Ristorante Vecia Cavana

We stumbled upon this local Italian place near our hotel and it felt genuinely authentic - lots of Italian customers and we saw waiters hugging regulars, which was a good sign. We decided to give it a try and ordered several items marked as local specialties. For starters, we had the spider crab salad and sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines). The crab salad was fresh but pretty plain, nothing exciting. The sardines were something completely new for us and turned out to be a pleasant surprise - definitely unique and worth trying. Our mains were spaghetti with shrimp in spicy tomato sauce and seppie al nero (cuttlefish in ink). The spaghetti was pretty ordinary and the "spicy" sauce was barely noticeable. The cuttlefish, however, was excellent - soft, flavourful, and perfectly salty. Unfortunately, the polenta that came with it was rubbery and disappointing. The service was friendly and attentive. Overall, it was a very pleasant meal and the food felt authentically Venetian. I'd definitely recommend it over the surrounding restaurants which seemed more touristy serving the usual pizza and carbonara.

September 2025 dining experience. Feels like a local cuisine and a local restaurant experience. Tucked in a corner and it was bustling the night we went and no booking so lucky we got a table. Food was delicious and the staff who looked after was a friendly and funny gentleman. Everything we ordered were beautiful. Yummy!!

January 2026 takeaway experience. An overrated place. The greeting waiter was rude, palmed us off and refused to serve after he knew the order was for takeaway, almost threw the menu in our face. Other staff were courteous and polite. Two serves of Blackink cuttlefish risotto must have had 5 pieces of cuttlefish, expected more protein in the dish but the risotto was delicious otherwise. Not worth it when a paying customer isn't treated well.

Wonderful, old school restaurant. Excellent waiters, delicious food and a feeling of history around you. Best smoked salmon I’ve had in years (and I eat it a lot). The lamb chops were yummy and the desserts were fabulous, served on an old-style trolly. The staff recommended wines by the glass, which were great. Not inexpensive, but for us, worth it.

A Mixed Bag: Good Food, Pushy Service, and a Tipping Quandary This restaurant presents a bit of a dilemma when it comes to a review. The food was undoubtedly good, high-quality, and enjoyable, though it certainly leaned towards the expensive side. My experience with the server was quite a unique one. He was undeniably nice and personable, which initially made for a pleasant interaction. However, he had a rather pushy upsell technique, constantly asking "why not?" whenever he suggested an addition or upgrade. While this was a bit much at times, I found myself strangely liking his direct and persistent style – it was certainly memorable! My biggest hang-up, and honestly, quite a source of frustration, was the expectation of a tip. In Europe, a tip is traditionally a modest rounding up for good service, not the percentage-based system common elsewhere. Given that there was already a cover charge, the additional push for a significant tip felt out of place and left a sour taste. Overall, while the meal itself was enjoyable, the combination of the high price, the server's pushiness, and the unexpected tipping pressure made for a somewhat complicated dining experience.

Absolutely one of our beat meals in Venice. Traditional, old school atmosphere that hasn’t changed much probably since the 80’s, but like a time capsule! Servers and sommelier that are professional, attentive, and clearly are passionate about their jobs. Excellent food, particularly the langoustine pasta (buonissimo!!!) that we would fly back to Venice just to eat again!! Top quality ingredients and wine list, extremely generous portions, including the servings of seafood in the pastas. Shout out also for the squid ink calamari dish, the tiramisu, fig tarte, and the homemade limoncello. Grazie mille !!

Our first day in Venice, after roaming and bar hopping a few places, we decided to have dinner at a historic restaurant; Ristorante A La Vecia Cavana, Venice was a delightful experience for us. This historic establishment, open since 1912. Impressive decor and immaculately clean facility. We arrived at the restaurant and the was warmly greeted by our host who was very friendly and pleasant. He showed us to a table which was small & setting the tone for a truly enjoyable evening. We began our culinary adventure with two classic Bellinis and a simple yet satisfying offering of breadsticks with butter. For appetizers, we ordered a diverse selection from the menu, a mixed fried fish with fried vegetables platter, & heart of artichoke with mozzarella and truffles, and a refreshing spider crab salad. Our wine journey commenced with a bottle of Amarone Valpantena, a perfect companion to our starters. The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the two plates of their seafood risotto. It was amazing and instantly became our instant favorite, a dish we'll long remember. At the host's excellent recommendation, we also savored a half bottle of Amarone Classico, which perfectly complemented the rich flavors of the risotto. We wrapped our evening with Our host recommended shots of limoncello and a few delightful house-made meringues. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our visit and left feeling super satisfied. Ristorante A La Vecia Cavana has undoubtedly become my forever favorite from my entire Italy trip. I wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Venice.

Food was amazing! Pasta and meat sauce was perfect. Sea bass was delicious and dessert was unlike anything we had tasted.