When is the best time to visit Where to eat in Padova?

The recommended time is March, April, May, June, September, October and November, when it is less crowded.

Is Where to eat in Padova crowded?

Where to eat in Padova is a not very crowded destination compared with the more touristy ones.

Where is Where to eat in Padova?

Where to eat in Padova is located in Padua, Veneto, Italy.

Where to eat in Padova: bigoli, spritz and osterias under the Salone

Padova: the city of spritz, porticos and great food

Padova is one of Italy's great university cities where you eat extraordinarily well for little money. The medieval porticos (Italy's second most extensive after Bologna) hide osterias, bacari and trattorias that have served students and professors since the 14th century. The spritz was born here (in its Aperol version) and the aperitivo is a ritual involving entire squares every evening.

Must-try local dishes

Bigoli al torchio with duck ragu (or "in salsa", with onions and anchovies) are Padova's quintessential first course: long, thick, rough pasta that holds the sauce. Baccala alla vicentina (actually stockfish cooked in milk with onions) is very common in Padova too, served with white polenta.

Other essential dishes: mixed boiled meats with peara (breadcrumb, broth and marrow sauce — a Verona-Padova exclusive), risi e bisi (risotto with fresh peas, a spring dish), liver alla veneziana, sardines in saor and musetto with lentils.

For desserts, pazientina (puff pastry cake with cream and zabaglione) and zaleti (yellow flour biscuits with raisins).

Best areas for eating

Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta

The two market squares, separated by the Palazzo della Ragione (the Salone), are Padova's gastronomic beating heart. Under the Salone porticos you'll find historic food shops, delicatessens, cheeses and the traditional "under the Salone" with its stalls. Around the squares, osterias and bacari where the 6pm spritz is a social obligation.

Via Roma and Ghetto

The former Jewish quarter and streets around via Roma (via San Martino e Solferino, via dei Fabbri) host traditional bacari with cicchetti and ombra, historic trattorias and wine bars. Very lively in the evening, perfect for a bacari crawl hopping from one to another.

Portello quarter and university area

The student quarter around the Bo (the historic university) and towards Portello is territory of cheap aperitivi, slice pizzerias and trattorias with student menus. Unbeatable prices and youthful atmosphere.

Recommended trattorias and osterias

Osterias under the Salone (Palazzo della Ragione) have operated for centuries and serve Veneto tradition dishes at surprisingly honest prices: bigoli, baccala, bollito. 20-30 euros for a complete meal.
Ghetto bacari offer cicchetti (1-2 euros each) and ombra de vin (1.50 euros): meatballs, baccala mantecato on crostini, sardines in saor, folpetti (baby octopus).
Trattorias on via Umberto I and Prato della Valle offer more elaborate menus with fish and meat dishes, in elegant frescoed settings. 30-45 euros.

Street food and markets

The Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta market (every morning except Sunday) has been alive for eight hundred years: stalls of fruit, vegetables, flowers. Under the Salone, the covered food market sells Veneto cheeses (Asiago, Monte Veronese), soppressa, salami, fresh pasta and bread.

For street food, the bacari crawl is the Padova format: walk from one bar to another ordering a cicchetto and an ombra at each. Three-four stops and you've dined. Slice pizzerias around the university turn out generous slices at 2-3 euros. Via Roma artisan gelaterias are among the Veneto's best.

Budget tips

A bacari crawl (4-5 stops with cicchetto + ombra) costs 12-15 euros total and is an unmissable experience.
Student menus at Bo-area trattorias cost 8-12 euros (first + water + coffee).
Aperol spritz costs 3-4 euros at historic bacari (versus 7-8 in Milan or Rome).
The Saturday market in Prato della Valle offers local farm produce at direct prices.
Centre wine bars serve glasses of Soave and Valpolicella at 3-4 euros with nibbles included.

Unique food experiences

Do the bacari crawl on Friday evening starting from piazza delle Erbe: the city comes alive and hundreds of students and locals fill the osterias in a collective spritz and cicchetti ritual. Visit the market under the Salone to buy Veneto alpine cheeses directly from producers. In autumn, look for red Chioggia radicchio and Castelfranco variegated radicchio on seasonal menus: IGP products found here ultra-fresh. Join a visit to the Euganean Hills (20 minutes from Padova) for a Moscato dei Colli Euganei tasting with agriturismo lunch.