Veneto Food Guide: Traditional Dishes and Regional Cuisine

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Baccalà alla vicentina and bigoli with duck ragù are among the dishes to look for in the Veneto. Rice and polenta are staples, and the region is also known for its cheeses, cured meats, tiramisù, and pandoro.

Every year, travelers flock to the Veneto to visit the region’s world-famous capital, Venice. Yet, travelers would be remiss not to venture beyond the renowned city to experience Veneto’s spectacular landscapes and diverse cuisine.

In northeastern Italy, Veneto stretches from the Adriatic Sea in the east to the Dolomite Mountains in the north, with the fertile Po River valley in between. While you’ll find more seafood-based dishes closer to the Adriatic, the inland areas are known for rich ragùs, hearty stews, bollito misto, and even horsemeat specialties. The seven provinces of the Veneto each offer unique recipes, though culinary traditions run through the region.

What to Eat in Veneto: Where to Try the Local Specialties

Destination	Foods to look for	When or where
Vicenza & Bassano del Grappa	Baccalà alla vicentina, slow-cooked stockfish served with polenta, and bigoli with duck ragù	Traditional trattorias for lunch or dinner; try the baccalà with creamy polenta.
Verona & Lake Garda	Risotto all’Amarone, tortellini di Valeggio, and luccio alla gardesana	Risotto in Verona, delicate stuffed pasta around Valeggio sul Mincio, and pike dishes near Lake Garda.
Treviso	Risotto with Radicchio Rosso di Treviso and tiramisù	Radicchio dishes are particularly appealing in autumn and winter; finish your meal with tiramisù.
Belluno & the Dolomites	Casunziei stuffed pasta, fresh schiz cheese, and pasta e fasoi	Mountain trattorias for hearty lunches; try casunziei with butter and poppy seeds.
Rovigo & the Po Delta	Risotto polesano and Cozza di Scardovari mussels	Seafood restaurants around the Po Delta; look for risotto made with local rice and seafood.

Cheeses of the Veneto

Asiago

One of Italy’s most famous cheeses, Asiago originated on Vicenza’s Asiago Plateau. Today, the Asiago PDO encompasses fresh and aged cheese styles. Fresh Asiago has a delicate flavor with yogurt and butter aromas. The aged style is matured for four months or more. This Asiago has a straw yellow color and a more savory flavor, with Mezzano, Vecchio, and Stravecchio indicating progressively longer aging.

Piave and Schiz

Piave is the typical cheese of Belluno, named for the river which runs through the region. It has a sweet, milky flavor, which becomes more intense and riper as the cheese ages. The matured versions are often used to flavor risotto.

Beyond Piave, look for schiz in Belluno. It is a soft, fresh, creamy cheese often served with polenta and mushrooms. While in Belluno, keep an eye out for schiz impanato, a fried version of this specialty cheese.

Monte Veronese

While in Verona, try Monte Veronese DOP cheese, a regional specialty. This cow’s milk cheese comes in two principal styles: Latte Intero, made with whole milk, and d’Allevo, made with partially skimmed milk. The former is enjoyed young, while the latter develops a savory, slightly piquant flavor as it ages.

Casatella Trevigiana

Casatella Trevigiana is a cow’s milk cheese traditionally made in the home. It has a delicate, sweet flavor and creamy texture.

Cured Meats

Soprèssa Vicentina

Soprèssa Vicentina is one of Veneto’s distinctive cured meats. It’s a medium-coarse-grained cured sausage made from pork belly, throat fat, leg, shoulder, neck, and loin. Soprèssa Vicentina is known for its slightly sweet taste, flavored with salt, pepper, and spices; some versions also contain garlic.

Horsemeat is widely eaten in the province of Padua, where a long tradition of horse breeding exists. Sfilacci di Cavallo is a local delicacy of thin strips of dried horsemeat.

Wine pairing: Colli Berici Tai Rosso — This local red brings cherry and strawberry fruit with a touch of pepper. A young example would complement the soprèssa’s gently sweet pork flavor and pick up its seasoning without overwhelming it.

Antipasti

Our Venice food guide covers Venice’s cicchetti and baccalà mantecato. Elsewhere in the Veneto, asparagus with eggs and Scardovari mussels are worth seeking out.

Ovi e Sparasi

Ovi e sparasi, or asparagus with eggs, is a traditional way of preparing asparagus in the Veneto. The asparagus (from Bassano del Grappa) is boiled and served with a sauce made from boiled eggs, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Scardovari Mussels

While clams, mussels, oysters, and other types of seafood abound in the River Po Delta, the Cozza di Scardovari is especially worth seeking out. This mussel is cultivated in the Sacca di Scardovari, in the province of Rovigo, and is known for its delicate flavor.

You’ll find fresh mussels in various preparations, such as au gratin or with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and parsley.

First Courses — Primi Piatti

Risotto is a staple in Veneto kitchens and is regularly served as a primo piatto. Vialone Nano rice from the Verona area features in several of the region’s best-known preparations, though pasta and substantial soups also deserve a place at the table.

Regional Risottos

Verona’s winemaking and culinary traditions come together in risotto Amarone. This simple dish highlights two of the region’s top products, Vialone Nano rice and Amarone red wine. Broth, olive oil, butter, onions, salt, and pepper also make risotto all’Amarone, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano before serving.

Risotto alla trevigiana is made from the local radicchio rosso di Treviso, rice, onions, stock, olive oil, and wine. Some versions use sparkling wine. Finish risotto alla trevigiana with Parmigiano Reggiano and butter before serving.

When in Rovigo, try risotto polesano. This dish features Riso del Delta del Po and the plentiful seafood offered by the River Po Delta or the Adriatic. Recipes vary, with mussels, eel, or seabass adding flavor to the rice.

Bigoli con l’Anatra

Bigoli is a regional pasta worth a try. It’s a long, thick pasta with a rough surface, made with wheat flour and, in some versions, eggs. The Venetian in salsa version is covered in our Venice food guide.

In Vicenza, you’ll find bigoli con l’anatra, known locally as bigoi co’ l’arna. The pasta is dressed in a rich duck ragù made with onions, celery, carrots, white wine, bay leaves, and sage.

Casunziei

Casunziei are half-moon-shaped, ravioli-like pasta savored widely throughout Belluno. They’re often stuffed with beetroot, though potato-filled casunziei and many other variations exist. The pasta dough is very thin, and casunziei are frequently served with butter, poppy seeds, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Pasta e Fasoi

Pasta e fasoi is the Veneto’s take on pasta e fagioli, or pasta and beans. Different versions of pasta e fasoi are made throughout the region’s various provinces. It’s a hearty soup dish ideal for cold days or time spent in the mountains. Pasta e fasoi is often prepared with Lamon beans, a type of borlotti bean grown in the Lamon plains near Belluno.

Tortellini di Valeggio

When you’re craving pasta in Verona, try tortellini di Valeggio. These tortellini are made with thin sheets of egg pasta filled with a meat mixture that can include pork, chicken, veal, and beef. The tortellini are often served in broth or with butter and sage.

Tortellini di Valeggio come from Valeggio sul Mincio. A local legend links their shape to a soldier and a nymph in love. They left a knotted silk handkerchief on the banks of the Mincio River to symbolize their love; the tortellini echo its shape. This romantic association gives the pasta its other name, nodi d’amore, or “love knots.”

Wine pairing: Bardolino Classico — A light red with fresh cherry fruit and soft tannins, Bardolino suits the savory meat filling without overpowering the thin egg pasta. Its freshness is particularly welcome when the tortellini are served with butter and sage.

Main Courses — Secondi Piatti

Lesso e Pearà

Lesso e pearà or bollito e pearà is a dish typically prepared for festive occasions. It’s often made with boiled beef, though the type of meat can vary. The star of this dish is the thick, rich pearà sauce, made with bone marrow, olive oil or butter, broth, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, and black pepper. The sauce cooks for hours until fragrant and thick.

In Padua, gran bollito alla padovana offers another substantial mixed-meat meal, with cuts such as beef, tongue, cotechino, and poultry. You’ll find cren served in Vicenza alongside bollito misto, various meats, and stews. It’s a spicy sauce made from horseradish, dried bread, vinegar, and olive oil.

Pastissada de Caval

This horsemeat stew is a regional specialty in Verona. Today, pastissada de caval is prepared by cooking horsemeat with onions, carrots, cloves, and Valpolicella red wine. Bay leaves, cinnamon, and nutmeg usually flavor the stew, traditionally served with polenta.

Wine pairing: Valpolicella Ripasso — A full-flavored red with ripe fruit and enough structure for the slow-cooked meat and rich wine sauce.

Luccio alla Gardesana

For a freshwater fish dish in Verona, try luccio alla gardesana or luccio in salsa. The plate is especially popular around Lake Garda. Luccio in salsa sees pike fish first cooked in broth with onions, celery, carrots, and herbs. Then, it’s served with a sauce made from anchovies, capers, olive oil, garlic, and parsley.

Wine pairing: Lugana — This dry white has delicate almond notes and a fresh, citrus character. It would keep the pairing light enough for the pike while providing a refreshing contrast to the olive oil, anchovies, and capers in the sauce.

Vegetables and Polenta — Contorni

Radicchio

The fertile soils of the Po River Valley give Veneto an abundance of vegetables. Radicchio is especially adored, and there are many varieties to savor. In Treviso, you’ll find Radicchio Rosso di Treviso IGP, along with the tardivo and precoce varieties.

The Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco IGP resembles a leafy green rose with red specks. The leaves are delicately sweet with just the right amount of bitter flavor.

Asparagus

In addition to radicchio, the Veneto grows different types of asparagus. Asparago di Badoere is prominent in Padua, Treviso, and Venice, with white and green varieties.

Polenta

Once a peasant dish, polenta is another staple of Venetian cuisine. Today, you’ll find yellow and white versions of polenta in the Veneto, made mainly from cornmeal. You can serve it soft or let it set, then slice it for grilling or frying.

Desserts — Dolci

Tiramisù

One of Italy’s classic desserts, tiramisu, is made from savoiardi cookies soaked in espresso, layered with a cream made from whipped eggs and mascarpone, and dusted with cocoa powder. The name tiramisù means pick me up.

The origins of tiramisù are highly debated, with one version attributing this dessert to Treviso and another to Friuli Venezia Giulia. In Treviso, the sweet specialty is associated with Alba Campeol and pastry chef Roberto Linguanotto at the family-owned Le Beccherie restaurant, where it appeared on the menu in 1972.

Pandoro

Pandoro is a traditional Christmas bread savored throughout Italy that originated in Verona. The name comes from pan d’oro, or bread of gold, referring to the bread’s yellow color. The high number of eggs used in the dough contributes to its yellow color.

Beyond eggs, pandoro dough also includes yeast, sugar, flour, vanilla, milk, butter, and salt. It’s traditionally baked in a star-shaped, tall mold and served sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Wine pairing: Recioto di Soave — A sweet white with honeyed, ripe-fruit notes that complement pandoro’s buttery dough and powdered-sugar finish.

Torta Pazientina

For dessert in Padua, try the regional favorite torta pazientina. This cake is made from layers of almond pastry and soft sponge cake. Zabaglione cream is spread between the layers, and the cake is garnished with extravagant chocolate flakes. The name may refer to the patience required to make this elaborate dessert.

Pinsa Veneta

Pinsa Veneta is a rustic cake usually made around the Epiphany. It is prepared with either polenta or regular flour, raisins, apples, orange zest, sugar, yeast, butter, grappa, figs, and fennel seeds. Bake Pinsa Veneta until golden brown, and often serve it with a sweet dessert wine.

Where We Love to Eat in Veneto

These are some of the restaurants we enjoy sharing with guests on our private food and wine tours. Our recommendations are shaped by personal dining experiences, the places we choose for selected itineraries and feedback from our guests. Each has its own character, but together they reflect the diversity of Veneto’s cooking, its exceptional local ingredients and regional wines.

Antica Bottega del Vino

Verona · Historic wine bar and restaurant

Why we recommend it

Few places capture Verona's relationship with wine quite like Antica Bottega del Vino. Its historic dining rooms and extraordinary cellar are matched by Veronese dishes such as risotto all'Amarone and beef cheek braised in Amarone. A particularly rewarding stop for serious wine lovers.

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Ristorante Osteria Da Fiore

Venice · Traditional Venetian seafood

Why we recommend it

Hidden among the narrow streets of San Polo, Osteria da Fiore brings refinement to traditional Venetian cooking without losing sight of its origins. Look for bigoli in salsa, seafood from the lagoon and seasonal moeche, the soft-shell crabs prized by Venetians. The intimate canal-side table adds to its charm

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Osteria Contemporanea at Venissa

Mazzorbo · Venetian lagoon

Why we recommend it

A wonderfully different place to experience lagoon cooking. Set beside Venissa's historic Dorona vineyard, the osteria serves seasonal cicchetti, fresh seafood, pasta and risotto inspired by the surrounding islands. The relaxed setting makes it especially appealing after exploring Burano and Mazzorbo.

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Ristorante Da Gigetto

Miane · Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco hills

Why we recommend it

This longstanding family restaurant combines the cooking traditions of the Treviso countryside with one of the region's most remarkable wine cellars. Beneath the dining rooms, a labyrinth of vaulted spaces holds approximately 1,600 labels, making a visit particularly memorable for wine enthusiasts exploring the Prosecco hills.

Ristorante Quadri

Venice · Contemporary Venetian fine dining

Why we recommend it

Overlooking Piazza San Marco, Quadri is a special-occasion restaurant with an unmistakably Venetian character. In its Philippe Starck-restored dining rooms, chef Sergio Preziosa interprets the city's culinary traditions through lagoon seafood, seasonal shellfish and vegetables from Sant'Erasmo, supported by an extensive wine list.

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Explore Our Private Veneto Food & Wine Tour →