Osteria da Carla

Osteria da Carla is a small workers' canteen-style trattoria on Corte Contarina in the San Marco district of Venice, in the Veneto region of Italy, hidden a few streets from Piazza San Marco. It is described as a hidden address for daytime meals, with lunches available from around seven euros, an unusually low price for a location so close to the city's most expensive dining area. The menu is short, traditional and inexpensive, built around home-style Venetian dishes. Signature dishes include pasta e fagioli, the thick pasta and bean soup common across the Veneto, polenta con baccala, in which the cornmeal is served with the whipped or stewed salt cod that is a Venetian staple, and a daily soup. Other daily dishes follow the season and what is available. The room is plain and functional, with simple tables, a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere and a moderate noise level as locals, office workers and informed visitors fill the seats at midday. There is no dress code. Drinks are modest, with house wine and soft drinks available at low prices. Because it functions as a daytime canteen, the osteria is open Monday to Saturday from half past eight in the morning until seven in the evening, rather than as an evening restaurant. Reservations are not required, and the service is quick, making it a good stop for a fast, inexpensive meal between sights. It is best visited outside the peak lunch window, roughly noon to one-thirty, when workers from nearby offices fill the room. Visitors seeking a traditional, budget-friendly Venetian lunch close to the central sights will find it a useful alternative to the tourist restaurants around the Piazza, though those wanting a leisurely dinner with a long menu will need to look elsewhere.