A True Venetian Meal At The Delightful Hostaria Osottoosopra

Two beautiful floors in a former Venetian house

Whilst based in an ancient city, the restaurant itself is rather new as it has only been around for about one year. Its exterior and interior, however, reflect a combination of its history and elements of modernity. Based within a former Venetian house, it has two floors which are connected by a winding wooden staircase. Its owner is a surprisingly young and highly enthusiastic entrepreneur that has established a memorable and special place which has quickly attracted a buzz from locals and tourists. Whatever hotel you’re staying at around this area, Hostaria Osottoosopra is the first restaurant that your concierge will recommend because of its authenticity and ability to deliver excellence.

From the moment that you enter, you will feel the relaxed, romantic and incredibly special atmosphere. What we really liked about this place is that from the second floor, there is a small section in the floor made from glass, so that you can peek and see what’s happening on the ground floor. It’s a nice modern touch which allows you to appreciate the bar area that is directly underneath it and the rest of the restaurant. If you can be seated upstairs, we would very much recommend it.

Run by a multilingual, energetic and hardworking team

Our interactions with the waiters felt very genuine and positive; they are all multilingual. Similarly to the owner, they are also quite young and full of energy. They are playful with their engagement with guests and really do want people to have a brilliant time at their restaurant. Their friendly nature makes the restaurant come alive; their positive vibes are infectious. They also show a lot of integrity and awareness about how to make the restaurant successful and show you how much they care when they discuss the drinks and food menu. The drinks menu includes alcoholic, non-alcoholic and soft drinks to choose from. As you can see, we picked something a bit fun and fancy during our trip; the gingerino. This drink is a non-alcoholic Italian specialty and consists of extracts of citrus fruits, spices, herbs and sugar. It is a popular aperitif in Venice and is sometimes served with sparkling or still water.

Awaken all your senses with the food at Hostaria Osottoosopra

The food menu is limited and not the typical restaurant in Venice with over fifty dishes. However, this is what actually makes it so successful as the quality and produce used in the few dishes available are truly worthy of your palate and make for an exceptional dining experience. The starter that is featured in the photograph above is a caprese di burrata, which is a tomato, burrata cheese and basil salad accompanied by olives (for 10 EUR/12 USD). Whilst this dish is not a hot cooked dish, a great deal goes into ensuring that it tastes good and trust us when we tell you, there are restaurants that can do the caprese di burrata badly—Hostaria Osottoosopra is not one of them. This restaurant uses the finest of ingredients and combines that with excellent presentation. It has a real understanding that for one to have an incredible dining experience, all of their senses need to be engaged and this caprese salad looked fabulous, smelt fresh and tasted phenomenal.

Traditional Italian food with a modern element

What we really love is how the food at Hostaria Osottoosopra reflects and embodies the interior of the restaurant: traditional with a twist, an element of modernity. Take, for example, the ricotta and spinach ravioli in a mascarpone sauce (for 14 EUR/16 USD). Ravioli is a well-known Italian dish but what Hostaria Osottoosopra does is put a twist on it by adding small droplets of a delightful fennel sauce to accompany it. This little twist had a big impact on the dish and gave it a wow-factor. It is one of the most memorable dishes of our time in Venice and we have to recommend that you try it as it is immensely good. The main dishes at this restaurant are simply full of exquisite tastes and each spoonful is flavoursome and satisfying. Don’t just take our word for it, go and try it. Still not convinced? Well, read on and find out about the desserts as we’re confident that we can show you that Hostaria Osottoosopra can please on every course.

Sweet Venetian delights that will blow you away

Italy’s much loved dessert, tiramisu (for 6 EUR/7 USD), is honored brilliantly at this restaurant. With tiramisu being invented near Venice, the Venetians know that they have to deliver on this, and Hostaria Osottoosopra do that perfectly! The tiramisu here is made from excellent ingredients and is balanced superbly. We are still dreaming about this dish and it’s been a good few weeks since we had it, so be prepared to be blown away if you order it. Another dessert, the passion fruit mousse (for 6 EUR/7 USD), is also noteworthy. The fresh passionfruit comes through very clearly and its citrusy flavor is balanced well with the creamy sweetness of the mousse. The only regret that you will have about ordering dessert here is that you can’t choose every dessert item on the menu; each in its own right is a delicious delight.