Nearly every evening I'm out prowling the streets in search of the latest places to eat for my guidebooks. (I'm usually with local guides who help me find and understand what I'm seeing.) I don't think there's a restaurant anywhere in Venice that could survive without tourism. In other words, they're all touristy. Still, while many restaurants are tourist traps, some offer far better values. Follow me down a dark alley to my favorite discovery of the evening. Here's the write-up (one of five such new recommendations) that will appear in the 2017 edition of Rick Steves Venice:
[$$$] Taverna al Remer is a creative place with its own square overlooking the Grand Canal (across from the Rialto Market). Its restaurant seating is deep in an old candle-lit warehouse and its happy hour "yard" offers a chance to sit on their private pier and enjoy the Grand Canal action. They put out a good lunch buffet (€20 plus drink, Mon-Fri 12:00-15:00). They offer an "aperi-cena" (happy hour with a free buffet accompanying the drinks -- sit in restaurant, on pier, or stand in square, daily 17:30-19:00). And then, at 19:00, they shift into restaurant mode for the evening with live jazz after 21:00 (closed Wed, meals €35-50, Cannaregio 5701, tel. 041-522-8789). From Campo San Bartolomeo, head north (behind the statue) over one bridge and past the pink church (San Giovanni Grisostomo), and then about 10 yards before the next bridge, venture down the tiny dark lane on your left.
This is Day 28 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I'm reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.