La Zucca — Restaurant in Venice

I went to La Zucca during my visit to Venice on my tour guides recommendation for vegetarian food. I had horrible experience over there which i have not experienced ever before. Restaurant was just opened when we reached there. the girl on the reception was super nice( i did not get her name) but told us that we need reservation to sit inside but we can have outside tables without reservation. My husband went outside while i was waiting to go the restroom and wanted to ask the girl where it is. She was busy attending other customers so i asked the other restaurant guy who just came from inside where the restrooms are. That guy gave me a weird look digging into my eyes and said why. i said i need to use the restroom. he said but why do you want to use the restroom. i figured probably he was asking because in Italy they let you use the washroom only if you are a customer. So i said, i am sitting outside. He said there are no tables available and keep giving me the belittling look. I said i got the table already, that girl gave me already. By the time, the girl was also free and confirmed and showed me the way to the restroom. Later when i came outside i saw there were 3-4 tables free and was given to customers who came after few minutes. I felt terrible with that guys behavior and felt like he was a bit racist and said there are no tables intentionally. I live in Miami and people are always so nice and polite towards their customers. We sat down in the restaurant but i got so upset that asked my husband to cancel the order and go to some other place. My point is , we go to visit different places to experience different cultures and definitely give business to these restaurant. A different gesture would have turned things differently and i would not be writing such a harsh review. We went to the reception and told the girl to cancel our order and the situation we faced. She was super nice and apologized multiple times for his co workers behavior but the evening was already ruined for us. We got to know the guy's name was Nicola. I will not comment how the food was , since i did not eat over there. I hope the owner of the restaurant takes my comments seriously and atleast talk to the employees to be respectful towards...

• Avoid if you’re female, BIPOC, or an ally *

The food was fine, not spectacular compared to adjacent restaurants in the area. The restaurant’s gotten a reputation, and it’s riding high on it for now. Unfortunately, the service for us, two women of colour (one Asian and one Black) was deplorable, and the owner/server tried to hide his disdain for us — unsuccessfully.

We’d booked a table in person two days earlier, so we had a reservation. At the time, the young woman said she could only give us a table inside. We had no issue with this. When we arrived for our reservation, the owner/server - an older man with a beard gave us a choice of tables outside the restaurant. There were no other patrons there except for a table of three who’d already started their meal.

Following this, other folks were seated - a couple beside us, and several other couples — all male/female. We ordered 4 dishes - all vegetarian, none of them complicated. We also ordered two glasses of wine. The couple next to us, a white middle-aged couple who’d sat down after us, ordered after much questioning of the menu. They received their food right away. Even they were surprised when they saw they were served ahead of us. The other tables were also served. We waited 45 minutes before the server returned with an expression of mock horror: “You don’t have your food yet?” he said.

Considering he was our server, it was a ridiculous question.

He could tell from our expressions we were not impressed. He returned with another server and proceeded to slam down our dishes on the table - no side plates, even though we’d told him we were sharing the dishes. My friend had to go in and ask for side plates.

We know a racist misogynist when we see one. There are many other restaurants nearby for good food, better ambience, and most importantly, where the service is not delivered with contempt. I’d recommend you patronize...

Can't fault it. Great location, friendly service and a real focus on amazing fresh food. The best food we've eaten in Venice!

Note the menu changes daily based on what produce is best on that particular day. As a result they don't post their menu but I've attached some pictures of the menu we had to give an idea of the food and price range (you may need to translate the menu - although they provide a handy key words translations guide with the menu).

Situated in a fairly quiet area, La Zucca is the best blend of Venetian culture. The views are great if you eat outside, but inside is also nicely designed.

Each dish we had we really enjoyed. We opted for an Artichoke with cheese sauce starter which was delicious. For mains a Pasta Al Forno and Lasagna Al Forno. Both tasted really good and the Lasagna could be one of the best vegetarian lasagnas we've ever had.

This place is absolutely perfect for vegetarians as most options are suitable (although maybe not for vegans as dairy products are often used).

It isn't always easy to find really good food in Venice, but this one is a must visit if you get a chance!

I'd ignore the bad reviews on here. Yes Staff may be a little blunt at times but for our visit staff were friendly and helpful. Understandably for a very small restaurant it's not always easy to book for larger groups and I can imagine they find it difficult to accommodate last minute visits.

It books up early so visit ideally days in advance to book for dinner. Lunch slots are a little easier to find but still worth booking in advance.

To clarify the restaurant is not a Michelin starred restaurant, but is a Michelin recommended restaurant (i.e. recommended by the Michelin organisation but not given a...