Bacaros with above-average bar bites

“There’s a verb in Venetian dialect -- cichetar -- that describes a lifestyle, a mood, an attitude to life,” explains Venetian food blogger Nicoletta Fornaro at Naturally Epicurean. Cichetar, which derives from cicheti (cicchetti in Italian) are “small nibbles eaten standing while enjoying a small glass of house wine and chatting with friends and/or with whoever happens to be there in that particular moment … wine and cicchetti are small because normally we go from one place to the other.” Standout cicheti bars include:  

All’Arco: This is “for sure one of the most authentic places where you can savour serious Venetian cicchetti.” (Naturally Epicurean)  

Vino Vero: The selection of crostini and cicchetti is very wide and tempting here, with options that go beyond the classic Venetian combinations (Life Love Food)  

Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi: “For 50 years, Alessandra de Respinis -- the queen of cicheti -- has been creating her recipes like an alchemist: creamed pumpkin with ricotta and parmesan, a swordfish tartare sprinkled with cocoa powder, smoked tuna with parmesan and a julienne of leeks.” (The Guardian)  

Do Mori: “Said to be the oldest bacaro in Venice, dating back to 1462, the house speciality is francobollo (literally ‘postage stamp’), a tiny white-bread sandwich filled with sliced meats, radicchio, gorgonzola or roasted vegetables.” (The Guardian)  

Osteria al Squero: Located right across the canal from a gondola workshop, this bar takes its wine and cicheti seriously, “they have some good mountain wines from Alto Adige and Friuli, and the owner seeks out hard-to-find cheeses, salamis and other treats from small organic producers.” (The Telegraph)  

Sbarlefo: Purveyors of sophisticated cichetti … “we had teeny, tiny little cuttlefish, bathed in a salsa verde and balanced atop a piece of grilled white polenta.” (Elizabeth Minchelli blog)     

La Cantina: “On the bar was a tray of oysters on ice, which the barman shucked to order, behind it a counter of fresh fish and an ancient hand-operated slicer for the charcuterie.” (The Guardian)  

Alla Ciurma: “A wood-panelled spot where everything from meatballs to stuffed zucchini flowers is thrown into the fryer.” (The New York Times)