10 Best Food Souvenirs From Venice, Italy + Where I Buy Them

Last updated on August 8th, 2024

We all know what the typical souvenirs are to bring back from Venice: Carnival masks, Furlane slippers and Murano glass… but are you looking for something that speaks to the local food culture of Venice? Maybe you are in search of a consumable food souvenir or gift that won’t be sitting on your living room shelf for years.

In this article, I will share my top food souvenirs to bring back from Venice, including where to buy each one.

If you don’t think you have space or interest in food souvenirs, I urge you just to walk by some of my favorite stores listed below and just check them out. They are beautifully stocked with a unique and well-curated selections of local Venetian foods and products.

Whether you are shopping for yourself, a child, your mother-in-law, or brother, I promise there is something on my list of top food souvenirs from Venice!

Check out all of my gift and souvenir guides
Food Souvenirs from Supermarkets in Italy
Italian Food Gifts to Bring Back From Italy
Handpicked Gifts for Italian Food Lovers
Handpicked Italian Cooking Gifts
Italian Cookbooks to Gift
Food Souvenirs from Italy
Food Souvenirs & Gifts from Tuscany
Food Souvenirs & Gifts from Florence
Where to Buy Specialty Food Items in Florence
Food Souvenirs from Venice
Food Souvenirs from the Cinque Terre
Best Italian Olive Oils to Bring Home

Best Stores To Buy Food Souvenirs In Venice

Cibo Venezia

Corner shop entrance to Cibo and its food souvenirs like jarred food, prosciutto, cheeses, and more inside.

Calle dei Fabbri, 4666, 30100 Venezia VE, Italy

Cibo Venezia is best for cheeses and cured meats but has a wide selection of other pre-packaged food goods such as crackers, sauces and wine to bring back with you.

This small storefront is also a great place to pop in for charcuterie boards, cheese tastings and to try regional wines. When I first came to Venice I just happened to bump into this small shop. I had never read about it previously but neither have others so you can expect to find locals and the lucky few who have an eye for such beautiful stores.

Because it doesn’t cater primarily to tourists, you can expect the staff to take your time with you, helping you to pick the best cheese to bring home based on what you like and dislike.

Giacomo Rizzo

Salizada S. Giovanni Grisostomo, 5778

Giacomo Rizzo is where all you pasta lovers want to go for food souvenirs in Venice. This small artisan store has been family run for four generations and over time has gained a reputable name for itself, offering a wide selection of “Made in Italy” artisan pastas of all shapes, sizes, colors and flavors.

They have an enormous selection of handmade dried and fresh pastas, all of which have their own story and specialty. Overwhelmed? No problem! So was I but I also saw how willing and helpful the staff is in helping you sift through the numerous choices.

Wall display of pasta in a shop in Venice, Italy.

I suggest buying Venice’s local pasta shape, bigoli, a type of thick spaghetti made from buckwheat flour or squid ink flavored spaghetti.

Don’t Miss: Be sure to look at their jarred pasta sauces, olive oil, vinegar and spices as well, which you can pair with a package of pasta for the perfect foodie gift.

Millevini

Ramo del Fontego dei Tedeschi, 5362, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

Millevini is a famous wine shop in Venice just off the Rialto bridge, offering one of the most extensive wine selections in the whole city. I suggest Millevini for wine lovers or if you are hoping to bring a bit of the Venice drinking culture home with you.

Come here prepared to ask for advice! The selection is so overwhelming so even if you are familiar with Italian wine, you may need some guidance.

SEPA

Calle de la Bissa, 5482, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

SEPA was born as a cicchetti bar and fast food restaurant but soon branched out into souvenirs as well.

Come here specifically for artisan cicchetti spreads and recreate your Venetian cicchetti at home with friends and family.

Florian

P.za San Marco, 57, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

Caffè Florian is one of the most famous cafes and spots for breakfast in Venice but is also one of my top picks to pick up food souvenirs from Venice.

Gourmet packages of food to take as souvenirs are behind a glass display at Florian in Venice, Italy. Woman behind counter talks on the phone.

At the entrance they have a whole window and counter full of sweet treats including chocolate, candy, tea, cookies, coffee and more. What they stock depends on when you go but there is always something tasty worth bringing home.

Florian is definitely best for more luxury or spendy food gifts, as well as other non-food items as well.

Drogheria Mascari

Entrance to Mascari and window display of food souvenirs in Venice, Italy.

S. Polo, 381, 30125

Drogheria Mascari is definitely considered an institution for the Venetian locals selling one of the best and widest selection of local goods in all of Venice. And all of which, of course, at an affordable price.

Their spices are considered to be the best in Venice (famous for their curry blend) which can be purchased by weight but not only. Every corner of this charming, old school, wood-paneled store is full of amazing food items to savor and try. Take their wide selection of honey, jams, chutney, spirits, chocolate and candy!

Window display of candies and cookies in Venice, Italy shop.

The wine selection is some of the best in terms of value, with attention to local distilleries and cantine in Veneto.

I was really surprised by all the ‘everyday’ items as well such as artisan pasta, rice, olive oil and other staple Italian ingredients. I highly suggest coming to Drogheria Mascari even if you aren’t on the market for food souvenirs. It’s one of those timeless stores that are unfortunately, slowly but surely becoming less and less common in Italy.

Casa Del Parmigiano

Campo Cesare Battisti/Bella Viena, San Polo 214, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy

Casa Del Parmigiano is the best store to buy cheese from in Venice, a historic shop open since 1936 close to La Mercà and the Rialto Market.

Despite their name, they sell a variety of cheeses from all over Italy, not just Parmigiano Reggiano. They are happy to vacuum pack your cheeses for overseas travel and let you sample cheeses..

Display of salame at the Rialto market in Venice, Italy.

They also have a great selection of olives and excellent cured meats such as prosciutto, sausage, mortadella and local specialties.

Good To Know: Casa Del Parmigiano is just around the corner from Campo Erberia, one of the best places to grab an aperitivo or hang out with a drink after dinner in Venice.

Rialto Market

The Rialto open air market is a great place to pick up some food souvenirs from Venice. They don’t have a huge selection as they specialize in providing fresh produce, fish and other perishable goods to the local community but I was pleasantly surprised by all the spices, dried mushrooms, dried tomatoes and small, mom and pop shops selling food items lining the market.

Piles of sundried tomatoes for sale at market in Venice, Italy.

In fact, there is a really cute shop selling all sorts of artisan pasta, rice, sauces and oils but upon looking it up when I got home, I couldn’t find it on the map! Keep your eyes peeled though for a storefront filled with canned goods next to the fish at the Rialto Market.

To learn more, read Shopping at Venice’s Rialto Market.

Other Favorite Food Souvenir Shops In Venice

Food souvenirs displayed in shop window in Venice, Italy. Alcohol, cookies, and candy.

Confetteria Rizzo: Best for candy and any kind of sweet treat from Venice
VizioVirtù: Best for chocolate from Venice.

Foodie Travel: Are you interested in planning an itinerary revolving around eating in Venice? Read 24 Hour Foodie Itinerary for Venice and 48 Hour Foodie Itinerary for Venice.

Best Food Souvenirs From Venice

Carnaroli Rice

Carnaroli rice is the famous rice grown in Veneto used to make risotto. It’s a small, robust, short grain rice similar to Arborio but with more body and starch, resulting in a creamier risotto.

I suggest buying Canaroli rice in Venice if this is your stop on the Northern Italian tour. If you are lucky enough to spend time in other parts of Northern Italy, you will find it throughout but if Venice is your only stop, don’t miss this rice!

Where To Buy It: For the best artisan rice, go to Drogheria Mascari but Cibo Venezia should stock it as well.

Cicchetti

Thinking you can’t bring cicchetti home with you? Well, you can’t bring the beautifully pre-made cicchetti lining the streets of Venice but you can choose from small jars of locally made spreads that you can use to re-create a night of cicchetti when you return home.

So much of the Venetian culture revolves around drinking and eating cicchetti, so why not share this slice of Venice with your friends and family at home?

Recreating an evening of Venetian nibbles and local wine is easy and super fun if you love entertaining. If you bring home pre-packaged spreads and pick up a baguette your cicchetti at home are bound to be a hit.

Where To Buy It: You will find small jars of pate, spreads and sauces in almost any small specialty store but I highly suggest SEPA for artisan made spreads.

Regional Cheese

Glass display of cheeses in Venice, Italy.

In most countries you are free to bring back hard cheeses as long as they are vacuum packed.

This means no fresh cheese such as mozzarella and ricotta but lucky for all you Venice travelers, that is not what Venice is known for. Stick to piave, morlacco or asiago.

Most cheese in Italy is sold by weight, making it easy to make a large selection of small wedges or opt for a whole wheel of cheese, should you like.

Where To Buy It: Buy the best regional cheese from Casa Del Parmigiano

Gianduia (Sweet Nut Spread)

Gianduia is basically Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread. The absolute best ones, however, are artisan made and can be purchased throughout Venice at specialty food shops, bakeries and gourmet food stores.

Where To Buy It: You can pick up these sweet spreads almost anywhere but if you want artisan varieties, Bacaro del Gelato (one of Venice’s best gelaterie) sells this in-house, artisan pistachio spread, which they are famous for or at Dal Mas.

Two jars of pistachio cream with a price sign on a counter in a gelateria in Venice, Italy.

Regional Wine

Wall display of wines for sale in a shop in Venice, Italy.

Venice is best known for their all day drinking culture, where it’s socially acceptable to drink from sunup until sundown. This is most typically done in the form of a small spritz or glass of white wine alongside a small bite. So why not bring a little bit of their local wines home?

Consider a Prosecco from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Ribolla, Malvasia, Soave, all locally made and speak very much to the cultural identity of Venice.

Where To Buy It: Millevini has the largest selection of wines but any enoteca or other wine shop is your best bet for tasting and buying wines. You can also go to Cantina del Vino già Schiave for cicchetti and pick up a bottle of local wine at an excellent price.

Dried Pasta

Wall of colorful variety of pasta for sale in shop in Venice, Italy.

Dried pasta is one of the absolute best food souvenirs or gifts to bring back from Italy in generale because they weigh next to nothing.

Choose from artisan produced local pastas made with local flour and other ingredients such as squid ink.

Where To Buy It: For artisan dried pasta, head to Giacomo Rizzo where you can also purchase pre-made sauces and other condiments to pair with your pasta of choice.

Venetian Cookies

Venetian cookies are one of the best souvenirs to bring home because they typically last a long time. The most famous, bussolà, also known as essi cookies (sometimes different shapes but same dough), are a rich butter cookie, most famously made on Burano but sold everywhere.

Where To Buy It: Majer (one of my top places to eat with kids in Venice) or Confetteria Rizzo. To learn more about the best bakeries from which to buy packages of bussolai cookies, read Best Bakeries in Venice.

Candy

Window display packed with candies in Venice, Italy.

Candy is my top food souvenir to bring back from Venice for kids, especially if you are visiting the magical city during Christmas or Carnival when storefronts adorn themselves with sweet treats.

The two main shops to buys sweets at in Venice are Drogheria Mascari and Confetteria Rizzo but you can also keep your eyes peeled for cafes in Venice displaying candy in their windows.

Where To Buy It: Drogheria Mascari and Confetteria Rizzo

Locally Roasted Coffee Beans

Coffee in grinders line a wall at Caffè del Doge in Venice, Italy.

Venice has a couple good coffee shops that roast their own coffee, available for purchase by weight in either pre-packaged bags or in bags made to order.

The best places to buy hand selected coffee blends or single origin coffee beans is from Caffè del Doge, Torrefazione Cannaregio or Majer, all of which make some of the best coffee in Venice.

Where To Buy It: Majer, a local food chain located throughout Venice, Caffè del Doge, hidden away in a side street close to the Rialto Bridge or Torrefazione Cannaregio, a quiet neighborhood on the Northern part of the main Island in Venice.

Artisan Chocolate

Northern Italy makes excellent artisan chocolate and Venice is no exception. The city is littered with both commercial chocolate shops such as Venchi or artisan shops.