elnap29

We will be flying into Venice at dusk, and I'm sure it will be dark by the time we reach our hotel, Locanda Orseolo near Piazza San Marco. I did ask about this earlier, got great restaurant suggestions, but when I plotted them on the map, these trattorias seemed pretty far from our hotel for us to find our way there and back in the dark. We've never been to Venice before and will be severely jet-lagged.

I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a place for dinner that we can find fairly easily and won't be horrible. It doesn't have to be the best, but for that first dinner I'd like it to be decent enough. Not fancy. We'll be zombies and want to head for bed soon after.

The closest one mentioned before was Osteria alla Botte, which looks great, but from the map, I fear we would not find our way that first night. What do you think? Any other suggestions?

jujubean

We arrived at night after a very long trip and ate at our hotel the first night. It refreshed us and we later took a long walk. It doesn't look like your hotel has a dinner seating, but they do say they can help with restaurants. It might be easiest to email them for a suggestion on a very close place for that first night dinner.

nytraveler

Getting lost in Venice is inevitable - look on it as part of the experience. If it were me I would have dinner at Harrys (despite what a lot of people say it is not a tourist trap but the atmosphere, location and food are well worth the money). But you may not be in the mood for this type of experience after such a long day.

cybertraveler

There are some (overpriced) small restaurants not far from Piazza San Marco. If you exit the Piazza opposite the church, and go a short distance on the Calle Larga you will cross a bridge. If I recall there is a small restaurant there called Colombo near the Calle delle Veste. We had a nice dinner there once. Do a search on Google and it will show you right where it is.

You could also just grab an inexpensive pizza right near the church on the Piazza San Marco. (We've done that toward the end of a trip when our wallets got thin!) That might be all you need to ward off the hunger before you fall into bed!

Enjoy Venice--it's one of our favorite places!

cheryllj

Osteria Enoteca San Marco is close by. It's been awhile since I was there but I remember it being good.

www.osteriasanmarco.it

bobthenavigator

I concur with above---good choice and within 5 minutes of your hotel.

PeaceOut

Arriving in Venice after dark is magical. When you see the grand canal all lit up at night, you will always remember its beauty. Lucky you!

2010

The kind folks at the Locanda Orseolo will be able to direct you to a restaurant that is casual & close by. That's what they did for us! They even called ahead!

Enjoy your stay!

offlady

It is so easy to get lost in Venice! Wait until the next day after you've had a good night's rest before venturing out. I'd stay close to the hotel and grab whatever is available nearby.

We once went looking for our restaurant which didn't look too far from our hotel on our map. We walked for quite a while which seemed like forever. Everyone we stopped to ask for directions kept saying that it was "just around the corner over the bridge." I think we walked over 4 bridges and turned countless corners before we got there.

kappa1

Jujubean and 2010 wrote the best advice in your case. Ask the hotel. That's a usual thing to do and besides, your hotel is known to provide excellent customer service.

qwovadis

if you want a cheap family style meal Al Vaporetto

from 6 euro for a decent pasta plate no tip cover

required cafeteria style.

eurocheapo.com Venezia other osterias cheap nice

Harry's my fav at San Marco right

on the grand canal easy to find right off the square historic

but can cost a lot by the time you pay the tip the cover

and the tip on the cover sort of obscene rip off for tourists

why I stick with the osterias usually cheap nice.

wanderful

elnap29:

It's true that the hotel staff will be helpful in directing you to a good restaurant for your first night in Venice. But if you should venture out on your own, here's a word of warning: Avoid at all costs Ai Due Vescovi, which is in the San Marco area. It's a nightmare. If you go on tripadvisor.com, you'll find a strange mix of favorable and damning reviews of this place. Believe the latter, including the diners who've been cheated on their bills. Ai Due Vescovi is horrible.

elnap29

Wow. I appreciate all the tips, even the "stay-away-froms." Thanks.

Lexma90

Osteria alla Botte is a lot of fun, and wouldn't be too far away, but it is a little tricky to find. Once we found it the first time, on a prior trip to Venice, it was very easy to find after that - in fact, it was right near a shortcut we took to get to our hotel from the Rialto bridge. Also, in terms of first night and jet-lag, I thought it wasn't the most user-friendly restaurant for a first-time visitor to Italy. I speak some Italian, which helped a lot. As I recall, the only menu (maybe I'm misremembering?) was on the chalkboard, and it wasn't that I couldn't understand the Italian, it was that I couldn't read the handwriting! When I went into the bar area to look at the variety of cicchetti (appetizers) available, the guy behind the bar told me their names in Italian, which was fine with me. Funny story - as I was standing in the bar, a "customer" entered, and asked in French, "do you speak French?" The bar guy tersely said "non." Okay. Still go, but on a different night.

A possibility is Vino Vino, which I've been to for drinks only, but does serve dinner. It's quite close to Locanda Orseolo, and looks to be almost a straight shot to get there.

We arrived in Venice after dark on our last visit there, and it's amazing what the adrenaline of being in Venice can do for jet lag!