Trattoria Al Vecio Portal

Tucked away in Venice’s charming Castello neighborhood, Trattoria Al Vecio Portal offers a refreshing take on traditional Venetian dining. This isn’t your typical tourist-trap trattoria—instead, you’ll find a kitchen that boldly blends Sicilian roots with international influences, creating dishes that surprise and delight in equal measure. The spacious garden out back provides the perfect setting for a leisurely evening meal away from the bustling canals.

The menu here reads like a love letter to the sea, with each dish showcasing the kitchen’s confident hand with seafood. Whether you opt for the garganelli with clams, the tagliolini with shrimp and artichokes, or the tuna tartare dressed with soy, capers, and chives, you’re in for a treat. Don’t be surprised to find steak tartare touched with Filipino flavors like ginger and soy, or ravioli that could pass for Italian-Japanese fusion gyoza. It’s inventive without being gimmicky.

This is the kind of place where you want to settle in for the evening with a bottle from their thoughtfully curated natural wine list. The garden seating makes it ideal for those warm Venetian nights when you want to linger over dinner. Come with friends who appreciate good food and better wine, and you’ll understand why locals keep this spot close to their hearts.

Whatever you do, save room for dessert. The housemade sorbet is a refreshing finish, but the cannoli here has earned a reputation as the only one worth seeking out in all of Venice—and that’s saying something. This is the kind of meal you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve left the lagoon behind.