Venice has no shortage of places to eat; there are so many fantastic restaurants now, that it is hard to know where to begin. The best romantic restaurants of Venice have a lot to offer to its guests. From fancy Michelin starred fine dining to romantic gourmet restaurants with views overlooking the canals, or even the cosy, traditional family run trattorias and local baracos, Venice is a delight.

Restaurants in Venice benefit from the wonderfully fresh local ingredients produced in and around Venice. Being an island, it’s not surprising that fresh seafood features heavily in Venetian cuisine and is the speciality of many of Venice’s fine dining restaurants.

Of course, this being Italy, pizza, pasta and gelato are also things that must be tried here. Restaurants in Venice are normally open for lunch from noon till 2.30pm and for dinner from 7 – 10pm. There is almost always a cover charge of at least a couple of Euros, which includes the bread served with the meal and sometimes a mandatory service charge (servizio) is also added. If not, then a tip of 5-10 % should be left if you enjoyed the service and the meal.

Not all restaurants in Venice are equal and the city has unfortunately got a bad rap over recent years because of the plethora of touristy restaurants serving substandard food to unwitting tourists. But proper, quality, traditional Venetian cuisine Cucina Veneziana is a delight you must savour, and Venice has some truly memorable and romantic dining experiences. Sadly, many visitors to Venice leave feeling disappointed with the food if their only experience of Venetian cuisine is the set price ‘menu turistico’ found at the touristy restaurants.

So avoid the overpriced tourist restaurants, and head to some of these best and most romantic restaurants in Venice for a gourmet experience.