Restaurant in Venice, Italy
Credentialed trattoria near San Marco. Book ahead.
Da Ivo is a well-credentialed Venetian trattoria near Piazza San Marco with three consecutive years on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list and a 4.3 Google rating from over 500 reviews. It is the right booking for a serious, traditionally grounded Venetian meal in a compact, intimate room — easy to book, closed Sundays, and best experienced at lunch.
Yes — with one condition. Da Ivo is a well-credentialed Venetian trattoria steps from Piazza San Marco that has held a place on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list for three consecutive years, moving from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #264 in 2024, then recalibrating to #474 in 2025 as the list expanded. A 4.3 Google rating across 518 reviews confirms it delivers consistently for first-timers. Book it if you want a serious, neighbourhood-rooted meal near the city's tourist centre without tipping into €€€€ formal-dining territory. If your priority is the most technically ambitious Venetian cooking in the city, look instead at Osteria alle Testiere, which operates at a higher gear creatively. Da Ivo is the better call when you want craft, longevity, and a room that feels lived-in.
Da Ivo sits on the Piscina S. Marco side of the San Marco sestiere, putting it within easy walking distance of the main sights without being swallowed by them. The address is one you reach on foot — no water taxi required from the Rialto side , and that pedestrian accessibility makes it a practical anchor for a lunch or early dinner before or after exploring the quarter. The room is compact by design: Venetian canal-side dining rarely means sprawling square footage, and Da Ivo's proportions lean intimate rather than grand. That scale is part of the appeal. You are seated close enough to observe the kitchen's rhythm and the front-of-house pace, which gives first-timers a useful read on how the meal will unfold. If the idea of a quieter, more considered setting appeals over the louder, higher-volume trattorias near the Ponte di Rialto, this room works in your favour.
The cuisine is Venetian, led by chef Giorgina Mazzero. The kitchen's focus on regional tradition rather than modernist detours means what arrives at the table is grounded in the lagoon's larder: the seafood, the slow braises, the pasta formats native to the Veneto. For a first visit, that clarity of purpose is reassuring , you are not being asked to decode a tasting menu concept, just to eat well in a city where doing so requires picking carefully.
Da Ivo opens Tuesday through Saturday for both lunch (noon to 2:30 pm) and dinner (7 to 10:30 pm), with Monday lunch available from noon to 2:31 pm. The kitchen is closed on Sundays. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is a meaningful advantage in Venice, where restaurants worth eating at often require planning days or weeks ahead. You can typically secure a table with reasonable notice, though arriving in peak season , Carnival, the Biennale opening weeks, July and August , warrants booking further ahead than usual. Lunch at Da Ivo is worth considering seriously: the pace is more relaxed than dinner, the room is quieter, and the same kitchen is running. If you are timing a visit around a longer stay in Venice, Tuesday or Wednesday lunch gives you the leading chance of a less pressured table.
Da Ivo has been operating long enough to have accumulated a three-year run of OAD recognition, which for a casual-category listing in Europe is a meaningful signal of consistency. Restaurants in that tier don't hold their position by accident. For context on what that level of endorsement means relative to Italy's wider fine-dining circuit, compare it to OAD-tracked venues like Osteria Francescana in Modena or Dal Pescatore in Runate , Da Ivo operates in a different register, but the fact it appears on the same critical framework gives you a reliable quality floor.
If you are building a broader Venice itinerary, Da Ivo pairs logically with the San Marco and Dorsoduro areas. For a full picture of where to eat, drink, and stay across the city, the Pearl Venice restaurants guide covers the full spread, including the Venice hotels guide, Venice bars guide, Venice wineries guide, and Venice experiences guide. For Venetian cooking beyond the city itself, La Caravella on the Amalfi Coast and March in Houston both work in a Venetian-influenced idiom worth knowing if you are tracking the cuisine across contexts.
Other Venice restaurants worth holding alongside Da Ivo as you plan: Ai Gondolieri, Anice Stellato, Antiche Carampane, Alessandro Borghese, and the already-mentioned Osteria alle Testiere. Each targets a slightly different diner profile, and the comparison section below maps the differences clearly.
Da Ivo works reasonably well for solo diners. The intimate room and compact scale mean you are never isolated at an oversized table, and the Venetian trattoria format , where single covers are a natural part of the lunch trade , makes a solo visit less awkward than it might be at a more formal restaurant. Lunch on a weekday is the strongest option: the pace is quieter, the room less full, and there is no pressure to linger over a long multi-course dinner on your own if you would prefer a shorter meal. The Easy booking rating also means you can often secure a spot with short notice, which suits solo travellers making decisions day-of.
Da Ivo's booking difficulty is rated Easy, so a few days' notice is usually sufficient outside peak periods. During Carnival (February), the Venice Biennale opening weeks (May), and the height of summer (July through August), add more lead time , a week to ten days is sensible. Its three consecutive years on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list mean it draws a mix of informed food travellers and regulars, so it is not a venue you can always walk into at 8 pm in high season. For Sunday visits: the kitchen is closed. Plan around Tuesday through Saturday.
There is no specific dietary policy published in Da Ivo's available data, and the restaurant does not list a website or phone number in Pearl's current record. Contact directly via the address at Per S. Marco, 1809, Venice, or ask your hotel concierge to call ahead , Venetian trattorias in this tier typically accommodate common restrictions when given advance notice, but the seafood-and-lagoon-produce focus of Venetian cuisine means menus lean heavily on fish and shellfish. If you are avoiding seafood entirely, it is worth confirming options before you book rather than on arrival.
The strongest direct alternative for traditional Venetian cooking is Osteria alle Testiere (€€€), which operates at a higher creative level and is harder to book , plan at least a week ahead. For a more casual, neighbourhood feel with a seafood focus, Antiche Carampane is a reliable choice, particularly if you prefer the Rialto-adjacent Cannaregio/San Polo area. Anice Stellato in Cannaregio offers a quieter, less touristed setting. If budget is flexible and you want the full formal-dining experience in Venice, Ai Gondolieri or Alessandro Borghese move into higher price territory with broader ambition.
Lunch is the stronger call for a first visit. The room is quieter, the pace less pressured, and the kitchen runs the same menu in a more relaxed atmosphere. Da Ivo opens for lunch noon to 2:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday (and noon to 2:31 pm on Monday), giving you a workable window that slots well into a day of sightseeing in the San Marco area. Dinner , 7 to 10:30 pm , is the busier service and better suited to a longer, unhurried evening if you have more time in the city. Given the Easy booking rating, you have the flexibility to choose based on your schedule rather than availability constraints.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Da Ivo | Venetian | Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #474 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #264 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Highly Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Local | Modern Italian, Contemporary | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Ristorante Quadri | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Osteria alle Testiere | Venetian | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Trattoria Al Passo | Seafood | Unknown | — | |
| Il Ridotto | Italian, Creative | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Venice for this tier.
Yes, a solo visit works well here. Da Ivo is a trattoria format, not a tasting-menu counter, so there is no social awkwardness around pacing or shared courses. Lunch service (noon to 2:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday) tends to be calmer than dinner, making it the more comfortable option for a solo diner who wants to take their time. The OAD Casual ranking signals a relaxed room rather than a formal one.
Book at least two to three weeks out if you are visiting during peak Venice season (spring through early autumn) or around Carnival. Da Ivo's OAD ranking — rising from Highly Recommended in 2023 to #264 in 2024 before settling at #474 in 2025 — keeps it on the radar of informed travellers, and its closure on Sundays compresses weekly availability. Monday is lunch-only, so plan accordingly.
The venue data does not confirm specific dietary accommodation policies, so contact Da Ivo directly before booking if you have requirements. What is documented is that the kitchen operates in the Venetian cuisine tradition, which is heavily seafood- and meat-based. Diners with strict vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free needs should clarify in advance rather than assume flexibility on the night.
Osteria alle Testiere is the comparison to make if you want a more intimate, seafood-focused room with a similarly serious reputation — it seats around 24 and books out weeks ahead. Il Ridotto offers a more composed, tasting-menu-adjacent experience for smaller groups. Trattoria Al Passo suits diners who want neighbourhood-local pricing away from the San Marco premium. Ristorante Quadri is the choice if setting and spectacle matter as much as the plate. Local is worth checking if you want a contemporary Venetian angle.
Lunch is the sharper call for most visitors. The room is quieter, the pace is easier, and you get the afternoon to continue around the San Marco and Dorsoduro areas afterwards. Dinner suits those who want a longer, more settled evening — service runs to 10:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Both sittings draw on the same Venetian menu, so the decision comes down to how you want to structure your day rather than any meaningful difference in kitchen output.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
