Venice pastry shops: the 10 best
Guide to the best pastry shops in Venice (and mainland) in a map complete with addresses, reviews, information sheets and opinions.
Draw up a map of pastry shops in Venice it is less trivial than it may seem. Above all, it turns out to be an excellent way to decipher a city which, if from the point of view of the restaurant offer is all in all simple to interpret, in terms of confectionery proposals it reveals a different character, more elusive and less subject to immediate interpretations. .
So much so that only after having tried and tasted many different products, combining the breakfast classics with those of the “Sunday” tray, only after having finished the path – which has winded between the historic center and the mainland, up to the outskirts – will you he has come to define a complete, complete and understandable picture.
The character that emerges clearly is the classicism of the city addresses, which manifests itself both in the type and manufacture of the products and in the furnishings of the premises. It would just be wrong to read this identity as a strenuous defense of the typical and the traditional: simply, innovation does not seem to have crossed the boundaries of the Ponte della Libertà, which separates the lagoon city from the mainland. Not surprisingly, it is a Mestre and in outskirts that we have found products, presentations and places with a more contemporary look.
There Venetian pastry, in short, it seems to be immune to the passage of time, stuck in a past in which it replicates itself, with the great classics and the variations of pastry, pastry, sponge cake as a frame. And if elsewhere the tourist presence has produced distortions and irreparable damage, well count under the expression “irreparable damage” the almost total disappearance of typical trattorias, transformed into picturesque places that churn out pre-cooked in a continuous cycle – the pastry shops seem to have been saved, remaining proudly, and almost indifferently, excluded from the transformation into a speck.
Venice historic center, as they say in these parts, therefore sees its fixed points lead a placid existence, with counters of large-format pasta (the mignon are hardly seen), some concessions to tourists who ask for single portions of tiramisu, and furnishings that are a triumph of wood, marble and boxes of cookies and candies, a leap into the 70s. Small spaces and the absence of tables for a more comfortable drink, they complete the picture. In some cases, a bit of fatigue and the passages of testimony not completely completed have registered a loss of enamel, quality and charm, however perceptible more by purists and affections than by new customers: we who taste are cyclical engines, however, we have noticed it and we cannot fail to report it. In short, Venice, at least the sweet one, is an island of timeless classics, comfortable and unchangeable, which welcomes its customers with solid certainties and which marks the individual and collective time with birthday cakes and pastries for family events as well as with pancakes at Carnival.
The situation is different once you set foot in land: just a few kilometers to find proposals and places from more contemporary cut, mirror glazes, mignons, captivating layers and colors that demonstrate greater receptivity and a greater propensity for dynamism. Nothing that can rival the great names of Italian pastry: we are still in the small suburbs and moreover in an area of the region a little sleepy, from this point of view (to say, the level already rises considerably). However, at least among the pastry chefs a different enthusiasm and an awareness of the contemporary context in which they find themselves emerges, while among the customers there is more curiosity and desire to taste something that does not belong to fifty years ago, even if made at rule of art. To add an observation from sociology pret-à-porter clothes to say that a lot also depends on the average age of the inhabitants of Venice compared to those of the mainland and on the fact that the capital, in particular for prices and services, is not exactly a measure of young people. But in this place we talk about frivolity and food, we leave the discussion for other contests.
So here is the gourmap of best pastry shops in Venice and mainland, accompanied by individual reviews and cards with addresses and useful information.
1 Bido pastry shop
With Bido, Mestre subtracts Venice from first place (but also second and third) in an ideal ranking of the best pastry shops in Venice. The mainland address, present in the city for over 20 years, manages to combine the quality of the offer, contemporary style and level of hospitality. If elsewhere these three elements are almost impossible to find in a single context, here you have the breakfast classics next to mignon and single portions with perfect edges and colors, an excellent execution, a renewed environment that avoids the buffering effect of certain restorations in unrivaled jewelry style, and finally a service capable of cordiality and courtesy without affectation. The fact that it is located in the town square comes to close the circle.
2 Pettenò pastry shop
Historical teaches from Mestre that over time has combined the art of confectionery with that of chocolate processing, Pettenò deserves a stop. With a level of ability that is truly a generational transition here, the workmanship continues to endure a truly high level of craftsmanship, combined with the ability to keep up with the times. Alongside the breakfast offerings and the mignons displayed with care, for the utmost pleasure of the eye, a must is the tasting of pralines and chocolate bars, as well as of course, in season, Easter eggs decor. There are two sales points, one next to the historic laboratory and a second, more central one.
3 Milady pastry shop
In the city that symbolizes the history of workers in the Veneto region, here is an address with an interclass soul, particularly appreciated in the early morning during the rush hour of breakfast. Since 2004, the year in which the owner Roberto Giuffè took over the pastry from a previous management, Milady has been the protagonist of constant growth, reinforcing a solidity already present. Clean, sunny, welcoming environment, quick and efficient service and a counter that makes everyone agree, both lovers of a past made up of classic pastas, and those who feel the call of modernity but do not expect extreme geometries and pushed technicalities. Milady, in short, is a straightforward, simple, sincere quality.
4 Dal Mas pastry shop
If the surroundings of the stations are generally populated by places for tourists and of dubious quality, Dal Mas is a reason to change your mind. A few steps from the San Lucia train station, the Venetian pastry shop (whose history is intertwined with that of a past made up of emigration to German soil, common to many Venetians in the post-war period) is a sure reference for those who want to taste typical and great products local quality classics. Lovers of places will find themselves at ease among woods and mirrors to those looking for something a little less dated, probably the chocolate shop: Dal Mas in fact has a double soul, which satisfies everyone.
5 Marchini Time pastry shop
In one of the most famous fields of the city – Campo San Luca, in a strategic position with respect to almost any point in Venice – here is Marchini Time, which for almost 50 years has been a staple for Venetians, who frequent the pastry shop without interruption to breakfast, aperitif, quick lunch break, coffee, spritz. Both breakfast and over-the-counter products are a certainty, with a special mention for the cream which, combined with shortcrust pastry and pastry, soon steals the show. Also on sale are traditional biscuits and sweets, which are hard to find fresh and of good quality.
6 From Nono Colussi
An artisan shop, an open workshop, a place where the true essence of typical Venetian sweets is found, which have a very particular tradition made of dry biscuits rather than fresh creams. Dal Nono Colussi is a place that deserves a stop for at least two reasons: the presence of the owner of the sign (the “ninth” Franco Colussi, in fact) who can be seen at work between molds and worktops, and the fugassa, Venetian focaccia with a soft consistency, unmatched by the more traditional and classic, and tasted only in this small pastry shop set in a secluded position in the Dorsoduro district.
7 Ballarin Pastry Bar
Not far from the Fontego dei Tedeschi, today a temple of luxury, the Ballarin pastry shop is one of the few in the city that has bravely undergone a restoration. To those who remember it of the period, with the windows that were a riot of wood and gilded decorations, today’s face appears a bit cold and icy. To compensate, however, welcome and offer arrive. The first is warm, the second is of quality (especially for breakfast products) despite a not very wide variety. Also noteworthy is the proposal of traditional Neapolitan desserts.
8 Tonolo pastry shop
Venetians have a very special relationship with Tonolo, made up of affection, esteem, gratitude. Tonolo is a reference not only for the scanning of the daily time (morning breakfast), but also for that of the year, with unavoidable anniversaries (need to remember the pancakes?). If it is rare to find – even among tourists who arrive here minutes of printed guide – someone who still does not know the historic pastry shop a few steps from the Frari church, it is true that for some years the place has lost a bit of its enamel. However Tonolo from a classification of the pastry shops in Venice would be unthinkable, at the risk of being lynched. Try and judge.
9 Prosdocimi Pastry Bar
With two stores, one in Zelarino and one in Martellago, Prosdocimi is a well-known address on the mainland. If the first has maintained a classic imprint with its Art Nouveau style, the second offers a more modern look and larger spaces for consumption. The offer is still anchored in the past, by shape and typology. The fixed point is the custard, which in the case of our tasting, however, ended up prevailing over everything, transforming the pastas into a sort of unique variation on the theme. The experience that we know to be the strength of those who have worked in the laboratory for years, however, makes us bet that the error can be absolutely remedied.
10 Rosa Salva pastry shop
With three stores in Venice and one in Mestre and with a solid banqueting activity, Rosa Salva is a city institution, whose foundation date (1876) tells everything about its history and longevity. However, it happens that over time even some begin to show signs of subsidence and this columns unfortunately is the case: if the characteristic feature of the city’s offer is classicism, this cannot become a justification to justify laziness or tiredness. What is written about Tonolo is valid: it is impossible not to insert it in a city map, if only for the legendary pancakes with a hole proposed at Carnival, but a reflection on one’s own course would be desirable.
