Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti

Fondamenta della Toletta 1169A 30123 Venezia

In the name of cutting to chase, I book my table at Ai Artisti before I book my Venice hotel stay. Venice, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places on earth, is sparse when it comes to elevated cuisine, but Ai Artisti defies every predictable expectation.

The menu is as fluid as the canal outside the door. It moves with the season, with today’s catch, with the kitchen’s inspiration. Ingredients are some of the best I’ve had in Venice and the tiny, almost comical scale of the place elevates the romance to Casanova era levels. On my last visit, I ordered the Squid Ragu (shown here), and I can confidently say it was one of the best pastas I’ve had on the continent. The squid could not have been fresher if they yanked it out of the canal and bludgeoned it to death out back. Pasta, in poetry. Impeccable wine list, desserts that intoxicate and arouse. Truly a La Serenisima experience, but with only 10 tables, so book early.