http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19361
To be honest, we saw the queue and for a while we thought of not going in, but we waited (not for long, the service is very quick, maybe too quick) and the place was great. Fantastic food, good prices and a lot of locals.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19361 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19080
I've been told since that it's a chain but it's not like places in England. The dishes are simple but tasty and my pasta was cooked fresh to order while I watched.

The salad was also good quality and (another surprise!) we had a reasonably priced beer to accompany it too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19080 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19077
The food was interesting - as well as the usual pasta there were dishes like beef with nuts and plum - and also quite reasonable. I think it was about 30 euros for three courses.

We ended up staying here all night (with another bottle of wine, of course) as there was live music and were surprised to find ourselves staggering back to our hostel at nearly 1am!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19077 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18243 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18243 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17497
There are no tables here and no waiter service, so simply go up to the counter of the little dark bar, choose your wine, choose some snacks and enjoy a taste of real Venice. Don't expect service with a smile, but do expect to feel part of the real city.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17497 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17490 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17490 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16653 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16653 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16349 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16349 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12855
I requested a taste of the gelato & was handed "chocolate" gelato that was terrible. When I requested a different flavor, the owner became obviously upset, and very reluctantly gave me my taste of mint gelato. Just as I was about to have a taste, I glanced in the case & noticed numerous bugs & flies on the front edge of the cooler. When I pointed them out to him, he became angry & began to yell at me in Italian. I was amazed that he would be angry with me when his shop clearly had major cleanliness issues. Nonetheless, he continued to yell and waved me out of his shop, still yelling as I walked away.

For cleanliness sake, I would avail myself of one of the dozens of other gelato shops around Venice. So many of them are wonderful (and CLEAN) and the people are very friendly. Unfortunately, Venice Cream is not one of them.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12855 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12470 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12470 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11841
This tiny windswept island in the marshes was the place where the first settlers, fleeing from Attila the Hun, found refuge and laid the foundations for the mighty Venetian republic. Incredibly it once had 20,000 inhabitants before malaria took hold. Now all that's left is a wonderful church with fantastic 11th century mosaics and a bell tower which gives stunning views over allotments, marshes and the distant towers and domes of Venice.

There's also a rather fine restaurant Al Ponte del Diavolo, serving (very) local rabbit and fine pasta with wild fennel sauce (on the day we went). A perfect place for a spring lunch and to reflect on the beginnings and end of the Venetian republic!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11841 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11840
Also serves delicious bar food - when it's gone, it's gone. The atmosphere is that of a private party - you can spill out on to the street or eat at little drop-down ledges, built into the walls of the shop.

A great alternative to an expensive and indifferent meal in a tourist restaurant.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11840 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11369
We tried to order two Margherita pizzas with ham on. This sent the waiter into a rage with him srcatching frantically into his writing pad. He pronouced loudly he had a table of 20 booked which were coming any minute. We all felt intimidated by his behaviour.

After being told another pizza was off the menu we quickly left. Service with a smile it wasn't!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11369 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10754
For great value food and wine eat at an enoteca in the quiet areas of Castello or San Polo, for luxury arrive in a water taxi at midnight during Carnevale!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10754 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7586
Food of course is the highlight of each day, and one of the best ways to enjoy it is to take an apartment and shop in the market. If eating out, it can be expensive as can everything in Venice. Remember if you want to sit outside to see and be seen, it may cost you twice as much as sitting inside. Order a panini or tramezzini at the bar and either stand while you eat or take it out to eat at the edge of a little canal or on the steps of a bridge, even cheaper still.

This far north, pasta tends to give way to risotto and with so much seafood from the lagoon, the choice is large. Most menus have a zuppa di pesce, or fish soup, again with an infinity of ingredients. Specifically Venetian is carpaccio, thin slices of beef served in mayonnaise, or bigoli in salsa, noodles in an anchovy or sardine sauce.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7586 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5887 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5887 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5885 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5885 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5873
It's a small but bright, friendly and busy place, right next to a bridge - actually, if you're a woman with a mind for pranks, you can have the singular experience of startling fellow tourists in gondolas with a 'hello' as they glide past the window of the women's toilet. I also shared my table with three (rowdy) off-duty gondoliers.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5873 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5817 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5817 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5710 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5710