El Chioschetto Bar / Café

Dorsoduro, Venice –

Located on the Zattere – one of Venice’s few straight and wide waterfront walks – El Chioschetto has all the essential ingredients for a refreshing pit-stop at any time of day and for most of the year.

This simple green kiosk doesn’t look like much, but its tables and umbrellas set up on the water’s edge offer a terrific view of the Giudecca canal, while the cheap drinks and sandwiches and excellent service attract a diverse and loyal clientele.

This wonderful little eatery combines the sunniest place in Venice with fresh food and cool cocktails, making it the place to go for the local Ca’ Foscari University students who flock to the kiosk for a lunch break and some low-key conversation – and if the tables are full, patrons merely mingle on foot or take their spritzes and sit along the embankment.

The atmosphere really heats up from May to September, when the bar hosts live music two nights a week and offers the occasional evening Boat Party cruises that leave from the adjacent dock. However, patrons keen for a relaxed night out need not wait for special events, since El Chioschetto attracts a chatty crowd just about any night of the week.