Tucked away in a quiet Castello side street near the Rialto Markets is one of Venice’s most popular local trattorias, Alle Testiere. With only nine wooden tables, this charmingly rustic space has been a raging success since owners Bruno (the chef) and Luca (the maitre’d) first opened their doors in 1993. Sharing a love of good cooking and fine Italian wine, Alle Testiere recreates ancient local Venetian recipes with a touch of modernity, featuring the freshest fish and seafood caught daily from Venice’s local lagoons--which is painstakingly washed by hand by the chef’s mother in the kitchen--along with spices and aromatic herbs sourced from Venice’s network of islands. The menu changes daily (sometimes hourly) where everything from the pasta to the fresh gelato is made by hand. Expect simple yet flavoursome dishes such as caparossoli (local clams) sautéed in ginger, and John Dory fillet sprinkled with aromatic herbs in citrus sauce. The excellent wine list also offers over one hundred labels, mainly from small local winemakers throughout Italy. Alla Testiere offers two sittings at 7pm and 9pm in the evenings, where the 9pm sitting tends to be a more relaxed affair. Bookings essential. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
