Pizzeria Birreria Barbanera — Restaurant in Venice

Saw the positive reviews and thought we’d give it a try. We ordered Hugo spritz’ to start and found them to be way too sweet- almost undrinkably so.

We then ordered the melon with ham as a starter. I have seen this at other restaurants in the area/ Italy so I had an idea of what to expect… this was definitely not it. Large cuts of melon with ham thrown on top sloppily… the taste didn’t forgive the appearance either. The melon was very hard and over-all the taste was extremely bland and dry.

My husband and I had already eaten a light meal not too much earlier, so we ordered 1 carbonara to SHARE. The server asked, “one to share? Nothing more” and we said “yes, just 1 order to share” and so when the carbonara was delivered to our table split into two dishes we just assumed it had been divided for us.

When the bill came, we discovered that we were charged for 2 x carbonaras (we didn’t even finish either plate we were given, as we had told the server we were not very hungry).

When we discussed this error with the server, he came back and said “no, we made you 2 carbonaras”. I wouldn’t have complained if the dishes were tasty, but sadly, they were very bland and felt they were made with cheap ingredients.

The servers were some of the more pleasant staff we’ve experienced here in Venice, but I definitely wouldn’t eat here again after this experience and having tasted this food.

I will add that we ate around 9:30pm on a Thursday and the restaurant was...

Venice is beautiful, but it’s absolutely packed with tourists – which makes it rare to find a truly pleasant restaurant where you’re not squeezed into the tiniest table just so the staff can seat the next hundred people waiting in line.

This place was a breath of fresh air. Here, you actually get space to relax and enjoy your meal in peace.

The food was excellent – in terms of flavor, fully comparable to the most high-end restaurants in the city. And I can say that with confidence: we’ve been in Venice for five days now, and we visit at least three different restaurants each day.

The staff was exceptionally friendly and cheerful, and they even had time for a few light jokes – a small but very welcome detail that made the experience feel personal and relaxed. I’m not great with names, but one really stood out: our amazing waiter Fahim Al. Thank you!

The location itself is also lovely, with a window view looking out onto a shop full of beautiful, authentic carnival masks that just add to the atmosphere.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to not only eat in Venice but truly...

Okay. I have been traveling in Europe for almost a month, and this was the worst meal I have had yet. First off let’s start with the bread we were served at our table. It was hard, tasteless, and stale. There is a photo to prove. Second, the main dish. My husband had the bolognese, um it tasted like barilla noodles over cooked with Ragu jared meat sauce. I had a seafood dish with what was called a “prawn” it was a crawdad. The sauce was horrible and it was called a “scampi” pasta but it was a red sauce? I’ve never seen that before. I would honestly say this is not the authentic Italian food I was craving, or expecting. I am in Italy and this restaurant was worse than the worst Italian restaurant in America. I have never sent my food back in my life, and if I had the balls to do that tonight, I would have. Lastly, I would say that the amount of times we were asked if our food was good was also way too much pressure. Final thing I will say.

It’s a NO...