Osteria ae Cravate — Restaurant in Venice

It starts with service. After strolling the Dorsoduro area of Venice, with almost all the places having nearly the same menu, we happened upon the very busy, lively, charming, small, well appointed Osterea ae Cravate. Noticing it was the only restaurant we have seen that had a wait, they had a great crowd.

After waiting about 10 min or less for an outside table, Kamal, the manager (?) pulled a table and chairs from inside so we would not have to wait, very nice.

The FOOD! The menu had a half dozen or so specials for the day, and when Kamal came over he named a few more in an effort to create an options list with too many to resist. Then, he enticed me with a 'bolognese with truffle sauce' which sounded too good to pass up.

We started with the artichoke appetizer topped with a strawberry slice, crab and tiny shrimps, over large artichokes hearts. Warmed and absolutely full of flavor, each of these ingredients shone through, from the tender hearts, through the rich seafood with a strawberry slice to bring each bit to life, absolutely creamy delicious and fabulous.

My wife had the gnocchi with local crab special, tender gnocchi, flavorful tomato sauce and the crab was pronounced but not in any way overpowering. Each bite more flavorful than the previous.

To me, the star of the dinner was the bolognese. Normally a dish that is dense and one note, this was NOT that.

Perfectly cooked home made large tube pasta (tender, but al dente) resting at the base, piping hot, and on it one of the most flavorful sauces I've ever tasted. Simple, yet exquisite.

You expect meat and truffle oil to be too much, but each was handled with such a deft hand that they complemented one another to the point of elevation. Just when the richness of the bite is at its peak, the fresh herbs enter your palate and the interplay creates a marvelous symphony of flavor that travels between rich and fresh, entertaining all along the way where each bite is like a new dish, you simply can't wait for your next bite.

The service was beyond exceptional, everyone was jovial, friendly, helpful, and smiling.

At one point, one of the artichoke hearts moved on the plate while setting the plate down, Kamal swiftly took it into the kitchen and had it replated, placed on a bed of arugula, so that the presentation was perfect (we had 3, the pic is after devouring two of them)

If I lived here, this would be my hang, this place was just exceptional in every way and a highlight of our...

We visited Osteria ae Cravate based on a recommendation from our hotel, which I’m often sceptical about (could just be recommending their friend’s restaurant or a restaurant owned by the hotel owner) but the reviews were good too so we made a reservation. The staff were really very friendly, we were offered a table inside or outside and chose outside. My boyfriend ordered the tomato bruschetta and the lobster linguine, and I ordered the prawns with black polenta and asked the waiter to recommend a pasta dish for my main. He recommended ravioli filled with spinach and something else I didn’t quite hear, but I just went with the recommendation anyway. It was my first time trying polenta and I’m not sure it’s for me but it tasted good and the prawns were delicious (they were the teeny tiny type of prawns/shrimp). The bruschetta was the best we have had anywhere on our trip so far (we have had excellent bruschetta pomodoro in Rome and Florence/Firenze) - the taste was amazing, ratio of topping to bread was good, bread was not too soggy, not too dry. The lobster linguine was really delicious and I feel €28 was a fair price given there was lobster meat in the pasta in addition to half a lobster on the plate. I found the ravioli dish very delicious, but my boyfriend said it was not for him. The waiter did advise when he recommended the dish that it was €35, which seemed pricey but we’re on holiday so it’s fine. There were four large ravioli in a delicious creamy sauce, but I’m not sure what about the dish justified the high price - must have been the mystery ingredient I didn’t hear! Regardless, it was very delicious and I have absolutely no complaints about this wonderful restaurant.

We paid in cash, and I have to commend the waiter for letting me know I had accidentally given 3x €50 notes instead of 2x, and returning one to me (I think some people would have pocketed the extra €50 and not said anything).

Also, we were seated next to a lovely Spanish couple who had already visited the restaurant once and after trying another couple of restaurants in the city, had returned as the food and service...

I want to begin by saying that there is a very nice and welcoming waitress here, and this is not about her. The place is what can be labelled (as many others in Venice) a tourist trap. So many things went wrong. I rang and asked for a table inside (outside it was 35 degrees) and asked whether there was air conditioning. They said yes, of course. Instead, the reserved table was outside, so we asked to be moved indoors. Indoors, the air conditioning was extremely feeble and every window and door was open, so it was EXTREMELY, unbearably hot. On the phone I asked for vegan options for the friend I was there with, and they replied yes, of course, quite a few, and then there were only two options. So my friend didn’t have much choice. For me, I tried to order spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) but the waiter said “no, no, spaghetti allo scoglio are so much better”. He insisted a lot so I finally said okay, but I specified there was something I didn’t like and he said don’t worry, it won’t be there. The spaghetti arrived and of course with what wasn’t supposed to be there. I had them sent back and then they came again fine. I went to pay and first they made a wrong bill, charging twice with my friend’s order. Then they did it again, and for a starter and the spaghetti I had to pay much more than expected (60 euros). So I asked why, and it turned out the spaghetti allo scoglio I didn’t want were “off the menu, made just for you”, and so they were 35 euros instead of the 15 euros of my original choice (spaghetti alle vongole). I believe this is a usual trick they play so double check the menu before accepting recommendations. In the end, they forgot to add my friend’s spritz in the bill and the friendly waitress I mentioned didn’t make her pay for it. Small consolation.. the food’s quality was okay but overpriced and...