Osteria Contemporanea, a yummy escapade from Venice

My experience at Osteria Contemporanea.

The one at Osteria Contemporanea is an experience in a different Venice. A place where you can enjoy things at a slow pace, out of the chaos of the most touristy routes of the most beautiful city in the world. But yet, a place where you still feel the atmosphere of La Serenissima.

All this is Venissa, a unique place that aims to rediscover the native Venice. Alongside a Michelin starred restaurant and five rooms where to stay for the night, there is a more informal restaurant, the Osteria Contemporanea, where I was invited to had dinner during my Burano escapade. While Venissa offers a avantgarde kind of cuisine, at Osteria Contemporanea you can find traditional local dishes reinterpreted in a modern way by the chef.

The cuisine at Osteria Contemporanea

Here it is possible to taste dishes created based on the catch of the day accompanied by vegetables and herbs grown in the vegetable gardens of the estate. The wine list (over 200 labels) is a tribute to the best wines of the region.

I was offered a traditional menu, starting with sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines), gnocchetti alla pescatora (little gnocchi with fish and seafood sauce), bass with veggies from the vegetable garden of the island and tiramisù, which is a dessert of the Veneto region. Learn more about this dessert at Tiramisù recipe.

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Everything was tasty and balanced, but the sarde were amazing. I love sarde in saor. It’s a simple, poor dish of my region’s tradition. The version here tasted, fried sardines with red onion and raspberry reduction, was scrumptious. The dishes on the menu are only a few, which is always a quality assurance. Few dishes means fresh, seasonal products. So, whenever I find a limited list of choices I’m happy, cause I’m sure the meal will be remarkable. Each dish was accompanied by a different wine, suggested by the chef himself, and by an explanation of the dish composition.

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I’d like to thank the staff. All young waiters, very kind and helpful but “not too much”, if you know what I mean. 😉

The setting

The decor is nice, cold tones of gray and a touch of wood. On the walls, black and white photos of local artisans (ladies embroidering, fishermen at work, bread making). Only four tables inside.

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On the front part, a few tables for those who want to have an aperitivo with the view of the canal.

On the rear part, other 8 tables (or so), where you can eat al fresco under a porch, in front of Venissa Michelin starred restaurant, surrounded by luxuriant lavender bushes and the small vineyard, where the owners grow the famous Dorona grape, the native vine of the Venice islands. You can read the fascinating story of the vineyard on my previous article dedicated to Venissa restaurant.

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In conclusion, I would surely recommend Osteria Contemporanea and I’d love to go back another time with my hubby.

Osteria Contemporanea

F.ta S. Caterina, 3 – Mazzorbo 30142 Venezia – Italy www.venissa.it/osteria – +39 041 52 72 281 – info@Venissa.It Transfer service via watertaxi (upon booking) from Ca’ Noghera or Venice Zattere (€80). Vaporetto n. 12 stop at a stone’s throw from the entrance. Burano island 5 minutes away by foot.