery-deli chain that's made for a fast sandwich or pizza slice along Strada Nova (Mon–Sat 7:30–21:00, Sun 8:00–20:30, €)
• ✦Matza ball soup, couscous and more await at Gam Gam, beside the Old Ghetto gateway on the canal (Sun–Thu 12:00–22:00, Fri until 13:30, €)
• ✦Ital India - an Indian kitchen with vindaloo, fish curries and plenty of vegetarian plates (12:00–23:00, €€)
• ✦Osteria Giorgione da Masa - a vintage tavern doing Japanese-meets-Venetian cooking; the tasting menu is the way to go (Fri–Tue 12:00–14:30 & 19:00–22:00, €€)
• ✦Orient Experience - a small spot run by an Afghan filmmaker serving the cooking of Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, plus neighbouring lands (12:00–23:00, €)