Andar Ai Bacari!

From bacari to osterie, clamorous crowds spill onto slender calle and grand campi, juggling cicchetti in one hand and a spritz in the other. This is a part guide, part confession from an avid

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Eeiii raga, andar ai bacari!—Venetian for “Hey guys, let’s hit the bacari!”—routinely shouted after work, was an open invitation to join in the city’s cherished pastime of bar hopping. By 5 pm we became Pavlovian fiends, salivating for that first crisp sip of Aperol and a medley of cicchetti. 

The following is a hit-list of the osterie, campi, and classic bacari—once haunts of sailors and merchants—that we frequented on our daily pilgrimages.

Corner Pub Venezia

In Dorsoduro, just a stone’s throw from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, stands the Corner Pub Venezia, bookended by an unnamed bridge and the Venier dai Leoni canal. For those of us interning at the museum, it was a rite of passage into the art of bar hopping. 

It quickly became our unofficial canteen—whether for a generous panino, a plate of pasta, or, more often, a €3 spritz accompanied by a battalion of cicchetti and mozzarella in carrozza. With limited outdoor seating, you can park yourself on the bridge steps—but don’t sit dead-centre, or you’ll be scolded by disgruntled pedestrians.

Campo Bella Vienna

Behind the bustling Rialto Market—where fishmongers sell seafood straight off the line—Campo Bella Vienna offers a low-key but no less lively hangout. A go-to for students, the square is flanked by beloved bacari, including Bussola Cocktail Lab, Barcollo, and Al Merca. Seating is a choose-your-own-adventure: stoops, stone ledges, or nearest patch of canal-side pavement. 

There are plenty more waterfront bacari by the Eberia, where you’ll spot locals clutching spritzes, sitting on the gondola ports, and dangling their feet over the canal, while industrial-sized speakers blast Italian trap—Tedua, Anna, or whoever’s charting.

Morion Laboratorio Occupato

Far from tourist-laden thoroughfares, Morion Laboratorio Occupato in Castello embodies the city’s scrappier, cooler, countercultural soul. This self-managed squat-meets-community-centre has been flying the flag for political resistance, grassroots art, and underground gigs since 1990—a riot of posters, slogans, and radical energy.

With no real clubbing scene on the island, Morion fills the gap on Friday nights—morphing into one of Venice’s most spirited hangouts, with hefty pizzas for €6, carafes of wine for about the same, and local DJs or live bands taking over after 10 pm.

Cantine del Vino già Schiavi

Harking back to its sailor-serving days, Cantine del Vino già Schiavi is an undisputed bacaro veteran. Adorned with antique frames and wine bottles lining the walls like an oenophile’s library, this part wine bar, part bottle shop near Ponte dell’Accademia retains local prices, despite drawing a steady crowd of clued-in travellers.

The cicchetti are mini marvels: salmon with mascarpone, tuna with radish, roe with cream and blueberry, are among a rotating cast of other inventive pairings. There’s no seating protocol: claim a ledge or lean into a corner.

Il Paradiso Perduto 

In Cannaregio, you’ll probably hear Paradiso Perduto before you see it. This canal-side fixture on Fondamenta della Misericordia is part seafood trattoria, part live music joint block party. On weekends, a jazz or rock ’n’ roll band usually kicks things off, with tables being pushed aside and the street morphing into a dance floor.

The food is pricey, but portions are generous, and the seafood holds its own against the city’s best. We’d hit this spot for ombre—small pours of wine.

Adagio 

Adagio pulls double duty as a café by day and a wine bar by night. Inside, it’s a snug little date spot—low lighting and refined ornaments. Outside, it’s a different story: groups of friends spill into the piazza, where the energy is decidedly looser and louder.

If you’re visiting the Basilica dei Frari in San Polo, swing by for a solid lineup of Italian craft beers, local wines, and cocktails—including a top-tier Hugo spritz. 

Osteria ai Pugni 

Just steps from the Ponte dei Pugni, this rustic osteria is everything you want in a local haunt: low ceilings, wooden beams, a cicchetti counter working at warp speed, and a novel-sized wine list.

Family-run and much loved, it serves staples like baccalà mantecato and meaty polpette. The snug interior inevitably gets packed, so if you’re here for aperitivo, claim a canal-side perch or a nearby ledge.

Osteria da Filo 

The golden glow from the front window gets you first—spilling onto the calle and pulling you inside, where pale yellow walls, potted plants, and a mishmash of decor feels like you’ve wandered into someone’s living room rather than an osteria.

Tucked quietly in Santa Croce, Osteria da Filo attracts an in-the-know crowd—students, locals, and backpackers. Patrons spill outside year-round, while inside, two cozy, lived-in rooms feature worn sofas, board games, and books—as well as a semi-circular counter showing off a rotating cast of cicchetti and pizzette. 

Vino Vero

Solo vino buono (“only good wine”) is scrawled across the front window of Vino Vero. This sleek little spot, also on Fondamenta della Misericordia, is Venice’s go-to bars for organic and biodynamic wines, sourced across Italy and beyond with the refined senses of a seasoned sommelier.

The cicchetti are as gourmet as they come: gorgonzola with honey and walnuts, anchovies with olives and pesto, red onion with variations of cheese and a drizzle of balsamic. 

Campo Santa Margherita 

By day, this long, irregularly shaped square is lined with casual bars and pizzerias that are budget-conscious and family-friendly. By night, it becomes a sprawling open-air party and university pub crawl, with a crowd that skews young and broke. 

Campo Santa Margherita is enveloped by lively, no-frills spots where locals grab a spritz: Red Cafè, Skillà Bar, Cafè Noir and Orange—home to Thursday night karaoke.