A recent visit confirmed that the civilized gourmet refuge of Cesare Benelli and his American wife, Diane, is a foodie treat to rival the better-known Da Fiore. In a quiet backstreet behind the lagoon-side esplanade of Riva degli Schiavoni, Al Covo has only a few outside tables—but in summer it's better in any case to take refuge from the sticky Venetian heat in the two intimate, air-conditioned inner rooms. Cesare's cooking has been Slow Food since before the movement was founded, relying on recherchéé ingredients like Bianca Piemontese beef or candied Ligurian chinotto (the bitter orange that gives Campari its flavor). Antipasti and primi piatti (for example, the tasty paccheri with a pesto of pistachio, eggplant, and marinated mussels) veer toward seafood, while main courses are equally divided between fish and meat. It's not exactly great value for money (count on burning around $100 a head in the evening), but Al Covo does offer one of the few truly fine meals in the lagoon city. And if you come at lunch—when the sometimes tense service tends to be more relaxed—you can save by opting for the four-course $55 tasting menu.

Open Fridays through Tuesdays 12:45 to 2:15 pm and 7:30 to 10 pm.

Campo San Bartolomeo is fast being overtaken by the Rialto market area as the city's nightlife hub, but this busy little bacaro tucked just off the square has stayed popular. Come aperitivo hour, you'll have a hard time elbowing your way to the barrel-shaped bar (botte means barrel), but once there, you can choose from 30-odd wines by the glass. You can also sample the excellent cicchetti and feast on Venetian staples like tagliolini with scallops or ink-stewed cuttlefish with polenta. Allow around $40 without wine for two courses.

Open Mondays through Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays noon to 3:30 pm and 7 to 10:30 pm, Sundays 7 to 10:30 pm.

The Giudecca is a strange island, with a jolly resident community of tough old boat builders and dreadlocked types seemingly untouched by the tourism of Venice proper (it's actually just a quick vaporetto ride away). Like any small Italian community, this one has its favorite bars, where residents banter over morning coffee or evening aperitivi. Alla Palanca would be just that—a lively neighborhood bar—except for the fact that it happens to serve one of the best lunches around. At midday, the canal-side tables fill with diners enjoying simple, traditional dishes like squid-ink risotto, spaghetti with mixed seafood, and whatever fresh fish is being thrown on the grill that day. It's good home cooking, at prices that are difficult to beat anywhere else in Venice.

Open Mondays through Saturdays noon to 2:30 pm and 7 to 9 pm.

Nabbing one of the eight tables at this tiny, cramped restaurant near the Santa Maria Formosa church is a major coup; despite a few recent negative reviews (by no means confirmed by our own experience), these are still some of the most sought-after seats in Venice. And there's good reason: Chef Bruno Gavagnin's aromatic, boldly flavored cooking puts a new spin on some favorite Venetian recipes. Gnocchetti are served with baby squid and perfumed with cinnamon; prawns are sautéed in lime and ginger; and the pasta alle vongole, instead of the usual plate of pasta and clams, is actually is a dish of delicious caparossoli clams with a little pasta thrown in, almost as an afterthought. Out front, sommelier Luca di Vita gives details about the short but select wine list.

Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 12:30 to 2 pm and 7 to 9:30 pm.

Set far from the tourist hordes, in the north of the city, this small, relaxed, family-run bacaro is a favorite among locals. The menu of simply yet elegantly prepared primi includes a wonderful bigoli in salsa (fat spaghetti in anchovy sauce) and an aromatic tagliatelle with prawns and zucchini flowers. True to its name (anice stellato means "star anise"), the restaurant does interesting things with spices, too: Giant sardines are cooked with lemon and ginger, and baked salmon comes with potatoes tossed with a mix of pungent herbs. Weather permitting, grab a table on the lovely Fondamenta della Sensa and watch the boats drift by.

Open Wednesdays through Sundays 12:15 to 2 pm and 7:30 to 10 pm.

Pizza isn't Venice's thing, so you'll find nothing in the lagoon city to match the pizzerie of Rome or Naples. But this contemporary space on airy Campo San Polo is as good as you'll find here and has a warm, welcoming vibe even if you're dining with unruly young children. Besides pizza, there are interesting salads, a selection of pasta courses, and absolutely no fish…though a little meat sneaks onto the menu. In good weather, tables spread out into the square.

Open daily noon to 2:30 pm and 7 to 10:30 pm.

The market at the northwestern foot of the Rialto Bridge throbs in the morning as crowds of homemakers and restaurateurs fight to nab the freshest produce. Recently, a crop of good restaurants has turned the neighborhood into an evening destination, too. One of these, Do Mori, has actually been serving ombre and cicchetti beneath its ceiling of hanging copper pots for centuries. But it's newcomers like Bancogiro and Naranzaria—both dim, tastefully cluttered bacari with small groups of tables overlooking the Grand Canal—that put the area on the modern-day nightlife map. The slightly fancier Naranzaria specializes in wine from the owner's Friulian vineyards, coupled with the unique Veneto-Asian fusion cuisine of Japanese chef Akira. Bancogiro's defiantly pasta-free menu may include turbot fillet with pumpkin and rosemary or king prawns with local artichokes. The nearby Muro has a sleek, minimalist aesthetic and draws a chic design-y crowd to its downstairs bar before and after dinner. Upstairs, the chefs have no qualms about overturning Venetian traditions to combine pasta with angler fish and licorice, or to create a smoked sturgeon salad with zucchini and coriander. (The lunch menu is lighter on the wallet.) To knock back a spritz (the classic Venetian aperitivo of white wine, soda water, and Campari) in a congenial setting, Bar Mercà (also known as Al Marcà) is a friendly hole-in-the-wall serving wine and panini.

Marco Proietto's seafood restaurant near the shipyards of Castello is no secret, so you'll likely have to share it with crowds of reveling tourists and local foodies. But even if you never make it past the antipasti, you'll have a memorable meal. The selection of fresh-caught delicacies include sardele in saor (sardines in a sweet-and-sour sauce), marinated anchovies, moeche (tiny soft-shelled crabs), briny mussels, and moscardini (baby octopus). The pasta dishes are also excellent; our favorite is gnocchi with canoce (mantis shrimps). For dessert, don't miss the warm zabaglione. In good weather, dining in the leafy courtyard is wonderful (and more quiet than the dining room)—but you'll need to reserve a table a few days in advance.

Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 12:30 to 2 pm and 7 to 10 pm.

The release of the 2003 Da Fiore Cookbook catapulted this restaurant into the spotlight (though it had been around for 30 years), and it's been a hot spot ever since. The attention's not unwarranted: Chef Mara Martin's creations—many of them reworkings of traditional Venetian dishes—are dependably delicious. Her tagliata di tonno (tuna steak) is tender and succulent, as is the turbot baked in a potato crust; the sea bass with balsamic vinegar is another hit. There's also a terrific array of raw seafood among the antipasti choices. The homemade desserts are better than average, and both the cheese and wine lists are impressive. But there are downsides: no romantic view (the table by the one small window is booked weeks in advance), the service isn't overly solicitous, and since you're paying as much for the reputation as the food, the prices are exorbitant even by Venetian standards. (Note: There's a small bacaro called Trattoria da Fiore near St. Mark's; it's not related.)

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Facing off across St. Mark's Square, the highly competitive cafés Florian and Quadri are almost as iconic as the piazza they overlook. When Venice was ruled by the Austrians in the early 1800s, the occupiers frequented the Quadri, while Venetian patriots (plus Lord Byron) holed up in the Florian. Both places look much the same now as they did then, with ornate 18th-century interiors (heavy on the mirrors, gilded moldings, and damask upholstery). Though they can get very crowded during high season (and they're both ridiculously expensive), it's still extremely romantic to linger over afternoon caffè at either and look out at one of Europe's most famous squares. At Florian's, clued-in regulars head for the bar area at the back, where you can sip cocktails for less while watching the choreography of tray-laden waiters.

A fresh new arrival on the Giudecca, I Figli di Stelle is run by three friends who met as student activists during Italy's mid-'70s protest years (the name is that of a popular song that was adopted as a kind of anthem by the student movement). But don't expect grungy radical chic; this is actually a light, bright, and stylish contemporary restaurant with a magical location overlooking the Punta della Dogana and St. Mark's across the water; outside tables on the wharf provide a ringside seat. The pan-Italian menu reflects the origins of its owners—one Venetian, one Roman, and one from Bari in the deep south. It's simple but tasty fare: fava purée with a salad of mixed seasonal vegetables; cavatelli with mussels and haricot beans; baked lamb with sun-dried tomatoes. The small, well-priced wine list is slanted toward the surrounding regions of Veneto and Friuli. There is live jazz here some evenings, with visiting musicians from the Cini Foundation on the nearby island of San Giorgio.

Open Wednesdays through Sundays noon to 2:30 pm and 7 pm to midnight.

There's hardly room to swing a catfish in this brand-new, five-table gourmet locale behind the Doge's Palace. All the better to enjoy the cuisine, and the wines, of simpatico host Gianni Bonnacorsi, who serves as chef, waiter, and sommelier as the occasion demands, with the help of a single busy sidekick. Don't come for a quick snack, in other words—but if you have a couple of hours to spare for a really special dinner, this is one of the more interesting places in the $90-a-head range (excluding wine). The decor is pared back but not cold, with exposed brick walls adding warmth, and a large mirror to give an illusion of space. Bonnacorsi's cuisine is local and seasonal, high on technique but low on foamy pretensions: A pasta course of tortelli dyed with cuttlefish ink, stuffed with minced sea bass, and served on a bed of seafood "ratatouille" is typical of his ambitious and (mostly) convincing approach. At times, service slows down and a little angst emanates from the kitchen—especially when the number of diners approaches double digits—but this is all part of the cozy Ridotto experience. The wine list is as good as one would expect from a man who also runs a bacaro with one of Venice's best-stocked cellars just across the square.

Open Thursdays 7 to 10 pm, Fridays through Tuesdays noon to 2 pm and 7 to 10 pm.

If you're vegetarian—or just tired of Venice's fishy menus—La Zucca ("the Pumpkin") is the place to go. Although there are some meat dishes on the menu (pork with ginger and pilau, roast duck with apple and Calvados), what's really special about this place near the Rialto Bridge is its inventive way with vegetables. Tender pumpkin flan is served with a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese, as is the warm pumpkin quiche; pasta dishes are made with radicchio and eggplant instead of mussels and prawns. The wood-paneled dining space is warm, and bench seating makes for a communal atmosphere, as does the slightly crunchy crowd that frequents the place. Lone women travelers are made to feel particularly welcome. The few canal-side tables are picturesque; you can watch other diners arriving at the back entrance by boat.

Open Mondays through Saturdays 12:30 to 2:30 pm and 7 to 10:30 pm.

Since his appointment in 2005, chef Corrado Fasolato has turned around what used to be the decidedly average restaurant of the Hotel Metropole and made it the table to book for a high-end Venetian meal near St. Mark's Square. Reflecting his apprenticeship under radical Spanish super-chef Ferran Adrià, Fasolato's Michelin-starred cuisine is certainly flashy, playing games with traditional local dishes like sarde in saor (here, not sardines but anchovies, baked in bread crumbs and served with sweet and sour onions and balsamic gelato) or taking a fillet of black cod, steaming it over an infusion of straw (from the market-garden island of Sant'Erasmo), herbs, and spices and serving it with an injection of vanilla-spiked olive oil. It would all be molto, molto pretentious if it weren't so darn good; it helps, too, that the service is much warmer than one might expect given the quality of the food and the opulent red-and-gold Old Venice decor. The wine list is encyclopedic. Various tasting menus are on offer; the surprise Secrets, Mysteries, and Pleasures version—basically a culinary mystery tour led by Fasolato—is accompanied by the footnote, "Please ask before taking photos."

Open Tuesdays through Fridays 7:30 to 10:30 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 12:30 to 2:30 pm and 7:30 to 10:30 pm.

In a quiet campo near the Rialto, this upmarket osteria with its beamed ceiling and polished dark-wood bar gets all the details right: The various breads are all made in-house, and the intervals between courses are filled by tiny amuse-bouche dishes. The seafood-focused menu includes first courses like creamed borlotto-bean soup with fresh chunks of tuna, and ravioli stuffed with turbot and mussels in celery broth. Follow this up with fried soft-shell crabs and tender artichokes, or bream filet with asparagus au gratin. The warm chocolate tart dessert is locally—and deservedly—famous.

Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 7:30 to 9:30 pm.