Ristorante Quadri

Ristorante Quadri is on Piazza San Marco in Venice, in Italy's Veneto region, in the arcades opposite the basilica. It is a Michelin-starred restaurant with a history that reaches back to 1638, and it occupies a historic dining room upstairs from the ground-floor café of the same name, with frescoed ceilings and windows onto the square. The kitchen, run under the Alajmo family, serves contemporary tasting menus built on Venetian ingredients rather than the traditional trattoria repertoire. Signature dishes include ravioli with lobster, grilled turbot and a tasting menu priced at €185 (about $202). The lobster ravioli and the tasting menu are the items most associated with the house. The atmosphere is formal and theatrical, with the frescoes and the view of the piazza forming as much a part of the experience as the food, and the noise level is low, as befits a fine-dining room. Dress is smart, and visitors typically wear jackets or equivalent formal-casual clothing in the evening. The restaurant opens Tuesday to Sunday for lunch (12PM-2:30PM) and dinner (7PM-10PM) and is closed on Monday. Reservations are essential on +39 041 522 2105. It holds a Michelin star and the piazza-view tables are limited, so booking well ahead is advised, particularly for evenings, weekends and the high season, and requesting a window table at the time of booking improves the chances of a piazza view. Prices are at the top of the scale ($$$$), and the tasting menu is the main format. Lunch is often a more measured way to see the room, with the light on the square and a less formal mood. The restaurant suits special occasions and visitors who want a historic setting on Venice's most famous square.