Trattoria Rialto Novo — Restaurant in Venice

We found this restaurant by chance on our first night in Italy and Venice. Down a random, quiet, side street in Venice near the Rialto Bridge, it has outdoor seating in a quiet courtyard. After telling us the day's specials, and all of us saying they all sounded amazing, but having a hard time deciding, Tani just said that they would bring us a few things. And they did... and every dish was fantastic. Tani and the other waiters were engaging and fun and spoiled us for our first night in Italy. It was such a great experience that we went back our second night - after already having had dinner at another restaurant where the food and service were... ok. We intended to just get a few small things, but somehow ordered a Tomahawk steak for the 4 of us to share, along with some other pastas, and it was totally worth it. At this point we knew we had to come back to this restaurant on our very last night in Italy, after visiting a few other towns, and we did. The last night was just about a repeat of the first night. We basically told them everything we had had there was delicious and what did they recommend tonight? Again, couldn't tell you what all we were served that night, but it was all delicious. We did have a fresh caught sea bass cooked in a mound of salt that was served table side. That fish basically fell apart when he served it - it was so good!

This place is a somewhat hidden gem and I'd give more than 5 stars if I could. I would suggest making reservation. We happened to get lucky each night and get there at the perfect time to get a table, but it definitely got busier as the night went on. The staff was fine to let us hang out and enjoy a leisurely meal, but there were other diners who seemed to have more of a time crunch and they were happily accommodated as well. I would absolutely recommend Trattoria Rialto Novo to people looking for delicious food in Venice. I hope to go back to Venice sometime, and this will be one of my very...

Delicious food, amazing staff, and they made our family celebration a perfect night to remember!

I can’t say enough good things about my experience at Trattoria Rialto Novo. I was visiting Venice to celebrate my daughter’s engagement and was searching for a good restaurant for the celebration dinner for the whole family. I stopped in at Rialto Novo for lunch to check out the menu and atmosphere. The first thing I appreciated was that the restaurant is just a block away from the crowds - making it quieter and easier to connect and hear each other for a family dinner. When I shared the situation, Tani and his team jumped in with their ideas and options and I could see they were committed to make the night special. I visited the restaurant several times before the event to ask more questions and finalize plans and every time I arrived they made me feel welcomed and comfortable.

In the end, they worked within my budget to put together an incredible menu - I think maybe 6 courses?! - consisting of some dishes that are not on the regular restaurant menu that were very special and delicious. Our menu centered around the fresh seafood that they get in each day. But they also accommodated people in our group who were vegetarian or did not like seafood. They helped me work with the flower store just across from the restaurant to create gorgeous flower arrangements for our table.

The main course of the Mediterranean Sea bass might be the most delicious dish I’ve ever had. And the dessert was incredible - I wish I had the recipe. I forgot to take pictures of every course but they were all presented beautifully!

Everything they did exceeded my expectations and I feel so lucky and grateful that...

Eating at Trattoria Rialto Novo was an amazing experience. We ate there every night we were in Venice because the first night was so wonderful. We ate at several different places while traveling around Italy and Venice, and this was by far the best and felt like a “true Italian eating experience” instead of just… eating in Italy. Tani and the other staff were fantastic and anticipated our needs. They brought out an ash tray for my cigar and improvised a vase for the roses we got on the Rialto Bridge, without us saying a thing. We briefly looked at the menu, Tani then described the specials, we said it all sounded wonderful, and then he just took care of us, like family. If you want to have a special dining experience, ask them what the specials are and what they recommend that night. We were never disappointed. When they realized that I was the one in the group who was a wine snob, they brought me to their wine selection and talked about which wines they would recommend with the food they would be serving us that night. They had great recommendations and the wines paired beautifully with the food we ate.

There was a little bit of a language barrier – we know NO Italian – but they did a great job of communicating in English and they had a wonderful sense of humor through everything. I would give 10 stars if I could. We will absolutely go back whenever we...