Hungry in Cannaregio
I'm going to report on Venice in stages because there's just too much to put into one newsletter. This edition about Cannaregio is the first in the series.
“Can we indulge and also respect?” asks Kevin Vaughn in his excellent piece, What Should the Future of Travel Journalism Look Like? After reading it, I thought long and hard before deciding that I would add a ‘travel section’ to this newsletter. It’s lovely to think of travel writing as a way of conveying what a place might say if it was commissioned to write about itself, but this is rarely achieved. Topographic Kitchens Is Away is tongue in cheek because most of the time, my posts will not be about places I have 'gone away to' in the traditional sense. I am also very clear that mostly, I am a tourist. There’s little point in trying to kid you — or myself— that dropping in on a place can be anything more than superficial. I’m not one of those people who hopes they will be mistaken for a local during a two-week holiday and this applies to the next village as much as it does Venice, the subject of this newsletter. But what I can do is offer my impressions and guide you toward the people and places that struck a chord with me. And in doing so, it is to be hoped that I am helping to support smaller local businesses without inundating them.
I believe there is a place for listicles, but it's all in the execution. So yes, this is where I'll post guides to travel and place and links to excellent travel writing by others (mainly with a food focus) and some of them might be (thoughtful) listicles. More importantly, this is where I can highlight the work of writers who live in the area they are writing about (and, in particular, writers who have historically been marginalised). Please read and follow them and publicise their work.
Further reading:
Cinnamon & Salt: Cicchetti in Venice by Emiko Davies.
Going shopping in Venice with the queen of Italian cooking.
Cannaregio
Bar Puppa: Calle dello Spezier, 4800, 30121. When we got off the Vaporetto at Fondamente Nove, we walked past Bar Puppa on our way to the hotel and noticed how busy it was. The afternoon sun slanted across the tiny alley, and I felt lucky to have clocked it; this is the kind of bar that you come across quite by accident. (TIP: when you see somewhere you’d like to return to in Venice, photograph its name and the road it is on or you’ll risk never finding it again). It's owned by Masud Rahman, who serves trad Venetian and Bangla-Italian food, and it's brilliant. Masud came from Bangladesh and was employed as a bag handler for tourists before working in the kitchen at Bar Puppa as a plongeur. Eventually, he bought it when Signor Puppa, the owner of some 50 years standing, retired.
He served us what looked like a lap pool of zucchini and gamberi risotto for two for a total of €15. We also had potato and vegetable Cicchetti and polpette made with couscous. His Aperol spritz and Negronis are legendary, and I love his playlists. The next day we returned and had a Spaghetti con Vongole and a spicy paccheri, which he is massively proud of -as he should be. Masud is lovely to chat with, and his customers seem to adore him, and after just a few minutes, I did too. When I asked for a photo, one of his regulars was disappointed that he was to be left out. So we snapped him too as he tipped back his glass until the wine ran down his chin. That’s the kind of place this is.
Cà d’Oro alla Vedova, Ramo Ca' d'Oro, 3912. THE place for polpette (meatballs) and you’ll need a reservation at night and possibly at lunch too; it is very popular. Primarily it is a bacaro (a traditional standing bar), but there are tables too. This is one of the places I go to eat traditional bigoli en salsa, Polpetti in Umido with tubby slabs of polenta, and tripe with pasta, surrounded by trinkets and copper pots, photographs and maps. The polpette are unmissable.
La Cantina,Cannaregio 3689, Campo San Felice. On our first night in Venice, we stopped for Cicchetti at the really friendly La Cantina after seeing its outside tables were filled with chattering Italians. We ate small thick coins of bread topped with lardo, Branzino Crudo, baccalà, and gorgonzola. Things got looser as the Aperol flowed, and then the amaros came out. Our favourite was the Tosolini with its notes of wormwood and orange. It tastes like something Heidi might have drunk once she came of age. An alcoholic Alpine meadow in a bottle. We staggered home. Owner Francesco Zorzetto knows how to upsell with a smile without making you feel as if you’ve been fleeced.
Camin Storto: Strada Nova, 2208, 30121. My favourite Cicchetti bar is on Strada Nova next to a pretty little bridge. It’s very easy to miss, especially as you get swept along with people en route to the Grand Canal. I had tiny octopi the colour of ferric oxide (a particularly Venetian shade of red) on slices of grilled polenta and potato, crespelle e radicchio, polpette (try the tuna), and endive and gorgonzola on chunky slices of bread. The proprietors will happily chat with you if you sit at the counter towards the end of the busy period. The coffee is excellent and clears your pipes out after a night of indulgence.
El Sbfarlefo: 30121, Salizada del Pistor, 4558. As the restaurant says about its name: “Here we change our mood, we sneer at what has passed, and we relax with our Cicchetti and aperitifs,” this is where you come to shrug off the day. There are wooden counters (not that this is unusual in Venice), sentineled bottles of wine and a menu of Venetian classics. Sardines in saor, marinated anchovies, cuttlefish with salsa verde on top of grilled white polenta, Baccalà Mantecato, and Robiola wrapped in smoked swordfish or speck were my favourites. At the weekends there’s live music.
Bar Ai Santi: Campo S.S. Apostoli, 4433, 30121. Here's where you go for Cicchetti made with tripe, Mozzarella in Carroza, Baccala Mantecato, and lovely friendly staff. This proper neighbourhood bacaro was right next to where we were staying (in a family-owned hotel), and they enticed us in by waving trays of bruschetta at us. The bar was busy with locals on their lunch break; we were the only foreigners there. I’m never sure the locals appreciate our presence in such a non-touristy sestieri, but they welcomed us. It’s why I love this part of Cannaregio because it doesn’t feel as relentless as the busier parts of Venice. You can just….be.. and, after a few days, the locals will greet you as you shop in the CO-OP.
Vino Vero: Fondamenta Misericordia, 2497, 30100. With its windows filled with site-specific art exhibitions, Vino Vero hosts regular tasting nights as part of its wine club and delivers locally. Good at night, there are many globally sourced natural wines to choose from (they don’t offer spritzes), unusual and elegant Cicchetti and crostini, and a gorgeous location on the Fondamenta della Misericordia in front of San Marziale Church. This is a place to dress up for.
Combo: Campo Dei Gesuiti, 4878, 3012. Enter Combo in the restored Ex Convento Dei Crociferi, and you have something rare in Venice; a sense of space as you enter. It’s hard to believe that St Mark's Square is only a fifteen-minute walk away, but that’s what I love about this part of Venice. It’s popular with students, young travellers, and locals sitting in the beautiful cloisters under the trees or on the terrace by the Gesulti canal. You can stay here too; it is a hostel, and its imposing front doors remain open until nightfall. It even has its own radio station, and it holds talks and other events which are worth booking in advance. Because its clientele is international, you’ll find foods like labneh on the menu and traditional local favourites. If you’re catching the nearby Vaporetto to Torcello or Burano, it’s a valuable pitstop.
Al Timon: Fondamenta degli Ormesini, Cannaregio. For the meat-centric (although fish lovers and vegetarians will not miss out), this is an excellent place for meatballs (polpetti) and massive spiral-cut spiral-cut Fiorentina steak, served warm, rare and basted with butter and olive oil. An institution since the twenties and a designated Locale Storico Veneto’, Al Timon is busy and vibrant with tables next to the Ormesini canal and a window display of Cicchetti designed to lure you in. There’s live music at night, but I love it during the day more: grab a spot on the two boats moored outside and settle in with a spritz made with Campari instead of Aperol.
Luca e Fred: Cannaregio, 1518, 30121. Fast-paced, go at lunch for inexpensive plates of excellent pasta and the Cicchetti ( tuna polpetti, zucchini flower, and shrimp were my favourites). Their bigoli is stupendous, although it sells out swiftly at lunchtime. (I love how Venetians pronounce bigoli, a fat, chewy pasta local to the region.) The counter staff have that brisk Venetian manner because they are super-busy feeding locals; don’t dither at the counter and stand back while you decide before going into the fray. Sit the kids down at an outside table before going in to order. It’s located on the Strada Nova, the main shopping drag in Cannaregio, which has managed not to succumb too much to tourism and is not too far from the other Cicchetti places on this list.
Gam Gam: Cannaregio, 1122, 30121. It’s worth taking your time when you visit the Venetian Ghetto. This is a part of the city where Jews were corralled, so the buildings are very tall and narrow to fit as many families as possible. The shadows and light are particularly pronounced here with stones arches leading into tiny, narrow alleys where the shape of the building’s tie rods remind one of the mezuzahs, and then you emerge, blinking, into the white light of the Campo Dei Ghetto. It is not a place to rush about in, and it’s obviously sombre, especially when you confront the memorial wall and notice that next to it is a cabin for the Carabinieri because clearly, this is a site that still requires protection. That is sobering (although there was a moment of levity as I took a photo of the police and noticed I had captured one of them mid-strip as he changed into his uniform), so there is joy to be had. )
As Jews say: “They Tried To Kill Us (We Survived, Let's Eat!)”, and if you want to immerse yourself in the history of this incredible place, Gam Gam, a Kosher restaurant located at the entrance to the Ghetto and next to the lovely Cannaregio Canal is where you should go. One of its employees can trace their lineage back to the Venetian Jews of the 15th century. Gam Gam grows their own herbs, keeps Kosher and hosts Shabbat for visiting Jews and locals; they even offer a Shabbat takeaway service. It’s truly family-friendly. The menu mixes local Venetian specialities, Jewish-Venetian food, and time-honoured meals from Middle Eastern regions. Walking around the memorial wall, we noticed the neighbouring property had a plastic pink flamingo in its window, which made me smile. While you are here, book the Spanish Synagogue and Garden tour and visit the Jewish Community Museum if it is open.
Gelato Di Natura: Cannaregio, 4454, 30121. Marco Polo is said to have brought the concept of ice cream to Venice after his odyssey to China, and the Venetians remain obsessed with the stuff. You could easily dement yourself trying to choose from what seems like hundreds of shops and stands, so we stuck to three stores, of which only one was in Cannaregio. We stopped at Gelato Di Natura most evenings on our way back to our hotel, but they have other locations across the city. It's really good. The proprietor is friendly, you don’t feel like you have to hurry to make your choices (although you stand back if it’s busy and choose from afar), and despite it being a franchise (there are several branches), it doesn’t feel as if the quality is compromised. Also, it is a fraction of the price of gelaterias closer to the Grand Canal. My favourites were the walnut and fig, coconut, gelato-filled mochi and the Gianduja Torino with hazelnuts from Piedmont and chocolate from the Ivory Coast. There’s a good vegan selection too. (TIP: the best pistachio gelato is not bright green; if it is bright, it has colouring added. The good stuff is a muddy shade of green because that’s the colour you get when you use good quality pistachios- often the Bronte kind from Sicily. The pistachio gelato at Osteria Alle Testiere is the gold standard here.)
Paneficio Volpe Giovanni, 1143 Cannaregio, Ghetto Vecchia. A kosher bakery with a delectable range of traditional pastries, cakes and bread. The artisanal pandoro opens out like a deep-fried artichoke. There are bombolini made for Chanukah; ‘S’-shaped biscuits called Bissa; stunning Pistachio Crostata made without animal fats and Foccacce alla Veneziana crazed with nibs of sugar; Azime Dolci flavoured with fennel, anise or liquorice, and doughnut-shaped Zuccherini. It’s packed with locals, and the service is brisk and efficient. They sell other Kosher foods too.
Antico Gatoleto: Cannaregio, 6055, 30121. We walked past this pretty late at night on a Friday, and it was packed to the gills with locals and their children with more queueing outside. It was the last day of Carnevale. It’s right near the Church of Miracles in Campo Santa Maria Nova, so it’s a good idea to pop into the church before you go to pray for intercession in the form of a table before the restaurant closes. It is worth the queue. You don’t go to Venice for pizza, but Gatoleto’s looked magnificent as we peered at them through the windows. There’s an outside terrace too which overlooks the campo. Go for the Cozze e vino Rosso; a bowl of risotto with sausage, radicchio and red wine; or the Rococo-looking Santa Nova pizza topped with bacon, fior di latte, provolone, purple potatoes and rosemary.
Nino & Friends: Cannaregio, 233/B, 30121. Look at this photo:
This is how Venetian window displays hypnotise their customers into buying chocolate. I was as fixated as a spaniel at a duck shoot. Yes, it is a chain, but it is good. Try the foyaten (praline stuffed with pistachio), the limoncello Baba, and their cappuccino biscuits. Also, un'abbondanza di campioni gratuiti de cioccolato.
Loved this piece! Thanks so much.
Lovely, and I can spot one that we went to on our last visit too. And yes, I always hate those people who insist they aren't tourists but are travellers or explorers or some such bollocks. Unless you are moving there to live, you are a tourist. Nothing wrong with being a tourist at all! 🥰