Hostaria Osottoosopra — Restaurant in Venice

Nestled on a quiet side street, Hostaria Osotroosopra epitomizes the Italian eatery of your Venetian dreams.

You booked your ticket, boarded your plane, braved the crowds. And now, you're meandering through the crowded canals, in pursuit of the perfect plate of pasta, a refreshing glass of wine, and a decadent tiramisu to top it off.

Yet, every stop along the way has been loud, packed, overpriced with mediocre fare and a stereotypically uninspired ambiance.

That changes when you discover this place. If you're anything like me, you might have strolled right past it—its exterior is notably modest. Inside, it's understated yet charming, adorned with dark wood and intimate corners for dining. It doesn’t strive for extravagance or pander to traveling TikTok-ers - another reason why it's worth your visit.

The menu, though succinct, showcases a rich variety of flavors that appeal to a discerning palate.They pride themselves on using locally-sourced ingredients, including sustainably caught fish. I’m a firm believer that a tighter menu often means superior dishes, and this venue certainly proves that.

I chose the paccheri with duck ragu and Castelmagno cheese. Though modest in size, each bite was a burst of flavor. The pasta was expertly al dente. The cheese and ragu melded into a meaty, velvety sauce that sang like a Bocelli opera with each forkful. Accompanied by a memorable red wine, whose name escapes me, the meal was nothing short of divine.

For dessert, despite the waiter’s tempting alternatives, I settled on the classic tiramisu. It was perfection: not overly sweet, *exquisitely creamy, with a robust dusting of cocoa powder. I dare say it rivals—even exceeds—any homemade version.

Be sure to book early to secure a spot at this hidden gem. And in the words of the Terminator,...

Disappointing. The rating of this place is a paradox. I had high hopes for Hostaria Osottoosopra, especially given its reputation and setting in Venice. I don’t mind small portions — in fact, I often prefer them if the quality justifies the price. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here.

The allo scoglio pasta was extremely underwhelming. It arrived with exactly two mussels, four vongole, and two small shrimp, lightly tossed in what seemed like plain passata. The seafood had no depth of flavor, and the sauce was lifeless — more like something stirred together at home on a lazy night than something crafted in a Venetian kitchen.

The mussel dish was an even greater letdown. Though it looked appealing in the photos, in reality it was a pile of tiny, flavorless mussels drowned in what tasted like store-bought passata. Worse, the mussels were clearly past their prime: many had turned pale or white inside (a tell-tale sign of age), several were cracked, and I counted at least 8 or 9 that hadn’t even opened — meaning they were dead before cooking, and should never have been served. Honestly, it felt borderline unsafe.

To top it off, the black pepper was so low-quality, pre-cracked kind — the kind you find in bulk on cruise ships or mass catering, with a faintly earthy, almost soapy taste. In a city like Venice, where ingredients should shine, this was baffling.

Even the glass of white wine had a strange, off flavor that made me wonder how well it was stored or chosen.

All in all, a place that seems to rest more on its aesthetic and reputation than on actual culinary care. A real shame, because the potential is there — but quality, freshness, and flavor were...

What a way to kick-off Venezia!! The food of Venice is very unique and exciting. This hostaria did not disappoint at all. Incredible food. Definitely in the top 3 restaurants of our 5 week European adventure…

We ate like kings and thoroughly enjoyed:

Antipasto - Artichoke heart with goat cheese, herbs and a carrot ginger sauce. Delectable

Antipasto - Calamari with vanilla fennel cream and toasted almonds. WOW!!!

Primi - Ravioli with ricotta, mascarpone, spinach and truffle cream (perfectly balanced and cooked). Made us speechless for a few moments 🤤

Primi - spaghetti with seafood: mussels, clams, squid and langoustine! A huge primo but and surprisingly different (this was not like a typical marinara, it was fresh tomatoes full of intense with seafood taste - probably from an incredible seafood stock)

Secondo - the star of the night… Liver Venetian style with polenta. Probably one of the best liver dishes we’ve ever had. Gently and quickly cooked liver with a sauce of sweet stewed onions—not sautéed or browned just cooked until they are ultra sweet—I thought maybe there was some apple or honey involved but there wasn’t. Again in European food: simple and few quality ingredients executed perfectly! Bravo!!

Secondo - cuttlefish cooked in its ink with polenta. Delicate and tender. This is a happy dish 😀 BTW - the polenta was excellent - silky and you could actually taste that it’s made from corn (maybe a bit salty but that is forgiven)

A contorno of simple sautéed spinach and garlic. The spinach actually tasted like spinach because it was made from mature fully grown greens not that baby spinach crap we have in the US — what the happened to...