On a day trip to Venice, Italy, we were trying to get away from the crowds and found this gem tucked in a narrow walkway so we decided to try it, and we were so glad we did! Excellent service and incredible food. The seabass (catch of the day) was for a minimum of two people but because all six of us wanted it, the server suggested we get a larger fish and then deboned and served it tableside. It was so fresh and perfectly cooked. The wine list was also extensive with a wide range of choices at different price points and the menu (see my photos) included Venetian specialties, Italian fare, and some inspired dishes you don't typically see on menus in Italy. The restaurant has a charming little courtyard with some outdoor seating that it shares with another restaurant and lots of indoor seating (two seperate dining rooms) as well as a private room for slightly larger parties. We initially thought the restaurant was empty when they walked us through the dining room to the courtyard but then discovered that the other dining room (both have doors to the courtyard) was full and energetic. The restrooms, located downstairs were clean and well-maintained. Like all restaurants in Italy, there is a service charge per person that includes the bread. Often the bread is just an obligatory afterthought it seems, but here, the bread was delicious and worth eating. For six of us, the bill was just over 400 Euro and included the bread/service charge, seabass, side of grilled veggies, four appetizers, three beers, a bottle of wine, and several bottles of sparkling water, which we found to be very reasonably priced. If you're looking for a reliable, somewhat upscale dining experience in Venice, I recommend this place. read more

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This restaurant was terrible. Food is reheated and arrived cold. Walked in and the restaurant was empty. They even have outdoor dining and the tables were empty. Please avoid at all costs. read more

The restaurant was empty..food was marginal at best... Do Forni next door is Great---this supposedly has same kitchen. VERY slow service... food was REALLY lousy! I ordered some soup---After EVERYONE was served ....they let me know they were out! read more

I truly lucked out when I came to this place on my first night in Venice. My goodness, the food, the service, the ambiance was absolutely perfect. Everything we ordered was simply delicious. The only caveat is, this is a traditional Italian food place and not necessarily set up for tourists so some Italian is necessary. It is a tad hard to find as it is in the middle of the maze in between the canal and st's mark's plaza. Asking the locals made it a tad easier to find it. The place's size looks deceiving. At first it looks as a tiny restaurant with a few tables but if you keep walking to the back, the restaurant is very long and has different ambiances. I highly recommend this place for a traditional delicious handmade meal that will make you jaded for life about eating Italian food anywhere else outside of Italy. read more

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We came on the recommendation of our hotel concierge....so very very glad we did. Tonight we wanted a special please to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary, so we decided to check out this gem! Our waiter was fantastic, along with his assistant! Les was trying to decide what to order, so he made a few recommendations. Les went with the spaghetti and clams and raved about how delicious it was. I had the ravioli stuffed with spinach and cottage cheese with a nut cream sauce....excellent! We topped our meal with dessert! He had the apple tart, and I had the dark chocolate mousse...we were both extremely happy! The waiter also provided Les a sample of a special request dish that a party of 8 had ordered....octopus accompanied with onions, carrots, potatoes and zucchini that had been cooked in some type of sauce for 2-hours (it was a cast iron pot about 60#'s), the dish is not on the menu. Les literally raved (non-stop) about how delicious and tender the octopus and vegetables were. We gladly recommend this place and will definitely dine again when in Venice again. read more

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This restaurant was reserved by our tour director on a tour of Venice. It is located in a narrow street but near the main square of Venice. The wine was nice and the food delicious. The portion sizes were generous, but the vegetarian main course was quite ordinary. The servers were extremely polite and friendly. read more

This restaurant is a joke. Very bad service. The menu is expensive and the place nice, so we were expecting cordiality and a polite service. They look at us like "cheap customers " ( meaning poor). read more

Beautiful old world restaurant, smiling, personal service, in a city where it's all too easy to get lost in a maze of streets and canals and be caught up in sights centuries old. Antico Pignolo is a little gem tucked away on a narrow street, its front more akin to an elegant little pub than a restaurant. What's astonishing is how this narrow space leads to a garden and a boat dock on the canal - if you wished you could arrive here by gondola, though the garden itself always seems full, so coming early for your reservation seems a must if you want to dine under the stars. What I liked was how the maitre d' rushed to make every diner feel welcome, personally supervised everything from grinding the pepper himself to the wine selections. The food itself felt fresh, simple, authentic. The star of the show was easily the scampi and zucchini risotto with saffron. A tad pricey, but the risotto alone was worth it. The rest of it was marinated salmon carpaccio with fennel, sea bream, and a wonderful pasta. The meal was beautifully accompanied by an affordable Pinot Grigio from the restaurant's considerably extensive (3000+ wines) cellar. read more

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If you come with your 2 year old child and ask if they have pizza, they will respond "we can do that" but you should run because the pizza is a shame for this place that just shows up, but does not have the class that its wine list - with prices ranging up to 1500 euros a bottle - would suggest. We did not finish the pizza and the spaghetti a la vongole that we took was also an insult to Italian cuisine. Of course, they did not ask us if we were happy with the food... The lady at one table away from us found a piece of glass in her ice cream but they did not offer anything to apology except empty words. This overpriced restaurant does not have the class it pretends to have. Be aware. read more

The service was extremely slow. They acted liked we were a bother because we had booked a meal through a tour group. We had to ask for our check after sitting there for over 40 minutes with everyone avoiding eye contact with us. The pasta was good the beef tips was the worse thing we have eaten since leaving the states. It was over cooked and tuff. Of course, since it was through a tour group the choices were crap. The maitra'd is intimidating, self important and needs to work on his people skills read more

The coziness of Venice's romantic streets defines the ambiance of Antico Pignolo. Chosen as a welcome dinner spot by our tour guide we found our experience here an early vacation highlight. Working with a special - but not limited - menu we decided to share our selections A grand idea as all choices worked - some better than others By far the outstanding choice - a Veal Ragu appetizer - so uniquely flavorful and fresh we would've been perfectly satisfied with this selection alone. A "John Dory" fillet in a light marinara sauce was another home run as was the cod selection Defined as a "Fried Seafood Appetizer" a fried calamari platter was presented. The calamari was exceptionally fresh while accompanying vegetables added perfect flavor to this selection We found both a seafood platter main selection and buffalo mozzarella appetizer platters to be a step below the above mentioned selections although the tomatoes were quite fresh The dinner included the house bottles of red and white - fine selections to accompany the food. A delicious chocolate tiramisu with espresso a fitting end to this "welcome to Venice" dinner Again - The restaurant is hamdsome old school Italy with dated used pots hanging from its ceiling. The waiters themselves were entertaining chating frantically amongst themselves while serving everyone. read more

We had an excellent time at this traditional Italian restaurant in Venice. The wine list was huge and offered excellent selection. The scallops veneto were a huge hit at the table and worth getting. The fried potatoes wiht the veal were also amazing and the four cheese penne was a hit with the kids. The service was excellent as well read more

Get the ravioli. If you don't like it, you have a serious problem. It melted in my mouth like butter. read more

Antico Pignolo - The ravioli is heavenly - get it! - Venetian Near Me - Venezia, VE

It's our last of 14 days in Italy and every meal has been a gem. Our agent had booked us at this fine restaurant and frankly we couldn't wait to end our trip with the best meal of all. We reached the restaurant at our appointed time and it was a beautiful outdoor setting on a gorgeous evening. I figured that we would have a limited menu since it was a pre-planned meal, but the menu was extremely limited. For the first of 3courses, my wife ordered the caprice salad, which was fine if not particularly exciting. I had the baked lasagna which was good. For the main course, my wife and I both had the steak medallions. We're American, so we come from the land of steak and potato's, but good lord this was simply horrible. My wife compared it to a Swanson's TV dinner. I was not as harsh, I compared it to airline food. In a word, it was awful. Our tiramisu deserts were ordinary and easily ranked as the worst we had in Italy. The service at the beginning was exceptional, but as a VIP table came in, we were an afterthought the second half of our meal. I told the head waiter as we left that I found the meal very disappointing. I guess it was lost in translation or he's used to raves, but he just thanked me and we left. My review is based on this limited menu and is likely unfair if you're dealing with the full menu, which looked excellent. My issue is that the food and service should stay consistent whether you're a tourist with a coupon or a VIP regular, I mean I still payed for it, right? In our 14 wonderful days in Italy, we never had a bad meal until the one we were looking forward to the most. It left a bad taste in our mouths in more ways than one. read more

Our servers at Lavenna recommended it based on our preference-great food with a nice ambiance. The food was cooked to perfection. We ordered our server's recommendations which were all seafood based-scallops and spider crab for appetizers, spaghetti with seafood, and a seafood mix platter whereby the monk fish was the star, but the rest was stellar. Do yourself a favor and order the soufflé when you place your order because it's the best soufflé you'll have (at 20 euro pp). Their service was also wonderful. Stellar, stellar place! read more

Our first evening in Venice and we were pleased to find this unpretentious but traditional Venetian restaurant. The staff were welcoming and attentive. We had the "fixed" menu, there was a choice of two - meat or fish - and a choice for all three courses. Service was included as was mineral water. We were also given complimentary Carneval pastries. A good restaurant with good service at a good price. read more

Wife and I ate here at the end of our first day in Venice, ostensibly because it was adjacent to the hotel we were staying at. In short, fantastic meal. Culinary highlight of our trip to Italy. Started off with the octopus salad - light bite & super fresh & tasty octopus. For pasta course - I had the Sicilian spaghetti (homage to my Sicilian heritage) and that was the best dish of the trip. Wife had the gnocchi - good, but not as good as the Sicilian spaghetti. Finished off with cuttle fish, wife had the branzino. Both were good, but have to admit by then we were already stuffed. No room for dessert. The cheaper pinot grigio was not available, so had to buy the more expensive bottle - it was good, although perhaps not 50 euro good. Dining al fresco on their terrace was a great change, after hiding indoors all summer from West Nile Virus-carrying skeeters in Texas. It's expensive, but hey, it is Venice after all. read more

Antica Pignolo is an excellent restaurant just a few blocks from St. Mark's square. We went at the recommendation of the concierge at our hotel. I'm glad we did. The food was excellent and portions were right sized. We sat in their garden room, outside, under umbrellas in a wonderful setting. The prices are a bit high but the food is very good. The wait staff is a bit inconsistent and we even witnessed two waiters having a verbal altercation. It took way too long to get a bill from the waiter. I hate it when they don't know (or care) how to close them. The service is what dropped Antico Pignolo to 4 stars. read more