We checked into our hotel around 1:30pm when most restaurants were closing after the lunch hour. I…read moresaw that Dal Moro's was nearby, and pasta on-the-go sounded like a good option for a late lunch. My husband and I found the queue, which didn't appear to be that long of a wait. There were a lot of people, of course, but they were filling orders quickly. While waiting in line, you pass by the window into the kitchen where you can see staff members freshly making pasta. It was good to know that even pasta out of a box can be prepared with the freshest ingredients. I ordered the pesto with garlic and pecorino, and it was honestly one my favorite pastas I've had in Italy. My pasta came with rigatoni, which was perfectly al dente.

We bumped into this place by accident, and of course, with the help of yelp. The Service here was…read moreexcellent. The pasta was so fresh. So delicious. I swear I'm so full and it wasn't overbearing overseas or over salted. The drinks were great as well. We definitely come back. I would recommend this to anybody in the area. It's also very pretty and it has nice. Calming music. Very great ambience.

I found that European street fries are harder to find in Italy compared to Belgium or Croatia even…read morebut this was very good. Would come again!

I found Ai Mercanti on the Michelin guide and noted that it was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. It…read morewas a restaurant I had bookmarked in my mind while we were in Venice. When my husband and I had just gotten back from a day trip to Bologna, we realized we were hungry for a late dinner. Ai Mercanti popped on my mind. I figured that reservations were required, but I took a chance and called the restaurant to see if they could accommodate us for a 9:30pm dinner. They told us to come right on down. Score! This restaurant was a hidden gem. Not only was it off the beaten path, but the food and service were excellent. We had an amazing experience. The servers were the nicest, and they were highly attentive. I overheard multiple waiters speak French fluently, so I thought it was impressive that they were tri-lingual with English, Italian, and French. This was one of the few places in Italy where I felt that the service team actually read the room. They knew when we were ready for the next course or when we wanted to finish dinner, so the pacing of each meal was impeccable and there was no dilly dallying around for the check. Each dish was a banger, and the portions were right-sized. I didn't feel overstuffed after a first, second, and dessert for once. We had the following: - Octopus with agretti (saltwort), grilled new potatoes, parsley oil and amaranth. I loved the simplicity of the flavors. - "Apparently" crispy egg, potato foam, Cantabrian anchovy. This is what a warm hug tastes like. GET THIS. - Cod in a lightly spiced coconut milk, lemongrass and coriander soup. Since Venice was a merchant hub for trading spices, I felt like I tasted more ethnic variety. For example, this was the first "Asian"-inspired dish I had in Italy. The cod was very tender, and the lemongrass coriander soup was a flavor party in my mouth. - Lamb chops, spring onion, curry sauce. The meat was tender. - Panna cotta, merengue, dulce de leche, salty peanuts ice cream. Each bite was a harmony of flavors and worked very well together. The panna cotta had a nice creamy texture. - Crème brûlèe. A beautiful, traditional classic dessert. They do this right.

(Overall: B) - Very small restaurant located in the interweavings of Venice, that serves…read moretapas-styles elevated small plates. Their menu is conceptually captivating and their food lives up to that standard, which is a pleasant sight. (Oyster: A) - Very fresh oyster, served with an mignonette sauce that adds a contrastive garlicky acidity that really flares up the palette! (Octopus Salad: A) - Lot's going on in this salad, but the guac packs an intense flavor bomb pairs well with the delicate seasonal produce and tender octopus. (Pigeon: C) - Dish looks apart and sounds conceptually interesting, but I don't think the ingredients work well together; given that the pigeon is boney and hard to eat, adding a thick barley gravy simply makes it harder to eat. I was hoping that the flavors could help highlight the beauty of the pigeon rather than dominate it in the case of the kumquat. Food: E Presentation: +1 Price: E Atmosphere: E Service: E Menu: +1 Overall: 4 stars Insta/Yelp/Beli/TikTok: @amei_eats