Where to Eat in Murano: Recommended Restaurants and Typical Cuisine

Are you wondering where to eat in Murano? Are you curious about typical Murano cuisine?

Here for you is an article where you can find all the necessary information related to a nice gastronomic break on the lagoon island famous for its handicrafts.

In this article I will explain where to have lunch in Murano, whether you want a quick meal or prefer to sit in a nice restaurant with a view.

Warning Booking your Murano tour online is important to optimize time and expense-essential for a stress-free, queue-free visit. Book your ticket online and be sure to save time to spend at a wonderful little restaurant in Murano!

Best restaurants in Murano: addresses and specialties

Typical restaurant on the canal | ID 37523374 © Paolo Pompolani | Dreamstime.com

Are you wondering where to eat in Murano? Below you will find a selection of the most popular restaurants on the island, where you will taste typical Murano dishes, but also much more!

Read on so you can plan your culinary stop!

• Osteria la Perla Ai Bisatei: located at Campo S. Bernardo, 5/6 is one of the best-reviewed places on the island and you’ll only have to order even one dish to see why! Located a short walk from the “Venier” stop of the vaporetto line 4.2, it is just a 5-minute walk from the Glass Museum. This osteria offers simple dishes that know how to win over patrons’ tastes: you can taste typical lagoon dishes and you will surely be satisfied with the excellent fish on offer. The location makes it super recognizable: you’ll feel like you’re going to eat at your grandmother’s house, the service is warm characterized by great attention to the customer; finally, the good quality/price ratio makes the Perla a very popular place.
• La Fornace: located very close to the glass cathedral at Fondamenta Manin, 1, will know how to give you refreshment and flavor after a blowing demonstration. A splendid venue overlooking the water that provides a romantic and truly unique atmosphere! What’s more, the restaurant stands where there used to be a glass furnace, from which it takes its name, which makes it even more magical. Prices are slightly higher than at other places on the island, but the attention to detail in the dishes and the location justify the expense. Here, too, the main dishes are all seafood-based and you will be able to taste Murano cuisine, however, you can also find meat and special but popular dishes such as, for example, gnocchi with Duck Ragout.

• Osteria Al Duomo: equipped with a lovely courtyard, you can eat right on the canal with a view of the Duomo Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato! Located at Fondamenta Andrea Navagero, 20/21 is the ideal place to eat on a beautiful sunny day: you can taste both meat and fish, but not only! Here you can taste two musts of Italian cuisine: pasta and pizza! In this Osteria, in fact, pasta is fresh and homemade and you can taste it with both simpler and more elaborate dishes, such as pappardelle with beef straccetti scented with thyme (one of the most popular dishes!). The pizza is also very successful: especially recommended for foreign visitors who want to eat real Italian pizza! Another point in favor of this osteria are the prices: the wide choice allows the possibility of reasonable spending although it is located in the center of town!
• Murano Trattoria Valmanara: this eatery is also located in Fondamenta Andrea Navagero, but at number 31 and therefore still on the canal but as the crow flies it is opposite the glass museum. Like any self-respecting Murano eatery, the specialty is fish, which you can eat on the terrace or in the summer garden. Alternatively, you can choose a room with the famous Venetian stucco! The restaurant gives right on the Grand Canal and was even born in 1958: a historic trattoria that knows how to tickle the palates of visitors, but also the eyes! The care for the dishes in every detail makes this trattoria among the most appreciated in the lagoon.

• Trattoria ai Piantaleoni: a restaurant embellished with an elegant atmosphere thanks to the typical glass decorations in which to lunch and dine overlooking the canal! In this trattoria you can taste authentic Venetian cuisine, but if you love peculiarities try more innovative dishes that characterize this trattoria. The wine cellar is much appreciated: the waiters will masterfully recommend the right wines to go with the chosen dishes. The ingredients are always very fresh, especially the fish offered, which depends on the catch of the day: the menu is updated daily, always offering the freshest and highest quality dishes. The trattoria also pays attention to vegans, vegetarians and gluten free: a service with dedicated dishes! To conclude, the cocktails prepared in the trattoria’s bar are highly appreciated: a place suitable even for the shorter stop of an aperitif. If you think this restaurant is right for you, you can find it at Riva Longa, 25, a short walk from the “Murano Museo B” vaporetto stop on line 4.2.
• Trattoria Al Corallo, located right at Fondamenta dei Vetrai, 73, turns out to be a slightly cheaper option than the previous ones, and here you can enjoy a wonderful aperipranzo on the canal. The dishes are mostly fish-based, but not only. Compared to the previously mentioned venues, it offers a slightly less satisfying dining experience, but allows for a lower expense than the average Murano venue while maintaining a high level of enjoyment by patrons. Ideal for a quick stop on the island’s main street in which to sample a few dishes while sipping a cocktail.

Typical Murano cuisine: what to absolutely taste

Mixed fried fish, lagoon specialties | ID 103860239 @ Javarman | Dreamstime.com

As you may have guessed, Murano will not only be rewarding for glass-related experiences: the cuisine will also secure a place among your memories!

Murano cuisine, in fact, offers really tasty and intense dishes where the undisputed protagonist is fish.

Whether you are a lover of first courses or prefer second courses, you will not be disappointed! Here you will find delicious fish risottos that vary the seasoning depending on the catch of the day: often appreciated is the risotto de Gò cooked with a fish characteristic of the lagoon.

The fish sauce is also used to season bigoli, a typical pasta of these areas, similar to spaghetti but characterized by a rough and porous surface so that it goes well with the seasonings.

Bigoli are served with some typical sauces, such as duck ragout or “in salsa,” a historic lagoon dish: a strong and tasty flavor made with onions and anchovies.

Have you ever tasted spaghetti with squid ink? Have you not? This is the place to do it! Black spaghetti seasoned with a tasty fish sauce, a great classic of Murano cuisine.

Do you prefer main courses? Murano knows how to please you: there is a recipe that is now more than 500 years old and that is Baccalà mantecato.

Just think that in Murano and Venice they began cooking it as early as the 1400s, precisely after 1432 when merchant Piero Querini found refuge on a small island in the Baltic to escape the stormy sea.

It was here that he learned about this dish that the locals were crazy about: a fish left to dry on sticks.

But other fish are also the stars of typical Murano cuisine: have you ever heard of sardines in saòr or moeche?

The former is a poor dish of lagoon cuisine and consists of a flavorful combination of sardines and lots of onions: the secret of the restaurateurs is to let the ingredients season for several days after expertly preparing them.

Moeche, on the other hand, are green crabs typical of the lagoon and have become a dish thanks to the intuition of Burano fishermen.

The name derives from the fact that these carapaces are harvested at the time when they molt and therefore are still soft, hence the dialect name of “moeche.” As for the culinary aspect, these crabs are floured and fried.

In conclusion, it will be really difficult to be able to say that you have had a better fried fish than what awaits you in the island’s taverns!

As you may have understood, the cuisine of the lagoon is characterized by strong and intense flavors capable of satisfying its patrons.

The influence of the territory is strong and it is because of its history linked to the sea that on this island it is recommended to eat especially fish, the star of Murano cuisine.

But as you could see, meat lovers will also enjoy indulging in a meal in Murano!

Restaurants with a view: eating on the Murano canal

Aerial view of Murano | ID 21354627 © Angelo Giampiccolo | Dreamstime.com

There are many restaurants with picturesque views in Murano: you have many options if you want to eat typical dishes while sitting right overlooking the canal!

First of all, among the most popular establishments I mentioned above, many have their own terraces and rooms overlooking the water: this is the case with La Fornace restaurant and Ai Piantaleoni restaurant.

The same goes for the other venues mentioned, but there are many other restaurants that offer this experience: for example, you can opt for the Vetri restaurant, in Fondamenta Marco Giustinian, 2.

There are also many bars where you can have a snack or an aperitif that overlook the canals themselves.

Finally, there are also places that offer the chance to enjoy a typical Italian pizza while enjoying a splendid view, such as theApprodo on Viale Bressagio, 20, or the Nuova Pizzeria Marlin, on Fondamenta dei Vetrai, 53 (open only for lunch).

Whichever venue you choose, eating with a view of the canal is a truly unique experience capable of giving you emotions and magical moments to enjoy during your visit to the Venice lagoon.

Warning Murano is highly visited so reservations are strongly recommended: only then can you secure your table!

Many venues have a dedicated section on the website for reserving your place, or you can call the restaurant or drop by in person in advance.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusions

We found out together what to expect if you wish to eat in Murano, but most importantly, we found out that… it is really a great idea to indulge in a meal on the island!

I have shown you which dishes are typical of the lagoon and more especially of the glass island, as well as pointed out the restaurants that are most popular with visitors and those that offer the best options.

You were also able to find a paragraph dedicated to the restaurants with the most atmospheric atmospheres that offer a view of the canals to treat yourself to a romantic and unique dinner.

Finally, I have answered the most frequently asked questions related to Murano cuisine, but don’t hesitate to leave us a comment should you have other curiosities to satisfy.

What about you? What would you like to taste? Are you more of a pasta person, or do some of the main courses of Murano cuisine appeal to you?

Remember to reserve your table to ensure a lunch or dinner on the beautiful island of Murano.

Want to manage your time better? I recommend booking your tickets in advance, too: there’s nothing better than a nice glassmaking demonstration with priority admission and then…bigoli in sauce for everyone!