As I watched the latest episode of "Extraordinary Places to Eat" featuring Venice, I was reminded of one of the most delicious seafood lunches we had there in Burano. When visiting Venice one most often thinks of visiting the island of Murano, famed for its colorful Italian blown glass and Burano may not be top of mind.
Burano is a quaint and picturesque little island in the Venetian lagoon. With its vibrant hued houses and al fresco restaurants serving local seafood from the lagoon, Burano is certainly worth visiting. It has been said that the colorful houses were painted to help the fishermen find their way home when the fog rolled in on the lagoon.
Although there are many seafood restaurants to choose from in Burano, Trattoria Al Gatto Nero is certainly one of our favourites. Its beautiful canal-side terrace overlooking the lagoon provides a wonderful backdrop to enjoy plates upon plates of delicious seafood.
Al Gatto Nero opened in 1965 and continues to be run by its founders Ruggero, Lucia and their son Massimiliano Bovo. There is a sense of timelessness at Al Gatto Nero, perhaps enhanced by its rustic decor and its paired back seafood menu. Its charming and peaceful surroundings is a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of St. Mark's Square in the heart of Venice.
Al Gatto Nero offers a traditional Venetian menu with a good selection of savoury local seafood dishes. The fresh seafood is caught daily from the lagoon by the restaurant themselves - from lagoon to table. A specialty and must try is the Tagliolini with Spider Crab where its rich flavours are enhanced by a special herb mix specific to Burano.
The roasted sea bream is drizzled with olive oil and presented atop a bed of roasted zucchini, tomatoes and peppers, a nice dish for sharing.
Another local specialty is the Spaghetti Vongole veraci, which is made from small clams from the Venetian lagoon. The clams are cooked with garlic, white wine and Al Gatto Nero's fragrant olive oil. I could easily eat many many plates of this tasty dish along with a nice glass of Fruiliano.
For the grilled seafood, we selected langoustines, scallops, cuttlefish, sardines and razor clams (canelli) which are lightly brushed with butter and lemon and grilled to perfection.
The shellfish paired well with a 2018 Livio Felluga Fruliano, a local white wine from Colli Orientali del Friuli in the North. Livio Fellgua is considered one of the great wine producers in the region of Friuli. The 2018 Fruiliano is a nice blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Picolit (local sweet wine) with aromas of pear, apple, vanilla and floral notes.
All in all a wonderful al fresco seafood lunch on the Venetian lagoon with good service and tasty seafood dishes. One regret was that we did not get the chance to try their famous Venetian seafood risotto, though of course the perfect excuse to return again! A short trip on the vaporetto to the island of Burano is certainly not to be missed if you are planning a visit to Venice.
LOCATION
Al Gatto Nero
Via Giudecca, 88
Venice, 30142
Burano, Italy
Can be reached from Venice via Vaporetto 12 from Ft Nove - Burano
HOURS
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (lunch and dinner)
Wednesday and Sunday (lunch only)
RESERVATION
Advance reservations recommended by phone +39 041 730 120 or email info@gattonero.com
MOST RECENTLY VISITED
5 October 2019