In Venice there are some places of which we Venetians ignore the real name and only know the nickname, like Ponte dei Giocattoli (toy bridge, where there used to be a toy shop), Ponte delle Paste (pastry bridge), or Ponte delle Gomme (chewing gum bridge, don't need to explain what there was on this one...). Vito and I were crossing this very last one when we made this consideration and noticed a cozy wine bar at the foot of the bridge: Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar.
Adriatico Mar opened in June 2015 and I had already noticed it but, maybe because I don't come to this area often, I had never stopped by, so for me today was a lovely discovery. The wine bar is really really nice, with wooden beams, artichoke flowers on the window sill and a very interesting selection of books. My eyes immediately fell on the beautiful watercolours on the walls and I soon learned that they are by Luigi Divari, Venetian artist and expert of the lagoon.
We felt immediately at ease: jazz music was playing and Sira, the owner's wife, welcomed us with a lovely smile. No spritz here (no industrial products are used), but natural wines and organic soft drinks. Sira also prepares a home cocktail that changes according to the season and today this was a melon, mint and honey sorbet with a little bit of vodka that tasted amazing. After that I drank an organic apple juice and Vito had a glass of natural Malvasia (Antonio Aldini e Valentina Silva).
The prices are very fair and this is because they don't use a distribution system, instead they have selected the producers they want to keep, go get the products themselves and supply the wine to other natural wine bars and restaurants in Venice. This means they know the producers and this is true also with regard to the food, for example, one of their suppliers is Donna Gnora, a farm in Noale.
The window looked very inviting, there were the traditional boiled eggs served with pickled onions and anchovy and a couple of small sandwiches with interesting combinations, then lots of ingredients like cured meats, fresh cheese and vegetables. Everything, in fact, is prepared at the moment. I like it already!
We sat down and had another drink, just relaxing. Adriatico Mar has a small terrace on a canal, but with this heat it was better to stay inside. Considering that the salads are made at the moment, you can really choose the combination you want. I had a couscous salad with cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, olives, mint and edible flowers which tasted delicious, fresh and light, exactly what I wanted.
Vito had a Greek salad with cucumbers, black olives, tomatoes, feta cheese and red onion...so good! Especially the cheese, which had a perfect saltiness and left a fresh aftertaste. We were really pleased and I am definitely adding Adriatico Mar to the list of my to-go places. Sira is very passionate about her job and loves to use herbs and flowers and the things she prepares are really beautiful.
As already mentioned, the prices are very fair, to give you an idea, for 2 glasses of wine, an apple juice, a bottle of water and the 2 salads we spent 28 euros in total, less than 15 per person, which for me is excellent value for money. Then, to end our meal, we were offered coffee and biscuits. How nice!
I am very happy to have tried Adriatico Mar because it's exactly the type of place I like, where I can have something that is healthy, tasty and inviting to the eye, accompanied by good wine and even better company. The music, the soft light that enters from the window, the choice of not keeping industrial products and the general atmosphere of this wine bar make it the perfect place for people that are curious about learning more about natural wines and that love good, simple and seasonal food.
Located only a few minutes from Campo Santa Margherita, Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar is the ideal place for foodies and wine lovers. I highly recommend it and am sure you will love it too.
Address: Dorsoduro 3771, Calle Crosera, 30125 Venezia VE Phone: 041 476 4322
10 am- 10 pm / closed Sunday all day and Monday morning