Would you believe you can get dinner for two in Venice for £38.65?! Probably not which is why I’ve included the bill:

A traditional backstreet Venetian taverna and only 20 mins walk from Saint Mark’s Basilica, Trattoria Dai Tosi is family run and frequented mostly by locals (chatting with one of the owners they think their clientele is about 20% tourists).

That said, we were still given an incredibly warm welcome and had a superb meal in a lovely setting. We had:

🍾 A bottle of Prosecco

🍕 Calzone (ham & mushroom)

🍝 Pappardelle al ragù di manzo (no tomato)

🥗 Insalata Mista

💦 Table Water /Cover Charge

We were enticed to book (you need a reservation) when we wandered past the evening before and saw tables filled with happy diners under twinkling fairy lights. We went half and half (of course) because I want double carbs/to try everything 😋 Mr G had been worried about the whole ‘no tomato’ thing but the ragu won him over immediately (“we could never make it this good”) and the calzone was delicious too and the thick crust perfect for mopping everything up.

Even the salad was impressive – one of my bug bears in the UK is you pay £5 for a ‘mixed salad’ and then its only two leaves, a slice of cucumber and a halved tomato 😭 But the bowl was huge and the grated carrot a welcome addition!

The service was the icing on the cake (in lieu of dessert, which we couldn’t manage, because we were absolutely stuffed) 💕Despite being busy and there being a lot of running around, when the staff did come over they were very friendly, attentive and took time to chat. We were never hurried and always felt important.

We would have happily brought our kids here but we were staying just a few minutes walk so gratefully accepted the teens offer to babysit in return for ice creams and snacks (easily bribed 🍨) It’s been open and run by the same couple since 1993 – here’s hoping it’s still going when we next return! 🇮🇹

If you’re looking for more ‘Venice on a Budget’ tips, check out my previous post here: Venice Doesn’t Have to be Pricey or view my Venice with Children reel which has some tips specific to travelling there with kids and keeping the costs down. This visit (July 2023) was my fourth and we’ve travelled with/without children so I’m happy to answer any questions if you’d like to drop them below.