Trattoria Da Romano
Via San Martino Destra 221
Burano Island, Venice, Italy
Where to start when talking about Trattoria Da Romano! It’s been famous for ages, and more so after a visit from Anthony Bourdain. People perhaps think he put it on the map. It was already there having a long list of celebrities who have visited over the years from Stallone, De Niro and Kubrick through to artists like Matisse to Hepburn, Chaplin and Mel Brooks and athletes like McEnroe and even to Hemingway. They have a long list on their site.
Trattoria Da Romano sits on the beautiful island of Burano off Venice in Italy. The island itself is beautiful. We’ll be doing a write up when we can which will be accessible (here) when completed. You get here by vaporetto, which is basically a ferry. It’s easy and a nice trip. The restaurant has been around and in the same family for ages. The early generations used to let poor artists sleep there overnight to stay out of the cold and help them. In return they were given paintings - and lots of them over the years. Some artists actually became quite famous so the restaurant is something of an art gallery in many ways. the walls are packed with pictures.
Like most Italian restaurants, the bread is the first thing to arrive. Here it was a basket with a mixture of different breads and bread sticks. It was a nice nibble while we waited for the main treat!
People these days often come here after hearing about the place through Anthony Bourdain. He visited and said: “there’s one dish crossing the lagoon for, if not half the world…”. He was referring to the Go Risotto. Go fish are really bottom dwellers. You don’t eat them but they have great flavour, if used correctly. The idea is to make a broth from the fish without squeezing them as this releases a black smelly substance. However, if you avoid this, you get a beautiful fish flavoured stock to then use to make their famous Go Fish Risotto or Risotto di Go. You have to order a serving for two, but its a decent sized serving. It arrived on a trolley and is served onto your plates at the table. How good is it? Very very good. Some are surprised that the risotto is, well, just rice. Thats the idea here. the fish is simply used to flavour the stock so the end product, the risotto, is simply rice with great flavour. Don’t be put off though, its wonderful.
They actually serve a lot more than just the Go Risotto here though. It’s quite an extensive menu with plenty of variety. That said, a lot of people come here for just the risotto, like we did.
Burano itself is one of the prettiest places to visit. We really enjoyed a wander around the place. The bright colours used everywhere make it stand out.
Trattoria Da Romano has been serving quality food to people for a very long time. Even though they’re moswtly now known for their Go Risotto, they were famous well before this and have been popular among the rich and famous for ages.