Trattoria alla Madonna

A few steps from the Rialto Bridge, Alla Madonna has been serving Venice since 1954. The rooms are busy, the tables sit close together and the walls are crowded with paintings. The look is resolutely old fashioned, with white tablecloths and very little concern for contemporary restaurant design. That is part of its charm.

The reason to book is the fish. Spider crab arrives in its shell, cuttlefish comes dark with its own ink, and the seafood risotto is the dish that regulars seem to remember best. The kitchen draws on the traditions of the nearby Rialto market and keeps things direct rather than decorative. This is a restaurant where ordering well pays off: stay close to the Venetian seafood classics and let the kitchen do what it has been doing for decades. The reward is exactly what you hope to find in this part of the city: honest cooking, a lively room and very little interest in fashion.