L’ Anice Stellato Venice is tucked behind a canal of rowdy locals, with a view of another canal itself.
The venue has a few tables outside, and the remaining seats are inside a nice rustic theme. Roughly 20% of their seating is outdoors, so make a reservation if you want the better view.
L’ Anice Stellato’s first impression is…mixed. The window is littered with accolade stickers such as Michelin. But upon closer review, their most recent Michilen sticker is 2014. Has the restaurant gone downhill over the last 5 years, or did they feel that more stickers would be redundant?
On the other hand, we were the only Americans at the restaurant, so this is definitely not a tourist trap.
Also, several groups were turned down for not making a reservation. Either every other restaurant in Venice was busy, or we picked a great spot. It’s hard to tell until we have the food.
Service at L’ Anice Stellato Venice
We don’t normally write about just the service, but it was worth this special section.
Their wine selection was perfect. We wanted a local wine in the Venezia area, but did not want another Cab Franc after being unimpressed the night before. All we told the server was that we wanted something local, not sweet, and medium bodied, and he recommended a Superiore.
We never heard of this wine, it was exactly what our vague ideas had in mind, and was reasonably priced at roughly 30 euros. How often do you get exactly what you want at such a reasonable price?
Aside from wine, they made sure we never had an empty glass of wine or water (the water was free, which is a huge plus). Their food recommendations were also stellar. Finally, as with all Italian restaurants we ate (except for one), they never rushed us despite how many people they turned away.
As fantastic as the service was, you don’t go to dinner just to have people fill your water and wine. Let’s get into their fantastic food.
L’ Anice Stellato’s Food
One appetizer we never had were scallops, which were everywhere in Venice. We starter with their scallop appetizer, and are so thankful we held out for L’ Anice Stellato’s scallops.
They has a fantastic sear to them, and taught us a new way to cook with scallops. These are definitely worth a try, and are different from the rest of Venice who grill the scallops in their shells.
We then had their seafood spaghetti, which was a simple dish with mussels, clams, and tomatoes. Until we noticed the pepper kick.
Although mild, the spice was a pleasant surprise. This was our first Italian dish with any kick to it.
Finally, we had their duck breast. They served this as two separate filets, with potatoes and onions for sides.
We were never asked how we wanted this cooked, which was common in Italy. It came out medium rare, which is exactly what we would have asked for.
L’ Anice Stellato Venice – The Bottom Line
L’ Anice Stellato did not stand out on TripAdvisor, and their most recent Michelin recommendation was 5 years ago. Despite those first impressions, the service and food was out of the world.
We recommend making this one of your dinners, just make sure you have a reservation!
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