Cicchetti: How Venice's Small-Plate Bar Culture Works
What cicchetti are, how bacaro culture works, and what small plates to look for on your first Venice bar crawl.
Cicchetti: Venice's Answer to Tapas
Cicchetti are small plates — a slice of bread topped with seafood, a few olives, a piece of cheese, a skewer of marinated vegetables — traditionally eaten standing up at a bacaro, Venice's version of a neighborhood wine bar. The format is built around grazing through several small bites paired with a glass of wine, moving between bacari over the course of an evening rather than settling into one sit-down meal.
How Cicchetti Culture Works
A proper cicchetti evening (sometimes called a giro d'ombra, or "tour of shade," referencing the wine) involves visiting two or three bacari, having a couple of small plates and a glass of wine at each, then moving on — closer to a pub crawl than a restaurant meal. Most bacari have their cicchetti displayed on the counter, so you can point to what looks good rather than ordering from a menu.
Common Cicchetti to Try
| Cicchetti | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Baccalà mantecato | Whipped salt cod, usually served on bread |
| Polpette | Small fried meatballs |
| Sarde in saor | Sweet-and-sour marinated sardines, often served as a cicchetto too |
| Crostini | Bread topped with various spreads or toppings |
Ask for un'ombra (a small glass of wine) alongside your cicchetti — it's the traditional pairing and typically inexpensive, usually just a euro or two.
