Located in the beautiful and sunny Via Garibaldi near the Giardini della Biennale in the Castello district, La Barrique reveals in the name, the small wooden barrel used to refine important wines, its promise of good drinking and conviviality.

Opened in 2020 by the owner Francesco Salamon and some partners together with the tavern keeper Marco Simonetti, a great wine expert, it is one of the rare addresses in the Venice Lagoon that combines the absolute quality of the raw material with an authentic and sophisticated environment at the same time.

We carefully select wines and flavors that can be remembered by our customers on the palate, sight, heart.

The furniture, a tribute to the Venetian traditional bacari (wine bars), was, in fact, personally supervised by Francesco, a lover of antiques and unique pieces, in collaboration with specialized artisans who made most of the furnishings starting from the concept of “barrel”. Thus, the external tables, the stools, even the large logoed emblem of the internal room, everything was created ad hoc starting from old barrels engraved with the logo of the place, while the spectacular bar counter and the external sign were obtained from two one-of-a-kind boards of cedarwood, another material used for the aging of wine and spirits.

La Barrique boasts many references to the world of wine, such as the refined external iron lanterns coming from ancient Venetian palaces that were restored by Francesco with the inclusion of glass chosen in the nuances of wine, or the vintage champagne pupitre (bottle holders) that have been transformed into shelves.

And it is precisely the many bottles displayed in the room that tell the true wonder of the place: an excellent selection of wines that starts from Supertuscan and important vintages to focus on the best small artisan wineries of Triveneto. Selected one by one by Marco who, paying homage to his Friulian origins, offers Valpolicella and Amarone, Soave and Lugana, Lagrein, Pinot Nero and Traminer, but also gems coming from his region such as Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Pinot Grigi Ramato, Pignolo and Refosco.

The host’s secrets? The best raw ham in Venice, which he cuts fresh starting from boneless and unpressed forms of San Daniele produced by small Friulian artisans, and treat each cicchetto (Venetian tapas) not as a simple appetizer that accompanies a glass of wine, but as a real own serving dish all-round protagonist.

Thus each cicchetto is artfully prepared, using, for example, the Apulian frisella to maintain crunchiness, and high quality ingredients that can be tried in the tasting dish of 10 cicchetti which includes a selection of the most loved ones such as those based on tartare di Fassona, goat cheese and chopped pistachios, soppressa ham and artichokes and Cuore di Bue tomatos from Cavallino, robiola cheese, Leccino olives and Sicilian oregano.

The traditional dishes on the menu are also excellent, such as the cod lasagnetta, the Piedmontese Fassona meat tartare or the creamed cod with polenta and, of course, the platters based on artisan cured meats and cheeses, including the delicious ones from the Latteria Turnaria of Fagagna in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

In the summer, a lunch in the sun or an aperitif at sunset in the suggestive outdoor area of the restaurant is one of the most beautiful typical experiences that can be had in Venice.

The Secret

Via Garibaldi is the only street in Venice (all the others are called calli) as it was built in 1807 following the burying of a rio (canal) to connect the canal of San Pietro with the Basin of San Marco.

Useful Info

La Barrique Wine Bar
Castello 1765
Via G. Garibaldi
30122 Venezia
Tel. +39 349 8596990

Cicchetti (tapas): from 2,50 euro each
Cicchetti tasting plate: 27 euro
Main dishes: 13,5 — 18 euro
Cold cuts plates: 16 — 30 euro