La Cantinetta: A Taste of Contemporary Venetian Bacaro Culture
If you want to discover Venice through its food and wine, I always recommend looking beyond the famous restaurants and taking the time to explore the city's bacari — the traditional Venetian wine bars where eating and drinking are as much a part of local culture as the canals and palaces themselves.
One place worth discovering is La Cantinetta, in Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio, in the
Santa Croce district. This little wine bar offers a contemporary interpretation of the Venetian bacaro, combining traditional cicchetti with carefully selected Italian wines, artisan cheeses and excellent cured meats.
And what I particularly like about this kind of place is that it invites you to experience Venice in a relaxed, informal way: no elaborate dining ritual, no need for a special occasion — just good food, a glass of wine and the pleasure of sitting in one of the city's most charming squares.
Let's start with the cicchetti
Cicchetti are the Venetian answer to small plates, although comparing them to Spanish tapas doesn't quite tell the whole story. They are an essential part of the city's food culture, traditionally enjoyed with a small glass of wine, known locally as an ombra.
At La Cantinetta Majer, the selection includes cicchetti inspired by Venetian flavours, with ingredients such as baccalà, saor and seasonal vegetables.
Baccalà, particularly baccalà mantecato, is one of the great classics of Venetian cuisine: salted cod that is whipped with oil until it becomes a beautifully creamy preparation, traditionally served on bread or polenta.
Then there is sarde in saor, one of the most distinctive dishes in the Venetian culinary repertoire. Fried sardines are layered with slowly cooked onions and vinegar, sometimes with raisins and pine nuts. The combination of sweet, sour and savoury flavours reflects Venice's historic connections with the spice routes and the culinary traditions of the eastern Mediterranean.
Seasonal vegetables, pickled vegetables and other small bites complete the selection, offering plenty of opportunities to mix different flavours and textures.
Cheese and charcuterie boards worth lingering over
If you prefer something to share over a glass or two, the mixed boards are another excellent reason to stop here.
The cheese selection features Italian specialities ranging from Pradis dairy cheeses to aged pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano made from the milk of Brown Swiss cows, aged for 24 months. There are also more distinctive cheeses, including blue cheese and other carefully selected regional varieties.
For cured meats, expect Italian classics such as 30-month-aged Prosciutto di Parma, natural cooked ham, artisan porchetta, salami made without additives or preservatives, and naturally aged speck.
These are products to enjoy slowly, paying attention to the differences between the delicate sweetness of aged ham, the savoury character of salami and the depth and complexity of mature cheeses.
For me, this is also where wine becomes particularly interesting. A good board is not simply an assortment of ingredients: it is an opportunity to explore how acidity, freshness, tannins and texture interact with food.
The star of the show: Mozzarella in Carrozza
If there is one thing you absolutely must try at La Cantinetta it is their mozzarella in carrozza — the undisputed star of the menu.
This much-loved Venetian speciality consists of mozzarella sandwiched between slices of bread, coated in a light batter or egg mixture and fried until beautifully golden and crisp on the outside, with a wonderfully soft, melted centre.
The contrast is what makes it irresistible: a crunchy exterior giving way to warm, stretchy mozzarella inside. Simple, comforting and delicious, it is the kind
of food that reminds us why some of the best Italian specialities are often the most straightforward.
And, of course, the wine
La Cantinetta Majer offers a selection of Italian natural wines, alongside craft beers.
As a sommelier, this is the part of the experience I find especially appealing. Natural wines can offer a fascinating range of expressions, from fresh, lively whites to textured macerated wines, characterful reds and bottles that reflect the individuality of their producers and vineyards.
With baccalà mantecato, I would look for a fresh white with good acidity to balance the creaminess of the fish. With sarde in saor, a lively, aromatic white can work beautifully with the vinegar and sweetness of the onions. For a board of aged cheeses and cured meats, the possibilities are broader: a structured white, a textured skin-contact wine or a fresh, food-friendly red could all make sense, depending on the specific products and the bottle available.
Rather than choosing a wine simply because it comes from a famous appellation, I always enjoy asking what is being poured, who made it and what makes that particular bottle interesting.
That is one of the pleasures of exploring wine bars with a thoughtful selection: every glass can become a small discovery.
Not just wine
If wine isn't your preference, there are also craft beers to explore, making La Cantinetta a versatile stop for an aperitivo with friends.
And while the classic Venetian ritual often involves a glass of wine or a spritz accompanied by a few cicchetti, there is no need to rush from one place to another. You can settle in, order a board to share and turn aperitivo into a leisurely early-evening meal.
Why visit La Cantinetta?
For me, one of the most enjoyable ways to experience Venice is to spend time in neighbourhoods where everyday Venetian life is still part of the atmosphere.
Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio is one of those places. It has a very different rhythm from the busiest tourist routes, with its beautiful old church, open square and cafés where people meet throughout the day.
La Cantinetta Majer fits naturally into this setting, offering a contemporary take on a tradition that has always been central to Venetian social life: gathering around food and wine, sharing a few bites and enjoying good conversation.
Whether you are a wine enthusiast, a curious traveller or simply someone who loves discovering a destination through its local flavours, this is a lovely address to add to your Venetian food itinerary.
My advice? Order a few different cicchetti, share a cheese and charcuterie board, ask for a recommendation from the wine selection and take your time.
Because discovering Venice is not only about seeing its extraordinary beauty. It is also about tasting it, one little bite and one glass at a time. 🥂
La Cantinetta Majer
Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio,
Santa Croce 1658
Venice, Italy.
Comments