Street food and taverns in the historic center: here are our suggestions for admiring the city of the Saint on a beautiful spring day. Let’s take a walk through the narrow streets of the center, eating something delicious bought from a street food spot. Or let’s take a break in a historic tavern to taste the typical dishes of our cuisine.
Where does our walk begin?
We can start from the beating heart of the city: Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta, and Piazza dei Signori. Let’s walk among the stalls that add perfumes, smells, and folklore to the environment. In the good season, when the sun peeks out, the squares fill up with tables, crowded with people. You can enjoy breakfasts and lunches outdoors, but above all the traditional aperitif based on spritz and appetizers. Let’s savor it in one of the three splendid squares, watching the people who populate the market and getting lost in the colors of the city!
If it’s lunchtime and we decide to stay outdoors for a quick snack at one of the many street food places, there is plenty of choice. We have already recommended “La Folperia”, “La Zita”, and “Pastasuta sotto il Salone” in a previous article; now we suggest a few others:
Street food and taverns in the historic center: Piazza delle Erbe
Greek food in Padua?
In Padua you can find the greek “Pita Gyros at Andrea’s”, under the arcade of Palazzo della Ragione. To taste excellent Greek food, with options also for vegetarians.
Street food and taverns in the historic center: Piazza dei Signori
Do you like ethnic food…?
Then try the Mexican food at “Mexicani Taqueria“, for unbeatable tacos, or the original Spanish tapas at “Frida Tapas Bar“, or the Thai food at “Itsathai“, sitting in front of the Clock Tower.
… or more traditional food?
Then there’s the classic and always excellent pizza by the slice at “Pizza al Cubo“, or, in the nearby Via Dante, the delicious panzerotti at “Prette Bakery“, in various flavors and all well-filled.
Would you rather take a break in one of the small restaurants in the center?
Then let’s get ready to discover Paduan cuisine with its typical dishes. Paduan cuisine is a simple but flavorful peasant one, with strong Venetian influences. On our menu you might find: “risi e bisi” (rice and peas), “toresani” (spit-roasted pigeons, named for their habit of inhabiting ancient towers), and “musso” (donkey). A very common food, which accompanies many dishes, is polenta. Typical are “polenta fasolà” – white flour polenta with bean soup – and the more renowned “polenta e osei” (polenta with small roasted birds).
Besides the Paduan hen, whose eggs made zabaglione and Vov popular, there are guinea fowl and boiled meat (“lesso” and “bollito”). But there is also a lot of fish in Paduan cuisine: from baccalà (salt cod), cooked in many ways, to “bovoléti” (small grey snails), “folpéti” (baby octopus), and “mazenéte” (soft-shell crabs). And as for desserts, we will find “golosessi” (sweet fried dough), to be enjoyed dipped in Malvasia wine or zabaglione, “pinza” (a sweet flatbread), “fugassa” (sweet leavened flatbread), and a typical country dessert based on molasses, called “smejassa.”
But where can you taste all these delicacies?
Near the squares, let’s discover some particularly historic and remarkable trattorias and taverns.
Osteria L’Anfora
The typical old-style tavern that is absolutely worth discovering is L’Anfora. Located in the heart of the Jewish Ghetto, at Via Soncin 13, this osteria serves typical Venetian dishes like baccalà, homemade pastas, tripe, and Venetian liver.
The lively atmosphere and cheerful character make it a very popular spot, so reservations are a must. If you can’t find a table, we still recommend stopping by just for a glass of wine and soaking up the joyful and convivial atmosphere of the place.
Osteria Nane della Giulia
The second place we recommend is Osteria Nane della Giulia, at Via Santa Sofia 1.
This ancient tavern, established in 1870, has preserved its original late-19th-century tables and unique vaulted ceiling structure.
In the 1960s, it was taken over by “Nane,” whose real name was Giovanni, possibly the husband of a certain Giulia, from whom it took its name.
This osteria offers popular dishes, like “pasta e fasioi” (pasta and beans) and other typical Venetian dishes, along with original recipes using seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients.
Bacaro Padovano
The third tavern we recommend is Il Bacaro Padovano, in Via Barbarigo, a short walk from the Duomo. Here you can taste typical dishes, such as:
- Free-range chicken in saòr (a Venetian preparation with stewed onions, raisins, and pine nuts)
- Baccalà alla vicentina or mantecato
- Pasta e fagioli
- Folpetti alla veneta (Venetian-style octopus) with polenta.
Osteria Dal Capo
Finally, there’s the ancient Osteria Dal Capo, also close to the Duomo and the old Jewish Ghetto.
This small bistro-style place, with its elbow-to-elbow seating, remains a guarantee of good Venetian food.
The specialities are:
- Hen in dolcegarbo, served warm as an appetizer
- Bigoli in anchovy sauce
- Soup inside bread, which changes each season (from asparagus to fish).
What else can we say? Enjoy your meal and… don’t forget to accompany your meal with a good glass of wine from the Euganean Hills!