Vini da Gigio

A warm, elegant restaurant perfect for a special dinner — we celebrated our anniversary here. The staff were incredibly kind, especially our waiter, who turned out to be married to a Turkish flight attendant and chatted with us warmly. Everything we tried was delicious: oysters, grilled octopus with pumpkin, baby calamari, and crab pasta. Two glasses of white wine, tiramisu, and prosecco to finish — the meal cost €132, and it was worth every cent. Refined yet unpretentious — one of the best dining experiences we had in Venice.

We had an unforgettable dinner at Vini da Gigio in Cannaregio. The octopus with pumpkin was absolutely delicious, the tagliolini with spider crab was a true revelation, and the linguine Malamocchina style had a perfectly balanced, slightly spicy kiclllpWhat really impressed us was how this meal felt like an escape from the overly touristic side of Venice — here we enjoyed genuine, authentic Italian food that exceeded our expectations. My wife and I were thrilled with everything we tasted. No surprise that locals recommended this restaurant to us — and we couldn’t agree more. Highly recommended!

I came here because I was looking to have an experience with the fegato alla veneziana AKA venetian style liver and onions and found them highly recommended through my Google research. Honestly, it was a life changing meal - I never knew liver and onions could taste this good. The liver was so soft and flavorful. With that said, I usually do enjoy liver, and my fiance who hates liver tried it and noticed it was good but he still didn't like the texture/ taste of the organ meat as he kept chewing it. My fiance had a pasta dish - perfectly cooked. The table bread was better than it looked, but it doesn't come with any butter or oil, so I used the bread with my delicious dish to soak up all the flavor and enjoy it more fully. I'm not a big dessert person, but the tiramisu was very good also. The service was excellent! We were very lucky to get there last open table without reservations as we rushed to get there right when they opened, but probably would recommend having a reservation ahead of time as we watched them turn away several unreserved customers while we were eating.

Had an awesome experience in this typic venetian restaurant. Ambiance was great and service really amicable. Food was really good and wine selection is exhaustive. Perfect restaurant away from the crowds and perfect if you’re looking for an authentic experience.

We were thrilled to stumble (not literally!) across this restuarant. We'd had a really bad dining experience the night before elsewhere and this made up for it 110% . The food was fantastic and a bit different. I had cuttlefish which was beautifully cooked. Food is great value. The wine list was fantastic and excellent value also. Service was friendly and efficient. Top notch! Thank you.

We went there yesterday evening following a recommendation from our Airbnb host, and unfortunately we truly regretted spending our money there. The service was not professional at all. Our waiter was unwelcoming and unfriendly. We wanted to order a single course, but he clearly made us feel that we had to order both a starter and a main course. We ordered razor clams and scallops as a starter, followed by pasta. While the food itself was good, the experience was ruined by the service. As soon as we finished eating, the waiter took our plates away immediately, both after the starter and the main course, without giving us time to finish properly or even enjoy the moment. My husband was still eating bread with the sauce when the plate was removed. We also ordered 50 cl of wine, which was served in a carafe that was not clean. It felt very much like a local place where regular customers are treated warmly, we did not feel particularly welcome. The food was good, but in our opinion, it was not worth the price we paid. We went there hoping to relax and enjoy our evening, and unfortunately, it was quite the opposite. We would not recommend this place.

The most average restaurant I’ve been to in my entire life, and for 80€ per person. Wouldn’t recommend a single thing I had. Maybe the oysters and the wine, but they didn’t really have to do much with those. The service was good though.

Charming restaurant with pure venetian vibe, a neverending wine list, impeccable service and wonderful food.

Vini da Gigio is a cozy, family-run spot in Venice that brings you the real flavors of the city with a mix of classic and seafood dishes. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the food makes you feel like you're getting a taste of Venice's best. We started with the Mixed "Venetian Specialities" starter, which was a fun sampler of local bites. Each item had its own unique flavor, showcasing Venice's love for seafood and fresh ingredients. It's a great way to start the meal and get a sense of what Venetian food is all about. The Tagliolini with Spider Crab was a big hit. The pasta was just right--perfectly cooked and well-coated in a buttery sauce that let the sweet crab shine through. If you love seafood, this dish is a must. Then came the Rigatoni with Red Tuna Ragout, which was hearty and satisfying. The sauce was rich with chunks of red tuna, and the rigatoni had the perfect texture to soak up all that flavor. It's a filling and delicious option if you're in the mood for pasta with a twist. For a real taste of tradition, the Liver "Venetian Style" with Polenta was excellent. The liver was tender, cooked in a sauce that was slightly sweet, and the creamy polenta on the side made it feel like real Venetian comfort food. To wrap it all up, we had the Almond Cake with Zabaglione. The cake was moist and nutty, and the zabaglione--a creamy, custard-like sauce--was the perfect sweet topping. It's a dessert that feels indulgent without being too heavy. Overall, Vini da Gigio is a fantastic pick if you're looking to enjoy authentic Venetian flavors in a laid-back setting. The dishes are simple but super tasty, and each one gives you a taste of what makes Venetian cooking so special. Highly recommend!

Amazing food and service. We shared fettuccine and salad the flavor was bland but with a little added spices the meal was fresh. Beautiful views while dining

Outstanding. This was quite a long walk from the AC Hotel where we stayed while in Venice. The place was small but it had the old Italian interiors and vibe. We were greeted and seated once we walked in. The tables were very close to each other because of the small space but other than that, it was neat and nice. Our server was polite, efficient, and great. I loved the cover of the drinks menu, which was drawn by children. The dishes that I've tried were: SEAFOOD SAMPLER APPETIZER- everything in the plate was so tasty FISH CARBONARA- so delicious! TAGLIOLINI w/ SPIDER CRAB- how can I resist spider crab in pasta?! This was a winner! Even the TARALLI and bread were addicting. As usual, we have never failed in selecting any of the Italian wines that we've had anywhere in Italy. This was no exception. Overall, I highly recommend Vini Da Gigio to anyone who wants to experience the delicious and excellent Italian cuisine, in the gorgeous city of Venice. Grazie mille!

One of the best meals we had during our 9 day tour of Italy! Everything about the meal was delicious! Magnifique!!

Our go to place in Venice. Convenient canal-side location close by the Ca' d'Oro vaparetto stop. Excellent service and great food cooked simply but well. Tables can be a little intimate and the room a little warm, but the ambience and the service more than make up for that. Get the razor clams if they have them. They're beautifully done here.

Vini da Gigio will show up in more travel books and blogs as a must go in Venice, they are all wrong. While it wasn't that bad, it wasn't worth the hype either. Couple that with some of the slowest and lax service I've seen in Europe and you get a hyped meal that really disappoints. There were some high notes and we all discovered a new type of seafood that we fell in love with. Canocchia or a Squilla Mantis was a newly discovered treat. Textured softer than a Japanese sweet shrimp, this little bugger was amazingly soft and delicious. We were all fighting for a second bite. He's the lil' dude in the upper left of the plate. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aRnyiemsta5F3vnvWUaFHg?select=oltorZfN8Z0FhKRFI4GARA#oltorZfN8Z0FhKRFI4GARA Anywhere we saw razor clams we had to get them. Here I think they overcooked them a smidge and made them a notch too chewy. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aRnyiemsta5F3vnvWUaFHg?select=Sn6b5FITkjZrw1vgLRR-fQ#Sn6b5FITkjZrw1vgLRR-fQ Pesto is my favorite sauce. While not as versatile as cream cheese, it almost goes on anything. But here it was on the bland side. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aRnyiemsta5F3vnvWUaFHg?select=JnkMgc4nsvLrhS4b3ycvYA#JnkMgc4nsvLrhS4b3ycvYA Our plate of fried stuffs was also a bland dud. All it needed was a pinch of salt and another minute in the fryer or less minutes waiting to come to our table. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aRnyiemsta5F3vnvWUaFHg?select=LfLDxkDRBsMFzlntoPCahw#LfLDxkDRBsMFzlntoPCahw We shared a couple desserts; first up was some pudding/flan type thing that wasn't nearly as good as the picture; http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aRnyiemsta5F3vnvWUaFHg?select=T6OFyZn0JHTTyX8WmjIHrQ#T6OFyZn0JHTTyX8WmjIHrQ And lastly was a tiramisu who suffered its last days in stemware, poor little guy. It really does no good for the dessert to have inconsistent layering. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/aRnyiemsta5F3vnvWUaFHg?select=zpFq9jVgSkOH33WwZ8kdzA#zpFq9jVgSkOH33WwZ8kdzA So overall, skip this place and make your way further into the depths of Venice for some stand-up bar food or just indulge in endless gelato!

Rating: 44/100 pts Venice is an amazingly beautiful city with a not-as-beautiful food situation. All of the popular spots are littered with tourist-trap restaurants betting you're willing to sacrifice quality for scenery. Well, I wasn't, and consequently I walked and walked until I thought I was fully clear of the tourist scene. I wanted me some authentic Venetian cuisine! From the looks of it, Vino da Gigio had a lot going for it: the exterior was homely, and the menu was filled with Venetian specialities. In fact, they are authentic, and a little on the upscale side. Unfortunately, they're also on the up-price side, but food quality lags behind. You end up spending around €15 for their primi and €24 on a main dish, for the quality of something around half that. Still, food wasn't terrible, and if you can get over the "Venice premium" built into price (and possibly built into the prices of most restaurants here), you do get to choose from an array of Venetian specialties. They do have some meat items, but I was only interested in seafood. Give me the authentic stuff. I wanted something that Marco Polo, Casanova, or Vivaldi would have called lunch. I've dealt with unfamiliar foods before--show me your stuff, Venice! ...is what I was thinking, but not being brave enough to try some of the more exotic, and thereby authentic choices--cuttlefish (seppie) cooked with ink, eel (anguilla), fried sardines--I went for the grilled sole, which was one of the "pesce del giorno", and I still felt sufficiently Venetian. The fish was decently fresh, and was served with a small square of polenta. I'd only had polenta a few times before coming here, but this was the least memorable of that I'd had. It was nice and chewy, but thin and insignificant. I've had better in the US, despite polenta originating here in Northern Italy. I paid around €25 for something not even that filling--though they do give you a huge basket of different types of bread sticks and crackers to snack on. I was not impressed enough with the food to get dessert, and so my meal ended here. I'd sooner try someplace new than repeat.

My 17 year old son and I are on the last leg of our Italy trip in Venice and having read Rick Steves guide book where he recommends this, we decided try it as our Venice meal splurge. What a waste of money. I can't remember the last time I've left a negative restaurant review but this was bad. I paid $100 Euros for 4 inedible dishes. When we entered restaurant we were offered a table by the door or by the kitchen, the worst tables in the house, there was one other person there. We chose by the kitchen. Our first dish was thin noodles and spider crab with gluey tomato based sauce and a tiny bit of crab. We each got crab shells in our food and I mentioned it, because I thought she would like to know. Nope. She made excuses. Because it's not from a can and fresh the shells are...okay? I still don't know but I felt instantly ill after biting into a crab shell the size of my baby finger nail. Also, the crab was fishy tasting, like it wasn't fresh. Onto the the second course. I got mixed seafood and my son got cuttlefish. First, the cuttlefish was in ink and he said it was too strong with garlic and not balanced. I didn't try it, I have no desire to eat sea animal ink. This dish is an acquired taste and he wanted to try something interesting and didn't like it, fair enough. My mixed seafood was also fishy and under seasoned. It was squid, prawns, shrimp etc. all deep fried. Maybe as Canadians we are spoiled with fresh sweet seafood or maybe Venetians like it fishy tasting but we didn't enjoy our meal here even a bit. I'm also done trusting Steves, he hasn't really been right about anything except maybe stay away from the main squares for food. I totally agree with that. Anyway, don't bother with this place.

This was the best meal we had during the week in Venice and we had some wonderful times out at various charming restaurants -- Rosa Rossa, Bepi, Al Volto, Le Campane. I wouldn't recommend doing what we did: we arrived on a Sunday night without a reservation. However, they took pity on us and we had a splendid risotto with pumpkin and anise and shrimp. My wife and I followed that dish that is meant for two people with separate fish dishes that were extraordinary. Of course, the wine list here is superb especially with those from the Veneto region I found our waiter to be attentive, very confident, and extremely Pleasant. It was wonderful night all around.

Although a lot of tourists are able to find this place because it is all the guidebooks, we had a very nice dinner which was completely affordable. Make reservations or arrive early so that they can squeeze you in and enjoy the (sea)food! The staff was nice and helpful. Don't forget to have a coffee made in a very special coffee machine.

This showed up as a good place to go for the needs of a gluten free diner. They did have their own set of GF crackers rather than the normal bread and two types of GF pasta which was nice. However, I would agree with other reviews that it was a bit over hyped. When we arrived they did seat our party of two without a reservation but the body language seemed that they were unhappy about doing so despite there being plenty of open tables. We got the ham, the octopus salad and the GF tagliatelle pasta with cheese and pepper. The ham was fine but the octopus salad lacked a bit of flavor. The pasta was simple but cooked perfectly (just a bit al dente) and was sauced so it had flavor but wasn't be drowned in cheese sauce. The place was a bit hot and stuffy as well. Though not a terrible meal I'd say there are plenty of other places in the area that are worth a try at the same or lesser price point.

We decided to try this place out as it had been recommended in several guidebooks and articles. The problem with being lauded in a guidebook for being an authentic place to try local cuisine among locals is that it draws a lot of tourists. When we went I don't think there was a single local in the whole (quite small) establishment excepting the staff. Prices are fairly usual for Venice, i.e. expensive. But if you live in London even Venice seems good value. Starters and 1st courses around £7-10 and mains about £12-16. The food was sublime. We had the antipasti misto (Venetian style) to start. This was basically an asiette of Venetian seafood dishes and was dribblingly delicious. It was not cheap (about 24 euros I think, but we shared it between us). It included scallops, shrimp with polenta (my favourite), some grilled white fish thing, and clams (again especially delicious). For mains I had penne with Gorgonzola and pistachio and he had beef. The portion of penne was small but so rich that it seemed a lot, it was very tasty. His beef was the beef of the gods. It melted in the mouth; I've never had such a tender and delicious bit of flesh. We had puddings as well, but it was a terrible case of eyes bigger than belly as I could barely get halfway through it. We were so full; it was a truly lovely meal. One of the tastiest I have ever had. The bill came to about £60 for two of us (3 courses and a bottle of prosecco) that is not cheap for Venice but you'd pay double that for the same quality in London. You must book in advance as it fills up rapidly.

This is a quaint little spot. So picturesque. We didn't make reservations so we had to come back very late at night for dinner. For us that was 9:00 pm but so worth it. Service was amazing. We enjoyed out meal and the coffee was so good. Definitely be prepared to sit awhile, we were in no hurry and enjoyed the ambiance and the friendly staff.

Good but simple italian food. Spaghetti with pepper and ginger good, mussels were yummy. Wine was good. Ambience ok, service was good.

Awesome Fish and Ravioli!! Great off the main street restaurant!! Between the Jewish Ghetto and Rialto Bridge.

This place was recommended by a waiter in Rome. The food was fantastic. If you are a seafood lover, you must go there. The razor clams (Venetian clams) are amazing!! the service wasn't terrific but it wasnt bad either. I think the place is closed on Mondays. And if you go for dinner I suggest you make a reservation.