Ristorante Pizzería Da Alvise — Restaurant in Venice

You know when you arrive late on the first night of your holiday, with young kids in tow, and you have to find somewhere to eat really quickly because everyone is tired and hungry. On those occasions, particularly in Venice, I brace myself for a bad meal, accepting the fact we have to prioritise speed of delivery over everything else.

Well, we were in that situation, having checked into our apartment after a delayed flight, and I had done a quick bit of research on the explore feature on Google Maps (what an excellent feature that is by the way) and found this place. The agent who checked us into our apartment - a local - confirmed it was good. I was cautiously optimistic.

I knew within minutes of arriving I was going to love this place. Even in October it was just about warm enough to sit outside, by the lagoon, with boats bobbing in the background and a pleasant seaside aroma. Most of all though the staff were an absolute delight. The gentleman who very humbly described himself as "not the owner but the owner's husband" was utterly charming, so sweet with the kids. Everything we ordered was a resounding success - the spaghetti vongole, the carbonara pizza, the pizza "Erika" (named after the owner, which I couldn't resist ordering because it was also my daughter's name - and it was excellent), even the simple spaghetti pomodoro.

Prices were very reasonable I thought. The complete antidote to the kind of tourist traps you expect to be caught in when in Venice and have to find somewhere to eat quickly.

Well done Erika (and your wonderfully affable husband!), you have created a really...

We booked our table on the terrace a week ago. Arriving there we were strongly advised to go inside, due to unsecure weather forecast. So far so good. Not their fault but it spoilt our last evening - for this time - in Venice. We were sitting inside (very hot!), while waiting for our drinks observing that many people were seated on the terrace. Quite frustrating. But ok, we could have asked at that moment to be seated outside as well and missed the opportunity. My only 2 star rating goes actually to the food and the management. Starters were ok, main dishes (Secondi) plain and tasteless. Il fegato was the most uninspired we ate in Venice over the last years (we are several times a year in Venice), quantity on the small side. Same goes for the fish, il sogliole. One person ordered tagliata "al sangue", it arrived well done. He was asked to keep the potatoes on the plate, waiting for the correctly prepared meat. So once the potatoes finished, he waited another 10 minutes at least to get his meat. The poor staff was clearly overloaded. They have missed several times our request for water. They did their very best, sweating, complaining between each other, but still managed to be friendly. Given the situation, not enough staff, it might be better to have fewer tables. We surely will not go back here. Oh, and by the way, we are quite expert in Italian food, living in Italy and travelling around the...

Could not have been happier with this place, especially the food. Wide variety of dishes where you can sample all the classics of the region, with especially great seafood. The cooking is simple and well executed which lets the dish and ingredients shine. I am wary of places with a great location on the water overcharging for mediocre food - but that is not this place at all. The location is lovely to sit and admire the lagoon and listen to the waves on the stone behind you, with adequate shade from the sun. The family that run it are so friendly and work so hard, always watching the tables and making sure people are attended to. We were lucky to be staying around the corner so could treat this place as our local and returned three times during our week in Venice. Lastly, I am coeliac and could get both gluten free pizza and spaghetti (yes, spaghetti, not just penne) plus grilled seafood and salads of course. More than that, the staff proactively raised with me anything they thought might be a cross contamination risk (baked potatoes for eg that I had not clocked they said would not be safe for me) so I could feel totally safe in their hands. Great place, thanks for...