Ristorante Wildner

There are prettier dining rooms in Venice and there are more ambitious kitchens. Yet very few restaurants manage to capture the city quite like Ristorante Wildner. Sitting directly on the Riva degli Schiavoni, the terrace enjoys uninterrupted views across the San Marco Basin, with gondolas, vaporetto traffic and the silhouette of San Giorgio Maggiore providing an ever changing backdrop. The building has welcomed travellers for well over a century, while the Fullin family has looked after both hotel and restaurant since 1960. Today the kitchen is led by Luca Fullin, whose Slow Food philosophy favours the lagoon over culinary fireworks. Fish arrives fresh from the Venetian market, vegetables follow the seasons and local classics receive the respect they deserve. Expect excellent baccalà mantecato, delicate seafood pasta and perfectly prepared fish that allows the ingredients to speak for themselves. Inside, polished wood, crisp white tablecloths and large windows keep the attention firmly on the view outside. The atmosphere feels refreshingly Venetian rather than manufactured for Instagram. Reserve a table just before sunset, order a glass of local white wine and watch Venice continue its daily rhythm while dinner unfolds at an unhurried pace. It is the kind of place that quietly reminds you why simplicity, when executed well, never goes out of style.