Trattoria alla Madonna

Richtig schlechtes Essen. Die Frittierten Fischlein und Meeresfrüchte nicht frisch und in verbrauchtem Fett gebacken. Schweineteuer im Vergleich zur Qualität. Venezianisvhe Leber, ein weiteres Standardgericht in dieser Gegend an Ehrgeiz gut zu kochen weit entfernt. Sardinas en Saor habe ich in jedem anderen Lokal besser gegessen. Hier fehlten sogar die wichtigen Zutaten Pinienkerne und Rosinen. Der bestellte Salat wurde (gottseidank) gar nicht serviert. Der Nebenraum, dieses Traditionshauses, in den wir abgeschoben bzw reingepfercht wurden hatte ebensoviel Charme wie eine Autobahnraststätte.

Avoid this place if you can. I ordered their signature dish from appetizers since I wasn’t hungry at that time of the day and a full fledged dinner would cost 25 – 30 euros just based on the prices on the menu. The dish was surprisingly tasty though it was a mix of steamed seafood drizzled with olive oil and a slice of lemon. For 12euro dish, they charged 4 euros on top of it in the name of service charge and table charge 2 euros each. For 16 euros, I could have had an additional drink to go or a fix price 3 course meal elsewhere. Left the place feeling ripped. Also made me wonder whether they did that intentionally since I ordered only appetizer. Btw, I am seeing these extra charges for the first time in my entire 8 day long Italy trip. 2 stars because the dish was good but not sure whether it was really worth 16 euros.

Came here on a weekend trip to Venice during a semester abroad in Florence a year ago and I still have dreams about their SEAFOOD RISOTTO.
If you have to choose one item on the menu choose the risotto and you will not regret it. I traveled to 5+ cities in Italy during that time and it was hands down the best risotto dish I EVER had. Seafood risotto is a specialty of Venetian cuisine. They have an ancient recipe and it takes hours. If you don’t have a bite you will be leaving Venice with regrets and no one deserves that so treat yourself, okay?
The fresh seafood platter and tiramisu were also fantastic and would probably get more attention in this review had my life not been utterly changed by the risotto.
The place is huge, so you won’t have to wait for a seat (we went on a saturday night and were seated right away. There’s a good blend of locals (so you know it’s legit) and tourists.
Service is excellent! The owner makes it a point to greet all his guests. He gave my friend and I complimentary limoncello and upon realizing I was visiting from Florence, even gave me the number to his friend’s restaurant in Florence, telling me to drop his name for a discount!
Unforgettable experience. Will definitely be back the next time I’m in Venice!

It was recommended by hotel staff which made me think someone is greasing palms, the food is average however this place is packed. Service is slow on top of it. Conca d’ Oro was 10 times better, it has a banner since 1947 outside, go there instead

Don’t go here. The «roasted» chicken came out dry and cold. Told the waiter, so he took the chicken, popped it in the microwave and brought it out again. The veal cutlets cooked in butter was 3 small slices with some butter and cornstarch gravy. Cold as well. Then they tried to sneak in an extra 10 € in the bill, that the waiter took off after we asked him what the extra charge was. Don’t be fool by the good reviews here. The food is terrible. Paid 50 € for precooked microwaved chicken, cold veal, and wine. Oh, and they add a 2 € per person cover charge. What is this? A nightclub? They also charge a 12% service fee, which is probably why the waiters don’t care to give good service. The last part was when we left, the waiter coming in opens the door for himself and walks through, doesn’t even hold it open for us. Ef this place!

1^st things to mention: There’s a service charge of 12% & Cover Charge € 2 pp.
Culet was 3 thin slices for € 12 (€ 4 per slice). No sides. Not worth € 12.
Roasted chicken is € 10.
It came out cold & tough. There’s a review that it is tender & moist, but we were sooooooo disappointed. I hate leaving horrible reviews, but my chicken was just bad! We cut our chicken & it was cold! We told our waiter that is was cold, so he took it back & warmed it in the microwave because when it came back out, it was still cut! So obvious that it was warmed in the microwave. The rotisserie chicken at Vons is waaaay better than this «roasted» chicken.
With a house wine ordered, our bill came out to be about € 38 not including the € 2 pp & 12% service charge yet. I feel so cheated with the meal here. Don’t take your chances, go somewhere else. This was our last night in Venice, so we were very disappointed in the food here. For the price, AT LEAST get a view.
Left yearning for more in my stomach. To top it all off, waiter did not ask/​question if our food was good or why we hardly touched our food.
To top it all off. Our waiter never let us try the wine before saying it was ok (all other restaurants had done this). When we were walking out disappointed, NO ONE was friendly enough to say bye. A waiter who was smoking outside was on his way IN when we were on our way OUT, he did NOT hold the door open for us like anyone would have AND did not even say thank you or goodbye! Guess all this doesn’t matter cause the most important thing is the food BAD.
If you do decide to go here, make sure the bill is added correctly. Our waiter added incorrectly so there was an extra € 10 on it. The waiters really don’t care what kind of service they’re giving.

Great atmosphere. Had the spaghetti and also the ravioli dishes. Very good.
*€ 2 cover charge per person.

It was definitely an experience and glad we came here. Recommended by one of the locals and this is where they come to eat and celebrate special occasions. I think we ordered the wrong foods as what we saw other tables order looked better, such as the calamari and crab. Hubby ordered the bass and they brought the fish over before they cooked it then once cooked brought back to table before filleting it. I ordered the spaghetti and clams. When it came up I asked for Parmesan cheese and the waiter told me he could bring it but in Italy they don’t eat it with clams. He was quite funny.

Don’t know what the hype is all about, because both food and service are mediocre at best; not only our waiter tried to lied about the 12% mandatory service charge as a pure city tax only to ask for more tip, but the food is the worst I have had after our trip to Paris, Florence, Rome, and Venice.
We ordered spaghetti with inked sauce, seafood platter, fried calamari w/​scampi, and a tiramitsu. Seafood platter had a good variety of fish, but those shrimps were definitely previously cooked and frozen. The spaghetti was ok, a bit on the salty side, but again, the squid (cattle fish) was previously frozen and the sauce tasted old. The fried scampi and calamari was bad, not only the «scampi» was like chewing on sand because they didn’t bother to clean the intestines out, but the calamari, so they called it, came as tiny little baby squids.
The only highlight of the meal was the tiramisu, which uses lots of mascarpone in relative to the amount of lady fingers they put in it, which makes it a local specialty compare with the ones in the states.
Overall, seafood wasn’t fresh and spaghetti sauces taste like it has been reheated with minimum amount of preparation. I will not return again for the remaining of my stay here in Venice.
Suggestions to my fellow travelers: just my two cent. in Venice, good view is their specialty, not good food. We bought supermarket food and picnic by lido beach and grand canal and had a great time. Save your money and just get super market food and cicchettis.

My girlfriend and I walked past this place in search of authentic Venetian food and a local elderly man told us to try this place out. He was about to enter himself and he assured us it would be worth our while. He was a loyal customer for 7 years already he told us. By accident we got to sit right next to him and sure enough, the staff knew exactly what he wanted. He had 5 dishes of what seemed to be great and simple Venetian food cooked fresh. Our own meal was mediocre, unfortunately. The service was kind and, well, Italian, but the food we had was just not tasty to us. Granted we did try dishes we wouldn’t normally order, but we still felt disappointed. Be aware they automatically add 12% service fee

This food was amazing! Out my my whole trip to Venice is was definitely in my top meals and my mom’s favorite! We went on a recommendation from a former boss of mine since she has never steered me wrong. And she did not start now! The atmosphere could have been desired only for the fact that we sat at a tiny table in the middle of the room and felt like we were in the way a bit. However, this place is very much a local place but still in the heart of the city, right by Rialto. My mom and I began with the mussels which were PERFECTION! Light and succulent and cooked perfectly. Then I had the seafood risotto which was delicious and cooked to perfection. My mom had the seafood with clams which, to be honest, blew her away! The seafood here is so fresh and expertly prepared I would be shocked if you found somewhere better in Venice! I hope that you go!

One of the best restaurants in all of Venice. The restaurant is tucked away in an alley by the Rialto and is always busy. The spaghetti Vongole is superb and so is the coda di rospo. The waiters all wear white jackets and memorize your order without writing it down. The homemade ice cream and Nonna cake are also a delicacy. When in Venice, you have to dine at Madonna.

Visited restaurant for lunch. Venetian authentic local fare is what you can expect here. Very good service, respectful with experienced wait staff. Mixed crowd of tourists and locals which was nice to see.
We had steamed squid with olive oil and lemon to start, followed by fish soup for me and spaghetti Vongole for my husband. We finished with a green salad. All fresh and tasty. Pasta was a tad soft with many small clams which didn’t open.
Overall, a very nice place. I would visit again. Unilocal had this as closed during lunch, we walked by and it was open.

I had such a bad experience here that I had to hop on Unilocal — IN ITALY — to document it. I know that it’s likely that my terrible experience won’t affect their business (there are too many tourists that will always give this place money) but if I can spare someone out there a terrible meal, then I feel that my job is done. My mom and I came here for dinner and almost immediately it was a poor start. I don’t know if it’s because we are Asian (even though there were plenty of Asians already sitting in there) but we got passed over for tables at least three times. The fourth time, I finally spoke up — they were about to seat another couple (who showed up after us, of course!!). The reason I pulled the race card? Because every group seated ahead of us who came AFTER us weren’t Asian. THERE. I said it.
You would think that this would be an erroneous oversight — which would have ended my bad experience there. But no, it went on. When we sat down, the waiter immediately said, «What menu? You Japanese?»
Uhhh. No. Even if we were — rude, much?
One of the glasses on our table was greasy and I was nearly at my wit’s end. Luckily, the waiter replaced it with no fuss. I asked for a white wine, and asked if they served it by the glass. The waiter said they did. But then they never brought it, until I tried asking again (and was ignored). The table next to me (non-Asian…THERE. I SAID IT AGAIN) helped flag down the waiter and then it was brought to us. But it wasn’t just one glass, it was a small carafe. Okay, whatever. At this point, I needed all the wine I could get.
We ordered the clam linguini and the seafood risotto, which were both OKAY… but nothing spectacular.
To finish off with salt on the wound? There is an automatic 12% service charge, which is absolutely stupid. We had better service and better meals at so many other places. I bet they have to add this because they wouldn’t get ANY additional money from people. I almost wanted to demand 10% back.
So, fellow travelers — at least to those who will listen to me – spare yourself. Don’t go here. Go elsewhere. A good option? Try Osteria Antico Dolo — went there for lunch with my mom. Small place, nice staff, good food. It’s less than a minute away.

This was the best restaurant bar none in Venice in my opinion. My wife and I are from the United States and Venice was the first stop of our Italy tour and looking back nothing compares to this restaurant. The food is excellent and the service is top notch. It is real close to the Grand Canal and they offer great local Italian beers. One of the dishes you have to get is the risotto which is simply amazing. The tiramisu at this venue was exquisite. Anyone who goes to Venice needs to eat there.
Visited November 2013

A great restaurant in Venice. A must try and excellent service. Great seafood dishes! Across from Rialto boat stop.

This restaurant was recommended to me by my mom from her last trip to Venice. I am sometimes a little wary of seafood on food safety, but decided at a seafood specialty place, you better get something with gills!
I asked the waiter for a recommendation and got a breaded local fish I’d never heard of and some artichokes. The artichokes were delicious, but a little too oily.
The fish was incredibly delicious, I’ve never tasted anything breaded quite like it. Very eggy, in a delicious way. The fish was a little overcooked, but not terribly.
The staff was very chipper and attentive and friendly. They were joking around with each other a lot and creating a nice atmosphere.
The presentation of the restaurant is like a really bad midwestern Italian restaurant that desperately needs remodeling, but I think that’s part of the charm.
This restaurant is a solidly 4-​star restaurant. Very good, but not incredible food in a nice but not amazing space.

Quick tip: there’s a 2 € cover and 12% service charge.
If this was truly the «best place in Venice» as so many have said, they must have been eating very poorly here. The seafood risotto was not only very small in portion, but also quite undercooked. And when asked about the undercooked rice, the waiter took a very cursory look at it and denied it.
The service in general was a little cold, and my waiter kept watching me from across the room with a smirk on his face. Uncomfortable.
Overall, this place may seriously be overrated.

Intent on having a good meal during my stay in Venice, I took to asking a local where his favorite spot for a Venetian lunch was. This led me to Trattoria alla Madonna, whose entrance, marked by a yellow sign, is hidden between buildings on the alley which bears its name (Via Madonna).
Interior is comforting, lively, and filled with snappy waiters dressed in sharp white suits. As with many Venetian restaurants, they have some meat items, but the crux of their menu is seafood.
I went with the seafood risotto. Though generally not my first choice, risotto is a Venetian specialty, so I thought ordering it from a legit restaurant might provide me with a new outlook. My meal came out almost instantly after ordering, suggesting minimal to-​order preparation. They probably just scooped it out of the risotto tub.
Both portion size and taste were underwhelming at best. There were a few (1 – 2) noticeable chunks of oyster, but I didn’t find anything else particularly comment-​worthy. Left un-​wowed, the dish definitively concluded my need for making further forays into seafood risotto.
With that out of the way, I quickly moved onto their house-​made desserts and ordered tiramisù – a Venetian specialty that calls this region home.
The tiramisù was the best I’ve ever had. Unlike the cakey tiramisù served in the US, Italian tiramisù has a stronger reliance on marscapone. Madonnas’ is no exception – mine was served slightly toppled over on a plate, gravity already having taken its toll on the creamy marscapone. It was unbelievably smooth and rich, topped with a blanket of cocoa, with a very thin yet deeply flavorful layer of coffee-​soaked cake on the bottom. Although big enough to share as a group of 2, I happily devoured this beast on my own, and even wanted more when I was finished. Every bite was like heaven on Earth, if you can call Venice Earth. (I can’t. It felt like I was in another world the whole time I was there.)
Actually, the prices here weren’t that bad compared to other places nearby, so Trattoria alla Madonna is worth trying, perhaps for their non-​risotto dishes, but most definitely for their tiramisù. I’m confident you can find other great spots for tiramisù throughout Italy, but I say why not try it here, in the Veneto region, and leave the other regions to provide the desserts they’re best known for.
Three stars, based on what I tried.

Located near the Rialto Bridge in an alleyway. Place smells fishy. Try not to be put off.
Food: Seafood Risotto (Risotto ai Frutti di Mare) = fanstastic! My sister was a fan of the tiramisu also.
Verdict: I don’t love Trattoria alla Madonna per se but compared to the rest of the overpriced crap we ate in Venice, I’m obligated to give this place 4 stars by relative standing.

Easily the best restaurant I went to in my 5 day stay in Venice. Although they do not take reservations, this place fills up quickly after 7pm. From the outside, it’s dark and not all that obvious or easy to find. But not far from the Rialto Bridge on the San Polo side of the Grand Canal. I arrived here at 7pm after a full day of sightseeing and I as exhausted as I was, felt very lucky finding this great establishment.
After the first dish, a Venetian appetizer called «Sardine in Saor» (fried, pickled sardines), I asked the waiters if they were in fact really angels from heaven. I think I even asked myself, «How can I not be in heaven? The food tastes too good.»
When I told the waiter how good the Sardines Saor was, he honestly replied, «I know.» The staff here come off as reserved but you can tell that they are, in their unique manner, very friendly, sincere, on top of things caring for their customers as they serve very fresh, high quality dishes. What I’ve learned about cuisine in Italy, in the best places to eat, the staff always come off as cold and even condescending… but, once you have one bite of what they serve, you realize that they hide their love and greatness in the culinary genius of what they serve you.
The service was always there when I needed it without being fake. It seemed as if they read my minds whenever I needed something without being invasive. The experience here was perfect in all senses: the taste, the service, the atmosphere (a lively bright atmosphere), the quality.
Favorite Dish: Without a doubt, the fish soup (zuppa di pesce) was so good, I was nearly in tears. I cannot describe the flavors. I’ll try. It’s a perfectly salted fish broth with onion base, light pepper, possibly an herb similar to tarragon (or even balsamic vinegar) to give the broth a lightly sweet flavoring to it; probably some olive oil in it too. The soup has clams, fresh fish, and get this: squid eggs. Those squid eggs were amazing delicious, with a soft jelly like texture that was amazing!
To get there, you have to avoid showy restaurants with very aggressive workers attempting to lure your in to outdoor restaurants with amazing views of the canal. Avoid them as they are tourist traps. There will be no one at this restaurant trying to lure you in. Why? Because they are busy making the best quality food in all of Venice and taking care of their customers who were smart enough to realize the brilliance of what they offer.

Hier brummt das pralle Leben und wer es eher ruhig mag, der ist vermutlich woanders besser aufgehoben. Wir waren früh da und das war unser Glück, denn wir konnten so noch einen Tisch ergattern. Als wir das Lokal gegen 21:00 Uhr verließen, stand draußen eine Menschenschlange. Das Lokal selber ist groß, aber durch die Aufteilung in verschieden große Räume sehr behaglich. Das Essen ist gut. Wir hatten an diesem Abend einige venezianische Klassiker wie Sarde e Saor, Kalbskotelett, Frito Misto und schwarzes Risotto. Das war alles durchweg sehr lecker und auch preislich völlig in Ordnung.

SI SI SI!
una de las mejores pastas que he podido probar!
Eramos como casi un grupo de 36 personas… imaginense!!! eramos la pesadilla de cualquier restaurante pero en este lugar no se hicieron drama y nos acomodaron a todos muy bien y rapido!
yo ordene unos calamares en su salsa acompañado de spaghetti!
delicioso!!!
de postre la verdad no recuerdo pero esa pasta esta riquisima!!!
un MUST GO en Venecia!

Kaum zu glauben, aber kaum 100 Meter von der Rialto-​Brücke entfernt findet man richtig annehmbares Essen. Das liegt daran, dass sich die meisten Touristen nur auf den Hauptpfaden bewegen und die Trattoria della Madonna einfach in einer absolut unwirtlichen Straße befindet. Hier lohnen keine Fotos. Essen dafür umso mehr.
Es ist schin eine Weile her, so dass ich mich die genauen Namen der Gerichte nicht mehr erinnere, aber hier gehen sogar Venzianer essen und mehr brauche ich glaube ich nicht anfügen.

Sympa, pas trop cher, mais portions trop petites
le reste est sans aspérités. Un restauration comme il en existe des milliers en Italie.

Nach dem Vorglühen mit den süffigen Hausweinen und ein paar Snacks in der schon erwähnten Cantina Do Mori landete ich bei meinem letzten Venedig-​Trip in der benachbarten Trattoria Alla Madonna, die in einem kleinen Gässchen nahe der Rialto-​Brücke versteckt ist und laut diversen Reiseführern eins der besseren Fischrestaurants von Venedig sein soll.
Eingeweihte loben zudem die Tatsache, dass sich in das Restaurant relativ wenige unangenehm auffallende Touristen verirren, da sich diese Klientel lieber das Geld in direkt am Canale Grande liegenden Läden aus der Tasche ziehen lässt. (Ich plappere hier nur nach, was ich gelesen habe wahrscheinlich kann man auch am Kanal annehmbares Essen finden.)
Die Vorspeise, eine Art Krabbensalat mit Olivenöl und Zitronensaft, in der Krabbenschale serviert (Granchio genannt, um die 13 Euro) soll die Spezialität der Trattoria sein, war aber nicht wirklich weltbewegend, da etwas fad.
Da die Tische recht eng beieinander stehen, lernte ich schnell ein neben mir sitzendes australisches Pärchen kennen. Sie waren in dieser Gaststube gelandet, weil ihnen der Kellner eines gegnerischen Restaurants verraten hatte, in der Trattoria Alla Madonna gebe es das beste Meeresfrüchte-​Risotto Venedigs. Das freute mich zu hören, denn genau dieses Risotto hatte ich ohnehin schon bestellt. Das Risotto, das wir drei zeitgleich erhielten, war leider etwas zu salzig da es aber ansonsten sehr wohlschmeckend war, entschieden meine neuen australischen Freunde und ich, unsere Reisgerichte nicht zurückgehen zu lassen.
Die sehr effektiv herumwieselnden Kellner wirkten etwas gehetzt, waren aber durchaus hilfreich und gaben sich Mühe, auch Gäste mit mangelhaftem Italienisch bestmöglich zu beraten. Das Restaurant ist hell, aber gemütlich eingerichtet.
Mein erster Besuch in diesem venezianischen Fischtempel konnte mich dennoch nicht vollends überzeugen, vielleicht habe ich beim nächsten Mal ja mehr Glück.