Ai Mercanti

Wow! The reviews were right. This small but warm eatery was a fantastic find here in Venice. We looked for a location that would be the perfect end to an amazing day. Ai Mercanti did not disappoint. The staff were attentive and provide excellent advice about the food, wine and coffee menus. The wine list was extensive but we stuck to the Italian sparkling and Cab Sav from Reggio Emilia. The portion sizes were perfect for three courses. We left feeling satiated but not over indulged!

Ai Mercanti stands apart from the typical Venice Michelin-guide experience. Rather than confining itself to purely Italian flavours, this restaurant dares to innovate, blending international influences with a creative touch that feels refreshingly modern. Every dish I sampled displayed a masterful level of execution—each plate was not only visually stunning but also delivered a contemporary burst of flavours that lingered on the palate. What truly elevated my experience, however, was the personal approach of the chefs. Each one emerged from the kitchen to introduce their creations, thoughtfully explaining their techniques and guiding me through the unique flavour profiles I was about to encounter. Ai Mercanti’s commitment to inventive cuisine and genuine hospitality makes it a must-visit for those seeking something beyond the ordinary Venetian fare.

Modern Fine Dining. A great little restaurant tucked away in the streets of Venice. We came in for a fine dining experience and that's exactly what we experienced. The service was good, very keen to please and offer lots of their knowledge and expertise. The food was incredible, some great items on the menu really showcasing local foods and produce. Even with the fabulous quality received, you're still paying reasonable prices so this is great value. Would highly recommend.

Classy and excellent restaurant with outstanding service. The tiramisu is amazing when they have it on the menu (not always). And what's weird is that it is not even that expensive for the quality. Hard to find but you won't regret it. Only regret : I didn't have cash with me to tip the waiters, and we can't tip by card.

Honestly overrated IMO. Saw a lot of people recommending this place online and it was previously on the Michelin Guide. But we found the food very underwhelming (and expensive for what it is). The tuna tataki was over salted. The croaker fish that everyone in reviews seems to hype up tasted average, a little too fishy, and undersalted. The spaghetti was probably the best dish but even that was kind of underwhelming (had much better at other places in Venice). We also had a deep fried zuchini flower with goat cheese daily special that was mid. Pretty much all the guests were foreigners (including us). Def felt like a tourist trap place living on past reputation. Spent 100EUROS between two people.

We went to this restaurant with friends for a culinary experience. The service was good but the food was not tasty and delightful. It was not a delicious experience … I realize they were using “local” foods but there attempts at creative food but the foods were not pleasant to my taste. I would not recommend. Example below of slightly ( extra aldante) noodles in tart sour sauce - not edible to me.

Consistent with other reviews and the Michelin guide, this is a great place. Food was phenomenal (the croaker fish I had was among the best cooked I have ever eaten) with good service to match. Matching wine recommendations were also good. The apparently crispy egg is inventive and great, fettuccine very good, and as mentioned, the fish is as excellent. Would highly recommend and would come back without hesitation.

Highly recommended, amazing ambiance, delicious food and simply great service. Certainly a place to dine in Venice. Take your time to enjoy the options with a good wine. If you feel like, try the tripe soup, really you don’t know what you are missing if you skip it.

Great little spot in a tucked away alley. It was a little difficult to find, but nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the more touristy sections of Venice. We were visiting in August, so Venice was absolutely mobbed with tourists. The food and service were great. We enjoyed the steak carpaccio and salad, the "apparently" crispy egg, pasta with garlic oil and parmigiana, and the roast chicken. All of the dishes were excellent. We also started with some oysters, but we didn't love them because they were huge. Not a knock on the quality of the oysters, we just don't like the oversized oysters in general. They also have a good selection of natural wine. Our server recommended a bottle for us and it worked very well with the meal. Happy we found this spot and hope to return next time we are in Venice!

Throughly enjoyed our dinner here for our last night in Venice! The service team was very attentive. The pastas were so creamy. The octopus and mackerel were delicious. I would go here again if I come back to Venice!

A little research and planning goes a long way, I cannot say enough how thankful I feel for Michelin Guide for us to find Ai Mercanti. We have our 9pm reservation, book about 2-3 weeks ahead of time. Diners were still coming in for later seating so the outdoor dinning area was vibrant the entire time during our stay. The service from the team was spot on. Great recommendation on natural wine by the bottle at reasonable price. For starter we had the marinated sardine with red onions and polenta chips. Yup, amazingly fresh sardine, generously portioned (4 ps) at $13. Wow! Ordered the homemade fettuccine $15, anchovy butter. Perfecto! The flavor with the anchovy butter was just right, not overpowering. The Cod in a lightly spiced coconut $23 was cooked well, with the well balanced-coconut milk broth that compliment the delicate texture of the cod. It was an extremely enjoyable meal, let me tell you this. You need to come check it out the next time you are in Venice.

We couldn't resist ordering the specialty on the menu -- the hamburger with what they referred to as omelette (which is essentially fried egg), bacon, cabbage, and a very flavorful Dijon mustard. My husband's burger was cooked more than he would like, but he enjoyed it anyway. Mine was cooked to my preference and loved every single bite. The other thing we could not resist was the dessert called, Total White. It has milk panna cotta, geleé, cream, ice cream, merengues, and marshmallows. It was divine. Finally, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, especially when it came to helping us select the wines for dinner. There were other interesting items in the menu; if we weren't craving for the burger, we would certainly explored other dishes. Ai Mercanti will go on our list of restaurants in Venice to go back to and enjoy. UPDATE! So.... After dinner last night, we decided to go back and have lunch. The food here is really quite good. We're contemplating on returning for a third time before we leave Venice. We had paccheri with ricotta and chard, spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, pepperoncini and Parmesan fondue, and, finally, crème brûlée. Everything was delicious!!

Part of the charm of Venice is getting lost strolling through the narrow meandering alleyways--taking an unscripted left or right and being led into lively open piazzas, beautiful canal views atop charming small bridges, or even brick wall dead ends with bonus back-tracking. It is one of the best ways to explore and experience Venice. That is, until you find yourself tired, hungry, and with the initial restaurant on your 'to-dine at' list (on the other side of town) fully booked. Navigating our way into the vicinity of Ai Mercanti was only half of the fun. We spent upwards of five minutes circling the area around the restaurant, crossing paths with some of the same people on a few occasions, not knowing at the time that they too had the same destination. It also doesn't help much that the exterior of the restaurant is quite nondescript and can easily be passed by. Finally finding the restaurant and taking our first welcoming steps through the door calmed the nerves and quieted the hunger pangs. Service, from the point we walked in to the time we left, was spot on. The menu is pretty lean with regards to the options per course--something I seem to appreciate more and more these days though. My wife and I settled on first courses of grilled octopus and the spaghetti with fondue di parmigiano. Our mains were both fish: one catch-of-the-day and one wild salmon. All of our dishes were elegantly constructed and very flavorful. The octopus, in particular, was exceptional. Overall, we were very glad we ended up here for dinner as it was easily one of our favorite meals of the trip. The restaurant can be a little challenging to find, but it's well worth the effort.

This is probably one of the best restaurants in Venice that doesn't feel quite as touristy as many of the other places. It's a bit more expensive than food you'll find in Florence or Rome, but it's Venice and everything seems to be 50% more expensive here than in other Italian cities for meals. This place is tucked away in a little courtyard and I had to wander in circles for a little bit to find this. They have 10 tables for 2 people outside, and they also have seating inside - the ambiance is pretty romantic, so it's great if you're honeymooning or here with a significant other. I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time; I was able to walk in on a weeknight but I assume it gets really busy during weekends and peak tourist season. The cuisine here is not your traditional Italian food - it's more of a cross between Italian, French and a little bit of Asian, with a more modern twist. For a primi piatti (starter), I got the gnocchi with asparagus and it was delicious. It was definitely the best gnocchi that I had over 10 days in Italy. The gnocchi was fresh, soft and pillowy and the asparagus was really fresh. This was 14€. For a main course, I got cod in a lemongrass, coconut soup, and it was pretty good. It was 20€. Not what I would necessarily recommend getting in Italy (I think I'd rather eat pasta), but I was trying to go for something slightly healthier. The quality of the cod was nice, and the soup/broth was also nicely flavored with a hint of spice. I would recommend this if you're trying to avoid a lot of carbs or tired of Italian food. The bread that is served with dinner seemed really stale to me; it was hard and flavorless. Maybe I'm spoiled by bread having lived in France for over a year, but the bread wasn't very good at all -- which seemed to contrast all the freshness of the other dishes and the upscale ambiance of the place. Overall, a good place slightly off the beaten path to come for a nice romantic dinner. Make reservations ahead of time if you can, as it's pretty popular and they don't have a ton of space. It's also on the slightly pricier side and for one person it will be around 35-40€, without any drinks.

This place is amazing. Take the time to leave the square. The food was superb, the wine was delicious, and the service was top notch. We will definitely be going again.

My daughter and I stumbled upon Ai Mercanti 5 years ago, lost and wandering down alleys in Venice, looking for a great lunch spot. It was so amazing we went back for dinner the next night. Five years later, another trip to Italy planned, thus was the first reservation we made. And the food, the ambiance, the service -all lived up to the memory. Again we ate there twice. The Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Pepperoncino is epic, the risotto delicious - we cleaned our plates. Soritzes and wine suggestions on point. I handed out cards to other travellers we met on our trip recommending this gem. It's once again on my must visit list next trip.

Great restaurant! I was pleased with this find (after a mediocre meal at a different place) the night before. I ordered the spaghetti with oil, chili pepper, with a cheese fondue sauce. The spaghetti was a nice medium-thick noodle cooked al dente with a nice light cheese sauce. I also tried the caramel panda cotta with meringue and peanut ice cream, it was a nice texture not too sweet and surprising it all went well together. (The bread plate had pretty good bread on it. Good chewy texture.) I would love to come back and try more of their dishes. This place had a lovely ambiance (the long candles were a great touch), good service, good food, and price was on par with other restaurants around. A good choice if you're in the San Marco area.

The food and freshness is sensational. Tucked away in a small street so that most tourists can not find it it's quality of food is for the discerning local, or discerning traveler foodie, not for a typical tourist. They were very accommodating with my need of gluten free, diary free, no shellfish, and while they seemed a bit annoyed (the waiter) the chef executed our meal requests beautifully. It was one of the best, most well prepared pieces sea bass I've had in Europe. Very intimate atmosphere both inside the restaurant and in the courtyard. A Michelin mention, this beauty did not disappoint.

Tucked away in an alley, framed by a small courtyard, the restaurant is instantly warm and friendly. Diego, the owner, will greet you at the door, take you to your table and introduce the specials of the night. The menu was fairly diverse, but interesting. This isn't a cookie-cutter restaurant catering to tourists. The menu is thoughtful and some of the dishes were excellent. The Underground, a dish of tubers and root vegetables was good, while our pasta dishes (the paccheri with Swiss chard and the spaghetti with pepper) were very good. But the cod with cuttlefish ink topping was truly outstanding -- the kind of dish you remember and tell your friends about when you return home... Lastly, Diego recommended a light, minerally white Sicilian wine for us (which we wouldn't likely have chosen for ourselves) that paired very well with the meal and we closed with a taste of the thickest, most intense and delicious limoncello either of us had ever tasted. Beyond the terrific food, the heart of the place and the warmth of the owner are the best reasons to try Ai Mercanti.

good food, good service, impressive wine list, pleasant ambience and a tranquil setting

Best meal of the trip, insofar. Best meal of both our trips to Italy, when I think about it. Better than other Venice restaurants which cost 2-4x more. Seriously, go to ai Mercanti in Venice have the mackerel with the orange purée. I think it was 17 euro for 2 decent size filets. Incredible! So good. I had two :) Hats off to the chef and thank you for the best meal of our trip.

No clue what people are smoking. This is one of the worst restaurants we've been too in Italy. It was terrible, terrible, terrible. If you are a tourist you will get rotten wine. Not even respect to let you taste it. Then the food, just utter dried up crud fake description. Do not go here unless you want second rate food in a tourist trap destination

We had to ask a local on how to find this restaurant and SO happy we put forth the effort. We had the OCTOPUS, POTATO, ONION AND TOMATO for an appetizer and we each had the COD FISH FILLET IN COCONUT AND LEMONGRASS SOUP for our entree. This was one of the best meals ever. For dessert, we had CHOCOLATE INTERPRETATION. It was gone in 2.5 seconds. You MUST dine here if you're visiting Venice - MUST!

This restaurant is an absolute GEM tucked into the inner streets of the San Marco district of Venice - a charming location off a courtyard in a quiet area of town with a delightful menu of seasonal dishes. Courtyard dining really set the tone for a lovely evening and made meeting other travelers a cinch. The gazpacho salad was a genius mixture of veggies, greens & a spicy sauce, along with warm-from-the-oven freshly baked bread and the zucchini ravioli with sheep cheese sauce was spot-on perfection. Our waiter recommended something from a local winery - loved it. Service was wonderful - I'd love to come back again the next time I'm in town!

This was the best dinner we had in Venice as well as all of Italy. Great prices for the fantastic food and wine, good value, and great service. Everyone was hospitable and provided fresh plates and silverware after every dish. We tried the cheese plate, ravioli, gnocchi, and salmon. Everything was delicious!!!

Fantastic food. Innovative and tasty. Staff was super helpful and the location is a quaint courtyard. We are ordered a pasta and an ode to tomatoes. Loved the ode to tomatoes. If we were less tired we would have tried dessert which looked amazing as well. Very charming and seems to be off the beaten path. Wine selection is great.

Came here with a friend hoping to avoid more touristy places, and were completely blown away. The restaurant is in a quiet courtyard off of a small, typical Venetian street. Such an amazing find! We ordered the ravioli with ricotta to start (we shared this, but I could've easily eaten the entire dish as my first course), and the fried cod and the pork fillet as our mains, respectively. The ravioli was very good, but not super amazing- fresh, handmade pasta, and the sauce was great, with crumbled nuts as well. I had the pork fillet, which came with spring vegetables, and it was perfect. perfectly cooked, well seasoned, everything - so so good. the cod was delicious as well. the waitress, who was very helpful, said it was "lightly fried" - and it truly was. so fluffy, and crisp and light- amazing. it was served with pineapple as well. for dessert my friend and i shared the creme brûlée, which was also great. i would definitely recommend this place, and would love to go back and try the rest of the menu!

A must in Venice! This was our last meal in Italy and definitely one of the most memorable. The space is dark and romantic, service attentive and helpful. A beautiful place to have a modern, fine dining experience. We had the crispy egg with potato foam and anchovy, which may have been the best albeit simplest dish we had. So memorable. The Puglia shrimps with cauliflower cream was great too, but paled to that crispy egg. The black cuttlefish risotto was delicious and unique - it tasted like the sea in a really sexy way, and I wish there was more raw cuttlefish on top, because it was so silky and ginger-y. Lastly we had the cod fillet in coconut/lemongrass - light, reminiscent of tom kha and the perfect ending to our meal. I will dream about this restaurant!

Excellent meal. Creative dishes. Carrot soup with almonds and lemon zest, veal tendons with puréed bean sauce and leeks. There was more! Just not enough time and space to put it all into the review. The staff were incredibly helpful and wanted to ensure I had a wonderful time. I did. Not touristy. Very cozy. I highly recommend it. Sophisticated and low key but friendly.

Stopped in for a drink and respite from sightseeing and came back after browsing an interesting menu and great wine recommendation. The meal was outstanding. Innovative, impeccably cooked and presented. Egg dish appetizer(which was not obviously attractive on the menu) was amazing-the potato puree base layer sublime. Similarly, shrimp on cauliflower puree wonderful Mackerel was perfectly done. Wine glass recommendation excellent. Service serious but impeccable and professional Decor dim but eclectic combination of Venetian with black and gold, and at one end of room a brightly spotlighted, locally made bustier provided a splash of bright but unobtrusive color. Best meal in Venice Find and go- you will not be disappointed. it is also a great value

We took shelter here on an exceptionally rainy day in Venice, and it was one of the best decisions we made on our trip. The location is a little difficult to find, but it is quaint and definitely off the beaten path. We would have loved to have eaten in the courtyard but couldn't because of the rain. We ordered tortellini stuffed with spinach and cheese and cod tempura with pineapples and bell pepper brunoise. The dishes were visually stunning and were delicious. Caution: If you are looking for a hearty Italian meal, this is not your place. The portions are small and the prices reflect the experimental nature of the meals. The service was great, and the wine suggested by the waiter paired well with the food. I'm a fan of all the amazing traditional seafood and pasta you can find in Venice, but this was a very welcome change of pace and I'd highly recommend it.

The best restaurant I have ever eaten at in Europe. For Venice the price was very reasonable. It was so good that went back again the next night to try more items from the menu. The wine was amazing and only 3 Euro a glass. Finally a great gastronomy place in Venice. Loved it!!

The atmosphere is very nice, intimate. It is located off the traffic in a nice small opening away from the crowd and noise. The staff is very gentle and enthusiastic. They offer a small selection of wine by the glass, which happened to be decent at the time, since it seems to be constantly changing. Food is served in very small portions, typical of fancy restaurants, although the food was fairly good but not excellent. It is pricy, but on average with other places in Venice.

If you are culinarily (ok, invented word) curious, willing to explore the gustatory world far beyond the traditional Venetian fare, Ai Mercanti is for you. Tucked away down an alley off a narrow street across two bridges from our great hotel (Rosa Salva), Ai Mercanti is an enclave of the eclectic. (Note: We dined at Ai Mercanti in Sept. 2018 and their "hot dog" special still holds a high place in my dining memory bank.) We made sure they were open at holiday time, and having mentioned we had been there before, and the hot dog, were told they had a new special..."hamburger." To repeat: Ai Mercanti takes pride in being different. Exhibit A - "apparentely crispy egg with potato foam and anchovy" (house specialty). Add sweetbreads and eel and you get the feeling this is not your usual pasta/antipasto place. Back to the hamburger, an ensemble that included a succulent sirloin patty couched in a sesame roll, with sides of cabbage, two strips of bacon, small 'omelette' and Dijon mustard. Different is the understatement. Our waiter/navigator, Mr. Diego, was personable, attentive and "kindly assertive." He knows his stuff and you should let his guidance flow. Our foursome enjoyed a cheese plate starter - six cheeses and 3 jams including a "green tomato" potion. Entrees included duck breast with buckwheat kumquat orange and ginger; not-your-usual spaghetti imbued with local olive oil, (for me hold the) garlic and chili peppers (mild); paccheri with ricotta and chard. A bottle of fine red wine and a pink (no kidding) pinot grigio. A dessert of sweet potato spiced cake with smoked milk ice cream. Total tab for four = 185 euros. If you are willing to separate from traditional Venetian dining, Ai Mercanti is an experience worth....experiencing. Be brave!

A fantastic, romantic evening! The setting is small and romantic. The food was excellent and the service as well. Very reasonable prices. Enjoy!

Since we were on vacation, my date and I thought Al Mercanti provided a four star experience. Objectively, however, it is a good not great restaurant. The staff spoke English and were courteous, and the food was good if not exceptional. If you're staying in Venice I would suggest you visit if you're looking for a good meal and like the menu.