Zanze XVI

A hidden gem in Venice where hospitality and gastronomy is the heart of everything. The hostess was incredibly friendly, and together with her husband (the chef), they create an unforgettable dining experience with impeccably prepared dishes. We went for the 7-course meal but unfortunately we had to stop because I was feeling ill. We will definitely come back!

We had an incredible experience at this restaurant! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The entire team went above and beyond to make the evening special, and I have to give a special shoutout to Chef Giovanni, whose culinary skills are truly outstanding. Every course was a masterpiece and beautifully presented, bursting with flavor and perfectly balanced. A huge thank you to Irene, our server, who was absolutely fantastic. She was attentive, knowledgeable. The entire staff worked seamlessly together creating a flawless dining experience. Thank you Guys

We literally stumbled upon Zanze XVI, a hidden gem in Venice that didn’t look like much from the outside. But as soon as we stepped inside, we were transported into a world of Venetian gastronomical excellence. We opted for the 5-course prix fixe menu, which began with an array of flavorful amuse-bouches that awakened our palates. Each small dish offered more depth and complexity than the last. As each new course arrived, our delightful hostess described the flavorful journey we were about to embark on, making the experience simply magical. Every dish was meticulously crafted to tantalize the palate, featuring fresh, local ingredients that were unfamiliar to us as non-Venetians. Chef Giovanni Rigoni’s cuisine is inspired by Venice and its surroundings, focusing on the freshest seasonal ingredients to continually renew the menu. This is a culinary journey you must experience during your travels to Venice. The young and beautiful staff will guide you through this unforgettable adventure. Just remember, reservations are a must.

Zanze XVI is just a short walk from Piazzale Roma, the main entry point into the city if arriving by bus or car. It is located right at a small canal. It is considered one of the oldest restaurants in Venice, of course run by many different owners. The current owner kept the historic look and feel widely untouched, and the atmosphere as casual and relaxed as a traditional restaurant would be. Service is highly professional, and the food very inventive although based on local tradition and focused on locally sourced products. The tasting menu contained very flavorful dishes centered around vegetables and fish. The pace was just about right, as were portion sizes. While there was no wine pairing available, the very knowledgeable sommelier presented a list of wines by the glass so that you could create your own pairing based on your personal preferences. Many wines were from the region, but also from other parts of Italy or even other wine-making countries. Overall a great dining experience - flavor-forward food, yet light and elegant, and a very good selection of wines.

An absolutely amazing dining experience. The food was creatively presented, and absolutely delicious. The 5 course tasting menu was a very good amount of food, leaving us quite full in the end. The wine pairings were also perfectly selected for each course. The staff were incredibly friendly and made the experience that much better. Definitely worth the hype and would recommend making a reservation (though we saw a few walk-ins while we were there).

Unfortunately this restaurant just didn't wow me. With Michelin stars definitely comes high expectations and I feel like Zanze XVI was missing that something special. Environment is top notch if you get a seat outside. It's a beautiful setting next to the water and calm, less people are walking around compared to other areas of Venice. By the time you are done eating if there for dinner, there are even less people and it's wonderful to go for a stroll after. Service was okay, staff was friendly and informative regarding each dish and asking what we thought after each course. However I didn't feel the service was high as it could be for a Michelin restaurant, and I have been to a few. We did the 7 course tasting menu and the pace was good in the beginning but slowed down a lot by courses 4 and 5. I appreciate meals that aren't rushed and having some pause between each but by this time we ended up waiting 20-30 minutes each for courses 4 and again for 5. At this point the fullness starts to set in and so does the "food coma" so I started to get tired. Overall for the 7 courses it took 3 hrs to get through. Price: Again, we got the 7 course tasting menu. 120 euros per person and we did wine by the glass (about 10 euros per). Interestingly water and coffee are not included in the price but if you do get the voucher online it does. So it was total 4 euros for water and 8 euros for espresso for 2 people. There is also a 5 euro per person cover charge. I understand water and espresso are not commonly included in Europe or even the US for espresso but again, for the price, you would think it would be. I am also used to coffee being offered as part of an inclusion with the end of dessert/the meal. Now for food. Unfortunately did not get a photo of the menu so I don't remember the descriptions of the food but part of the fun for me is not knowing ahead of time what's on the tasting menu! They give you a welcome course before the official meal. Usually this is what sets the tone and unfortunately it was an okay starter which could have used more flavor. The first 3 official courses fortunately improved and I enjoyed those. Particularly enjoyed the soup that had some assorted seafood and garbanzo beans. And the risotto which had a pesto sauce were delicious and lifted our hopes up. The next course was a flat spaghetti noodle dish with truffle and I enjoyed it but did not feel like it was unique. We also waited perhaps 20 minutes for this one. And then another 30 minutes for the next one which is the meat--you get a choice of fish or beef. I chose fish. This one was okay, needed more flavor. I had a taste of the beef my husband got and was again surprised by the lack of flavor. The last 2 courses were dessert. The first one was not good for me, the vodka taste was too strong to where I couldn't finish it. The last one was their take on tiramisu and this was enjoyable. They then finish the meal off with some bite sized dessert and a gold flaked bite that tasted like hazelnut. These were good and I wish those had been bigger. Overall, no bad courses other than the dessert with vodka. Just not enough "wow" moments or moments where I closed my eyes to savor how good something was. I am by no means an expert on the subject but we have been to a few Michelin starred restaurants around the world, as well as those with bib gourmands, on the Michelin guides, and enjoy trying all types of food on our travels in all price ranges. We love tasting menus. Again, with the Michelin star comes high expectations and unfortunately this did not blow me away like others have. We also have found Venice to be difficult to find good food in and hoped this restaurant would turn our experience around but it did not.

Expectations were very high… and the experience was even better! What an amazing selection of dishes: creative, tasty, perfectly executed, with great fit of ingredients and wines. Definitely recommend the tasting menu and location - just in front of the canal, creating a very nice environment. We went in a lunch with friends and was difficult to select our favorite dish as all were a great surprise. Congratulations to all the staff, that are highly skilled.

Exceptional. My partner and I came here for Valentine’s Day 2024. We were left speechless by the flavours, presentations and atmosphere. Incredible service. Elegant. Contemporary. Unforgettable.

I don't know where to start. Maybe the fact they knew someone in our party had a nut allergy, they proactively acknowledged it - then they served a risotto dish with almond milk. The waiter said since it wasn't the actual nut he didn't think it mattered. Yes. Almond milk is made from and with almonds. THEN, they didn't replace the dish with a non nut item. This situation isn't subjective or opinion - this is food safety. I think it became almost comical when they presented the dessert option with pine nuts ‍ (yes, also a nut). Avoid avoid avoid.

I was so excited to try this restaurant after all the glowing reviews, but this was the worst dining experience I've had in Italy. This place was such a pretentious restaurant which needs to go back to the basics. No one cares about how pretty the plate looks when the flavors are not only uninspired, but also quite offensive at some point. My wife and I had the tasting menu with the wine pairing, and we definitely regret wasting one dinner on this place. The wine pairing was so horrible also, and this was the first time that I was turned off by a wine from Italy. I've been to Italy 8 times, and no other restaurant came close to giving me such a horrible experience.

One of the best meals I've had in a long time and I eat out constantly. Our whole family is gluten free and they were extremely accommodating. I'd recommend this place to anyone.

Based on reviews, I was expecting refined flavors and beautiful presentation. Beautiful presentation they have down, flavors were uninspired. Wine was a good selection of Italian wines, but they did nothing to add to (or detract from) the foods they accompanied. Not worth the €250 we spent. We had the 8 course tasting menu and accompanying wine pairing. The dishes took quite a bit of time to come out despite the restaurant being only half full (full meal was ~3 hours). It felt at times they were trying harder to serve unique ingredients (e.g. diaphragm, elderflowers) than creating the best flavors with available ingredients. Service was attentive but the food could have been so much better with a bit more attention to flavors and studying how to bring them together. Fun experience but we had better food for 1/10th the price in Venice.