Coming to Venice and not making a trip to Bacari is almost like going to Rome and not tasting pasta carbonara: it is a must. But what are Venice’s bacari? They are the city’s typical small bars, modestly sized osterias, often consisting only of the counter, where you can sample a variety of appetisers, called ‘cicchetti’, accompanied by a good glass of wine or a spritz.
Bacaro: Origin and History
The term ‘bacaro’ seems to derive from Bacchus, the god of wine, although a more reliable version attributes it to the Venetian verb ‘far bàcara’, which means to make merry, to celebrate.
Venetian cicchetti, from the most traditional to the most modern
We usually advise our guests to go to Fondamenta della Misericordia, not too far from our hotel, where there are many different bacari: older ones such as Paradiso Perduto or Timon and more modern ones such as Vino Vero. Try a crostino with bacalà mantecato, a small plate of sarde in saor, or the half-egg with anchovy.
Close to our hotel, just a minute’s walk away, is an exceptional bacaro where our staff often stop at the end of shifts: Luca and Fred’s Venetian Cicchetteria, home to the famous ‘flying saucers’.
