Zanze XVI

We walked in for dinner with no expectations during our honeymoon. I did no research besides looking what was around our hotel. My wife and I had the greatest meal of our life and it was perhaps our favorite night on our honeymoon. We both did the taste of Venice experience. Each course was amazing and the wine pairings were incredible. The staff was welcoming and professional. The only knock I have was how expensive it was. It was also the most expensive meal of my life. All things considered I would make the decision a million times over to come here. A fantastic spot.

An absolutely amazing dining experience. The food was creatively presented, and absolutely delicious. The 5 course tasting menu was a very good amount of food, leaving us quite full in the end. The wine pairings were also perfectly selected for each course. The staff were incredibly friendly and made the experience that much better. Definitely worth the hype and would recommend making a reservation (though we saw a few walk-ins while we were there).

Zanze XVI is just a short walk from Piazzale Roma, the main entry point into the city if arriving by bus or car. It is located right at a small canal. It is considered one of the oldest restaurants in Venice, of course run by many different owners. The current owner kept the historic look and feel widely untouched, and the atmosphere as casual and relaxed as a traditional restaurant would be. Service is highly professional, and the food very inventive although based on local tradition and focused on locally sourced products. The tasting menu contained very flavorful dishes centered around vegetables and fish. The pace was just about right, as were portion sizes. While there was no wine pairing available, the very knowledgeable sommelier presented a list of wines by the glass so that you could create your own pairing based on your personal preferences. Many wines were from the region, but also from other parts of Italy or even other wine-making countries. Overall a great dining experience - flavor-forward food, yet light and elegant, and a very good selection of wines.

It was our first Michelin Star/Fine Dining experience and boy it was really something out of this world! I mean it’s not easy to remember all the unusual food with very distinguished ingredients but simply everything we tried was spectacular! The “wine flight” is a spot on choice as well, because every wine is pre-matched with the food served and you can easily understand why. The staff was very very respectful, involved, helpful, kind and welcoming too. So we had an amazing night altogether!

Update: even though it's stated on their website, Zanze XVI doesn't have a Michelin star anymore. We've been to Zanze last Saturday. Here's what we have to share. Welcome experience: The staff was very friendly, the restaurant has a cool bistro style and we got the table right at the window with a very nice view. We got informed that there is no sparkling water as the machine that makes it didn't work. Solution: go to the next supermarket or even to the train station across the canal and buy some sparkling water. As water was served in a carafe I would't even have recognised it. One Michelin star but no sparkling water. Our waiter recommended the chef signature menu which we both chose. I asked for pairing wines also (just for one). Starters: the amuse gueule were very nice, all starters were very good. The home made grissini were a good idea and were perfectly crafted. There were two breads served, it would make them better to put them in the oven for a minute and serve them slightly warm. The focaccia was a bit chewy. Main dishes: all main dishes were very good, two of them extremely well prepared. Compliments to the chef. Dessert: there were two dessert courses, none of them convinced is. Patisserie does not seem to be the chef's strength that night. In both dished I had the feeling that there was too much aga aga (or whatever gellant) being used. Pairing wines: the pairing wines itself were excellent and matched the dishes. I wish more explanation about why they chose the wines instead of reading the labels and telling me about the grape. I assume none of the waiters was a sommelier. Also one time the pairing wine was forgotten and I explicitly had to ask for it. Summary: Zanze XVI offers fine dining on a good level but at that particular night we do not see where the Michelin star should come from. There is the "extra mile" missing. Without a Michelin star and lower prices I would probably give a 4-star rating. We paid 330 EUR (without tip) for two menus, pairing wines (only for 1 person) and three glasses cremant. About us: we love to travel around the world and experience the culinary specialties of the countries we visit. We dined in >20 Michelin starred restaurants and I think we can form an option about fine dining. Visiting a restaurant with a star raises high expectations. Sometimes they are matched, sometimes not.

Incredible! We had a wonderful evening at Zanze, the food was incredible from start to finish. Wonderful flavour combinations, delicious wines and the service was out of this world, fun welcoming staff and very knowledgeable. My highlight was a ravioli with one of the most delicious vegetable broths I’ve ever encountered. Stunning!

Unfortunately this restaurant just didn't wow me. With Michelin stars definitely comes high expectations and I feel like Zanze XVI was missing that something special. Environment is top notch if you get a seat outside. It's a beautiful setting next to the water and calm, less people are walking around compared to other areas of Venice. By the time you are done eating if there for dinner, there are even less people and it's wonderful to go for a stroll after. Service was okay, staff was friendly and informative regarding each dish and asking what we thought after each course. However I didn't feel the service was high as it could be for a Michelin restaurant, and I have been to a few. We did the 7 course tasting menu and the pace was good in the beginning but slowed down a lot by courses 4 and 5. I appreciate meals that aren't rushed and having some pause between each but by this time we ended up waiting 20-30 minutes each for courses 4 and again for 5. At this point the fullness starts to set in and so does the "food coma" so I started to get tired. Overall for the 7 courses it took 3 hrs to get through. Price: Again, we got the 7 course tasting menu. 120 euros per person and we did wine by the glass (about 10 euros per). Interestingly water and coffee are not included in the price but if you do get the voucher online it does. So it was total 4 euros for water and 8 euros for espresso for 2 people. There is also a 5 euro per person cover charge. I understand water and espresso are not commonly included in Europe or even the US for espresso but again, for the price, you would think it would be. I am also used to coffee being offered as part of an inclusion with the end of dessert/the meal. Now for food. Unfortunately did not get a photo of the menu so I don't remember the descriptions of the food but part of the fun for me is not knowing ahead of time what's on the tasting menu! They give you a welcome course before the official meal. Usually this is what sets the tone and unfortunately it was an okay starter which could have used more flavor. The first 3 official courses fortunately improved and I enjoyed those. Particularly enjoyed the soup that had some assorted seafood and garbanzo beans. And the risotto which had a pesto sauce were delicious and lifted our hopes up. The next course was a flat spaghetti noodle dish with truffle and I enjoyed it but did not feel like it was unique. We also waited perhaps 20 minutes for this one. And then another 30 minutes for the next one which is the meat--you get a choice of fish or beef. I chose fish. This one was okay, needed more flavor. I had a taste of the beef my husband got and was again surprised by the lack of flavor. The last 2 courses were dessert. The first one was not good for me, the vodka taste was too strong to where I couldn't finish it. The last one was their take on tiramisu and this was enjoyable. They then finish the meal off with some bite sized dessert and a gold flaked bite that tasted like hazelnut. These were good and I wish those had been bigger. Overall, no bad courses other than the dessert with vodka. Just not enough "wow" moments or moments where I closed my eyes to savor how good something was. I am by no means an expert on the subject but we have been to a few Michelin starred restaurants around the world, as well as those with bib gourmands, on the Michelin guides, and enjoy trying all types of food on our travels in all price ranges. We love tasting menus. Again, with the Michelin star comes high expectations and unfortunately this did not blow me away like others have. We also have found Venice to be difficult to find good food in and hoped this restaurant would turn our experience around but it did not.

Expectations were very high… and the experience was even better! What an amazing selection of dishes: creative, tasty, perfectly executed, with great fit of ingredients and wines. Definitely recommend the tasting menu and location - just in front of the canal, creating a very nice environment. We went in a lunch with friends and was difficult to select our favorite dish as all were a great surprise. Congratulations to all the staff, that are highly skilled.