Osteria alle Testiere

Popular seafood joint in Venice

Seafood platter

If you are a big foodie and happened to be visiting Venice, seafood most likely is high on your agenda. Venice is well renowned for its fresh seafood as a water city, and Osteria alle Testiere is regarded as one of the very best seafood restaurants in the city, with great media endorsement from around the world. As committing to fresh ingredients, the restaurant changes its menu daily, depending on what they can find from fish markets. The restaurant itself is tiny with less than tables, meaning booking in advance is well recommended. Be aware all the tables are closely packed together so this is not the best place to dine if you seek privacy.

Spider crab salad

Red tuna tartare

BBQ prawns

To start, I had the spider crab salad, perhaps under seasoned and lacked moisture. I felt like the crab and the vegetables are a separate dish and had no connection, which was a shame. However, the red tuna tartar was heavenly, sweet, fresh and loaded with lovely richness at the same time. I enjoyed the mustard and olive garnishes which acted like seasoning and offer a range of dimensions for the tuna. The grilled prawns from the BBQ was also another outstanding dish, cooked perfectly, extremely moist with a touch of smoky aroma, the head of the prawn offered so much umami flavours, and you can only achieve that with top quality, fresh prawns.

BBQ seabass

Tiramisu

Dark chocolate melting cake

Osteria alle Testiere had its up and down moment, some very top dishes, as well as some fairly average ones. However, one thing for sure is that the freshness of the seafood cannot be questioned. Everything I have tasted, from seabass, langoustine, to sardine and prawns, were all excellent, showing the restaurant's commitment to fresh seafood is no joke. The price is premium, you will be looking at around 60 pounds per person for a 3-course meal when not factoring in drinks. This is the kind of price you would need to pay when you seek good quality dining experience unfortunately as Venice is an expensive city overall.


Food 3/5

What I paid: 
£80 per head with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£60

Calle del Mondo Novo, 5801, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy

http://www.osterialletestiere.it/