La Palanca

La Palanca, Giudecca, sits by its namesake vaporetto stop with views across the canal. A daytime trattoria and evening cicchetti bar, it’s beloved by locals for its straightforward cooking and fair prices, though it’s had its share of international press. I settled under the wooden beams for a final fish lunch and trusted the barman’s choice: grilled tuna, crusted in toasted sesame and drizzled with balsamic. Nutty, savoury, sharp-sweet – simple, deftly timed, and perfectly judged. Light, unfussy Venetian cooking at its best, with views to match. 8.5/10.

I would give 10 stars if I could! 🌟 The atmosphere and the food were amazing. This place is popular for a reason, so having a reservation is recommended. We found it spontaneously and still managed to get a table inside. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and the food took us to the heaven and back! It was by far the most delicious food we tried in Venice. The mixed starter was so good and then they topped it for me with a simple pasta with tomato sauce. I say simple, but it was absolutely delicious! If you can make something so simple taste so delicious, you definitely know what you are doing. 🍝 My husband has ravioli with fish and was also super impressed. Regards and big thank you to the whole crew there! You made our day. It’s worth it to come back to Venice just to eat at this place again. ❤️❤️❤️

We just arrived from Rome while I am very disappointed with the food there but this place recovered me from that experience. What a great pasta! And the sea food, all the sauce and sides of food and the fish plate … all amazing.

There is something so special about La Palanca. Beyond the incredible food, it’s the genuine service and the ambiance, where tourists and locals rejoice, that makes it a true treasure. We’ve been in Venice for 3 days and after seeking more central (near San Marco) / mainstream options on all the “where to go lists” - it was La Palanca that stood out above the rest. They were also incredibly attentive to allergies / intolerances, which goes a long way. 10/10 would recommend for the friendly service, location, and fantastic food.

We came here as we heard that this was a great place to have lunch. It will require you to take the vaporetto from the main island over, but the trip is completely worth it as you can dine waterside with Venice in view. Of note, sometimes waves will breach the side of the walkway. The restaurant has set up wooden boards as well as elevated crates beneath some tables to prevent your shoes from getting wet. This is not a big issue, and in fact we had a good laugh when it happened to us. THE FOOD HERE IS STELLAR. Both my partner and I agree that this is likely the best dining establishment we ate during our 2-day stay in Venice. The seafood is extremely fresh, the staff was friendly, welcoming and attentive. This dining establishment focuses on food and customer service. We at no point felt rushed as we did on the main island. We started off with the fish platter which came with whipped salted cod, marinated sardines, raw tuna in olive oil, and anchovies. The whipped cod was in our opinion the best in the area. The Buffalo mozzarella with roasted eggplant was awesome. The squid ink pasta and grilled prawns were also well made and not overly salty like some other restaurants on the main island. This is a place that we will likely revisit if we are in the area again in the future.