Ristorante ai Barbacani — Restaurant in Venice

In summary: Come here only if you have a reservation at the special table by the water. Otherwise, skip it, grab a slice of pizza from a 2.5 euro pizza joint and enjoy Venice from a nice bridge (we ended up doing this instead of risking another terrible and unnecessarily expensive tourist trap night out).

Details: I've never given a one star review but unfortunately this establishment has earned it. This was a tourist trap.

My partner and I came for a romantic evening out upon the recommendation of our local tour guide. The reviews were excellent! The compliments to the service, music, food, and seating near the canal drew us in.

However, the woman who seated us did so begrudgingly. We immediately noticed that there is only one table available with the view that the reviews praise. The others are nothing special. There was no music. Instead there lingered an awkward silence in which the other two couples whispered so as to not disturb the romance of the others.

Wine -- We opted for house wine, recommended by every Italian I know, for the cultural experience. Our tour guide said a glass should cost less than 3 euros or else we should turn heel & run because it was likely a tourist trap. Alas, the irony set in when we received the bill and each glass cost 6.5 euro while a liter would have cost 11 euro (per liter was listed on the menu, per glass was not). I didn't think I'd have to be wary of the cost at a so called classy place. We considered clarifying the cost but I chose not because the waitress' attitude thus far implied she would not be understanding to our confusion nor helpful in amending it.

Food -- The waitress served the appetizer at the same time as my main dish, resulting in my partner eating alone when his dish finally came after I finished mine. The mussel and clam appetizer was okay. I have no words for my dish. As the only vegetarian option on the menu, it was a fried vegetable soaked in oil that dripped into a pool collecting in the middle of my plate. It tasted like nothing. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and still ate 2 of the 3. I regretted it 30 min later when my stomach felt heavy and my head nauseous. My partner's risotto was raw -- not al dente which would have been fine.

We left hungry, nauseous, and annoyed despite being in one of the most romantic places in the world. We went down the street to a 2.5 euro pizza spot and reclaimed our night.

Beware to all who consider this place, even if your tour guide...

We stayed at the Barbacani to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends. It was probably the biggest disappointment and mockery of our lives. The restaurant resides in an ancient Venetian coal deposit reused as a restaurant, externally it retains its charm but when you enter you immediately have the perception of being in a hyper tourist place that preserves absolutely nothing of Venetian. It is important to underline that before we went to dinner and after realizing that we had not made the right choice, we tried to cancel weeks in advance but with no avail. The restaurant, in fact, for the reservation asked for a deposit of € 180 per person (€ 540 deposit), minimum expense for the evening, non-refundable but expendable during the year. Needless to say, this policy is absurd. Unfortunately for us the surprises were not over because after choosing some à la carte dishes, expecting to receive excellent quality dishes (given the cost), we were instead amazed by the bad realization and not fresh products (frozen fish, salad in a bag and of dubious freshness, tomatoes and clams with sand). My asparagus risotto with shrimp was actually a dry butter risotto with only a frozen shrimp, the "artisanal" panettone (which had nothing artisanal), it was supposed to be with vanilla cream but we were served cold and with a greenish filling with a taste more than pistachio vanilla. The wine, a Pinot Grigio (shop price 7-10€), paid 55€. Price of water 10€ per bottle. Cover price 10€ per person (not even at Florian). 20% surcharge on total spending. Total dinner for 3 people 626€. To conclude with a flourish, after requesting the bill we exposed our perplexities and our discontent to the owner of the restaurant who proved to be unpleasant and totally unaware of what her restaurant offers. I hope I have clearly exposed our experience and I hope that this place with this management will be...

Avoid at All Costs - Venice's Worst Rip-Off

I made the grave mistake of choosing this restaurant for New Year's Eve dinner in Venice, thinking we'd have a memorable meal. What we got was a memorable scam.

First off, the prices were already inflated - Spaghetti with Mussels for 45€ and Risotto for 55€? That's highway robbery in any other setting, but we thought, "It's New Year's Eve, what can you do?" But here's the kicker - a bottle of water for 10€! That should have been our first warning.

When the bill came, we were slapped in the face with an additional 20€ per person for what they call 'coperto' or 'coverage' - I've never seen such an outrageous fee for literally just sitting down. And then, to add insult to injury, a 20% service fee on top of all that! No one mentioned these charges, and they certainly weren't clearly displayed on the menu. This turned our meal into an extortionate 180€ for two pasta dishes and water!

The food? Don't even get me started. The spaghetti was overcooked, the mussels were questionable, and the risotto was bland and overpriced. We didn't even have the stomach for dessert after that bill shock.

The ambiance was nice, but that's the only positive thing I can say. The staff was indifferent, probably because they knew they had you over a barrel with their pricing.

This place should be shut down for its deceptive practices. They prey on tourists, especially during high season events like New Year's Eve, with no regard for decency or fair pricing. Stay far, far away unless you enjoy being financially mugged while trying to enjoy a holiday meal.

Zero Stars if I could give...