Osteria Da Valentino — Restaurant in Venice

Located on Venice's eastern side, the Castello district is the largest and one of the least visited of the six historic sestieri. It is a working-class community, neighborhood, and peaceful atmosphere, where visitors can uncover hidden gems off the tourist trails, ancient landmarks, and quaint canals.

Back then, osteria was more of an inn where travelers, tradesmen, and locals could come, take shelter from the cold, and enjoy their food. The word stemmed from oste (innkeeper) and from the Latin hospes (host).

Fast forward to today, osterias are very simple restaurant-like venues serving a rotating menu, usually with some mainstays. Menus are often limited, handwritten, and printed or displayed on a large board. They have a very ‘homey’ feel to them, as you are probably rubbing elbows with locals. Therefore, they are affordable, for which my partner, our friends, family member, and I decided on Osteria Da Valentino.

Situated on Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, we were drawn by the available outdoor seating offering a picturesque view of the canal to create a magical cozy vibe for our last Venetian meal.

For some of us, we decided on the Smoked Salmon Cicchetti, Green Salad, and Bruschetta as appetizers. For the main meal, we opted for the Eggplant Parmigiana, Spinach Ravioli, Vegetarian Pizza, and Linguini in Clam Sauce. We washed them down with Limoncello Spritz and Acqua Fissante. Complimentary bread started the meal.

The food was very delicious, using the freshest ingredients and genuine authenticity. Our plates were beautifully presented. Not only was Kelly our server, but she was also the owner along with her team; they were friendly and caring to our needs.

We were treated with Limoncello shots to end the night.

Grazie di tutto! We can highly...

Unfortunately, what was our final meal in Venice ended up leaving a sour taste. We had a lovely starter, with the Prosciutto and Burratini which was delicious. I ordered the melanzana parmigiana for my main and my partner had decided to try the Cuttlefish Ink Pasta. Upon the mains arriving, my partner had tried the pasta and it was not to her liking. We understand that this can happen when trying new food, so asked the waiter if we could order something different as she would be unable to eat the meal, we also said that we apologise and we would still pay for the Pasta, as we ordered it and that was our issue to bare. The replacement meal came out and was nice although a little salty.

However, the waiter made remarks about the ink pasta. actively rolled his eyes and made remarks that this is “going to waste”. Now whilst I understand the frustration that the meal was prepared and would not be eaten, it should not be made publicly known your annoyance at this. My partner who was already upset at not choosing a meal that she enjoyed was subject to being made to feel as if she had done something wrong, by simply ordering another meal. She was made to feel very small and was not even acknowledged on the way out of the restaurant. I personally find this an awful way to be treated as a paying customer. I have ran restaurants myself in the past and would have been appalled to learn a member of my staff had treated a guest this way.

It is a shame, because this was such a promising meal, with a delicious starter, completely spoiled by the actions of...

Very Disappointing – We Do Not Recommend

Unfortunately, we chose to ignore the bad reviews and trust the good ones – a decision we truly regret. We didn’t enjoy the experience at all and feel we wasted both our evening and our money.

The salad didn’t feel fresh – it gave the impression that quality isn’t a priority here.

The pizza was below average. Bland, lacking flavour, and the dough wasn’t pleasant.

The pasta with squid ink was the most promising dish, yet it was the worst we’ve ever had. No flavour at all.

The beer was fine, but the glass of Chardonnay was truly awful – sour and cheap-tasting, undrinkable.

We paid a cover charge, yet the bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on our table were completely empty.

Service was also disappointing. The waiters didn’t look clean – one had dirty trousers, another had stains on his apron. They seemed bored and unmotivated. One offered dessert, but in such an uninterested way it felt like an obligation rather than genuine service. No one even said goodbye when we left.

The next evening, we had a fantastic dinner elsewhere, and all we could do was shake our heads at the poor choice we made here.

We do not recommend this place. We believe the high ratings may come from budget lunch deals where people care less about quality. But for a proper dinner in Venice – this is a...