Right off the busy Strada Nova, this cozy spot with lace-covered light fixtures and copper pots hanging from the ceiling has fantastic heavier dishes like fried meatballs made with shredded slow-cooked beef, and the wonderfully firm polenta cicchetti topped with baccalà mantecato. Sure, you can pop in for a quartino of Italian wine and some snacks, but you should stay for a full meal and get some spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti alla busara with tomatoes, chili, and prawns.

Osteria Alla Vedova: It is a bacaro and also a restaurant, run by the same family for over a century. I booked a table here just a couple of times and it was good, especially the spaghetti alle vongole and the schie con la polenta (small boiled shrimps with garlic oil served with white polenta), but I usually come here for their polpette (meatballs), probably the best in Venice. It’s in Ramo Ca’ Doro, a side calle of Strada Nuova.

The little bar called Alla Vedova is often packed in the evenings. That’s because you’ll find the most delicious meatballs in the city there, crunchy and perfect with a small glass of wine, or ombra. Another place that’s always full is Al Botteghon, where you’ll find all kinds of imaginative combinations served on little pieces of bread, from cheese with nettle pesto to garlicky baccala, the classic Venetian dish of creamed cod.

This trattoria just off the main Station-Rialto route has its pros and cons. Service can be offhand, prices are on the high side, and the formula they pioneered – cicheti as the basis for a full-blown restaurant – is no longer a novelty. But the place is still archetypically Venetian, from its traditional osteria interior to the snack-laden plates on view behind the bar counter.

This inexpensive bacari is a favourite with locals, who wax lyrical about its divine meatballs. For only a few Euros, diners can sit up at the bar and feast on three huge 'polpetti' in a delicious tomato sauce, or get a ...

**WHERE TO EAT THE BEST MEATBALLS OF THE UNIVERSE** At least once in life you must try one of the meatballs at **Osteria alla Vedova**, in Strada Nuova, just a few steps from Ca 'd'Oro. The venue is the classic bacaro that exudes definitely an atmosphere of old times, a few and very narrow seats, but most of the people prefears to stay in the street just outside the door quietly waiting for a meatball and a good glass of wine. What's so special about these meatballs?.

One of my favourite places in Venice, an undisputed Venetian institution, and easily one of the most authentic restaurants in the city. It’s official name is Trattoria Ca’ D’Oro (it’s very close to the Ca D’Oro palazzo and vaporetto stop), and the ‘alla vedova’ – ‘vedova’ meaning widow – was added in more recent years to honour the widow who owned and ran the restaurant at the time. It’s her children, Mirella and Renzo, who run the restaurant today.

The first place we went to upon our arrival in Venice, an adorable little Venetian restaurant called Alla Vedova (as suggested by a nice local named Giovanna), we hit the gold mine. And I’m not referring to just the delicious food. After eating the best meatball, or polpette of my life (and this is coming from a girl who doesn’t love meatballs), followed by my spaghetti and prawns dish with the most amazing crushed tomato sauce I have EVER had,

When it comes to what to eat in Venice, you can’t pass up polpette, bite-sized Venetian meatballs that are often found in cicchetti bars. They’re made with beef or veal and have the most wonderful texture – beautifully crisp and crunchy on the outside while being light-as-air on the inside. Although Osteria Cà D’ Oro Alla Vedova is more of a restaurant than a bàcari, it’s where you’ll find the best polpette in Venice.

Don’t be fooled by its crusty appearance, these polpette (meatballs) want you to believe they are hard as rocks, but they’re actually hide a tender heart. You will sometimes find them alone, sometimes hanging out in a bunch of three. Just give them a try, and they’ll reveal their true personality: warm, sophisticated and refined, their flavour is way more complex than what you might think staring at their hard shell.

For a proper sit-down meal of good Italian and Venetian dishes, I recommend Ristorante Antico Pignolo just a few minutes’ walk from Piazza San Marco. If you’re visiting on a warm day, sit at a table in the courtyard at the back of the restaurant, which is quiet and offers respite from the hustle and bustle of Venice. You can’t go wrong with a traditional dish of Spaghetti alla Busara.

Cà D’Oro Alla Vedova is a hole in the wall restaurant tucked away from all the tourist crowds in Venice serving up some of the best seafood pastas in town. The dining room is small and casual with wooden tables and simple furnishing but the food is rustic and homemade. I found the price to be very reasonable compared to other Venetian restaurants serving similar dishes.

Cà D’oro alla Vedova – Tucked in an alley, this homestyle Venetian institution has great choices for both seafood and meat lovers; the former should order the bigoli in salsa, while the latter should opt for the superlative polpette. The cozy, wood-paneled bacaro is perfect any time of day, whether for an ombra and a few bites at the counter or for a full sit-down meal.

One of the most historic addresses in Venice, Ca’ d’Ora – known locally as Alla Vedova (the widow) – dates back to 1891. The family-owned spot is located in the Cannaregio district, on the northern end of the Grand Canal. Inside, it feels as though it’s been locked in another era, thanks to warm wooden furniture, hanging copper pots and a convivial atmosphere.

No wine bar tour," explains Bisol, "is complete without a stop at a classic Venetian bacari like Alla Vedova." Tourists and residents patiently pile into the front bar of this old-fashioned osteria, to sample the city's most renowned polpette—a crispy, fried pork meatball – and wash it down with multiple glasses of prosecco. Eat, drink, and repeat.

Heading on a trail of cicheti bars, known as bàcari, is a good way to explore Venice, as you can discover both its rich history and delicious cuisine; locals will tell you they’re inextricably linked. Cà D’Oro alla Vedova is well-known and well-loved on the bàrcari scene. Be sure to try the polpette (meatballs).

A historic restaurant a few steps from the Ca’ D’Oro palace, famous for its meatballs and meat and vegetable pies. There is no shortage here of traditional dishes such as baccalà mantecato and sarde in saor, which taste even better when served with excellent polenta. Shall we talk about the first courses?

It owes its fame to its meatballs, loved across the board because they are deep fried, crispy outside and soft inside. The rest is also good, from breaded anchovies to tomatoes au gratin, from octopus salad to creamed cod. Ambience with old-world charm and efficient service.

Osteria Alla Vedova – No wine bar tour is complete without a stop at this classic. Tourists and residents swarm the bar of this throwback osteria, clamoring to sample the city’s top polpette, a crispy, fried pork meatball. Patrons wash them down with glasses of prosecco.

Tucked away on a quiet side street, Alla Vedova dazzles with its legendary meatballs—I mean it. Even lifelong Venetians will duel for them. What to try: The polpette (those meatballs!), eggplant caponata, and if you’re feeling bold—squid ink on toast.

‘It is almost impossible to sit at Vedova but its cicchetti can be enjoyed standing up from the legendary meatballs, always warm and crispy, to the creamed cod and sardines in saòr, served with white polenta’. Ramo Cà D’Oro, 3912, 30121 Venice, Italy

All the bacari on my tour were within 100m of each other, but if you are looking to head slightly further afield, duck over the Grand Canal to Cà D’Oro alla Vedova (Ramo Ca’ d’Oro, 3912) for a few of their famous meatballs.

Alla Vedova is perhaps the most celebrated Bacari in all of Venice, and with good reason, established in 1891 it has stood the test of time and continues to provide phenomenal food and wine at very reasonable prices.

€€ Phone: +39 041 528 5324 The meatballs’ fame surely will not keep your attention from the amazing cicchetti, the salted codfish and the liver cooked alla Veneziana of this inn.Ramo Ca’ d’Oro, 3912, 30121 Venezia VE

One of the most famous bàcari in Venice, this one’s both away from the city’s crowds and on the cheap (€1) end of things, ideal if you’re on a budget. Don’t miss the polpette, meatballs made of pork.

Le polpette più buone di tutta Venezia, un vero piacere per il palato. Passare a fianco a questo locale, senza fermarsi per gustare la specialità della casa è davvero difficile. È una vera calamita.

It was generous with expensive shellfish, a greater proportion than at our Ca’ D’Oro luncheon for half the price, but there was no difference in the frying, which was, in both instances, flawless.

Everyone’s obsessed with the fried meatballs at Ca’ d’Oro Alla Vedova (Ramo Ca’ d’Oro, 3912). We recommend ordering a glass of prosecco, which pairs perfectly with polpette.

Ridiculously good, plenty of people come to Alla Vedova to purely eat the polpette cicchetti with a glass of something outside the restaurant, buying extra to take away.

Ca’ d’oro alla Vedova (how restaurant spells it on Facebook) just a few feet off the busy Strada Nova —- nice meatballs!

Alla Vedova – The Widow’s Place – is the ultimate Venetian bacaro, run by the same family for over a century.