Ai Sportivi, Venice

At the door, they've got a very nice and cheap menu. But they don't offer it to you. If you ask for it they, reluctantly, give it to you. But BE CAREFUL!!! If you order from the menu the portions will be A THIRD of the normal portions!!!!!
After dinner there we needed to have take away pizza for the kids!!!!! They were still hungry after the dinner. RIDICULOUS!!!
If we would know, we'll have had the option to order something from their "carta" instead

We dined at this establishment one night in Oct, 2012. Probably the best thing I can say about this place is the service was slow. It's all downhill after that. Food was the worst we have eaten anywhere in Italy in three recent visits. Spaghetti was plain but edible, salads were nothing more than iceberg lettuce. The sole salad dressing offered was oil and vinegar...and the vinegar was distilled white, not even a balsamic. The vegetable lasagna was bland with few vegetables. The veal scallopini was very bland. Although everything was edible, it was all so very tasteless as to be very dull. Presentation on all entries was also ...dull. Although entree prices were not bad by Italy standards, beverage prices were through the roof.

Pizzeria Ai Sportivi seems to be one of the hundred places in Venice with the best pizza, but for me it looks like Ai Sportivi really deserves a visit.

It is in fact my favourite place among the three Pizzerias I visited in Venice during my two stays in the city.

Their pizzas are delicious, huge and inexpensive; Ai Sportivi even doesn't charge for cover and service (coperto, servici) which seems to be hard to find in the centre of Venice.

We ate in ai Spertivi restaurant on both days of our visit to Venice. Venicec an be expensive for eating out as most restaurants are aimed at tourists and it is difficult to find where the locals eat. Ai Spertivi had good pizzas, wine and a nice atmosphere so it suited us fine.

After the big European VT Meeting near Verona, I headed to Venice with fellow VT'ers jessica-b & HORSCHECK.

Upon arrival, we walked Jessica to her hotel, which was located in one of my favourite places in Venice, Campo Santa Margherita. Here was the home to the restaurant that all the guide books claim has the "best pizza in Venice", and I had always been keen to eat here, but hadn't made it on previous trips.

Finally I got my chance - we all had lunch at Pizzeria Ai Sportivi.

We only just made it though - we just managed to order our food before the end of lunch.....but I'm so glad we made it in time....we did get a little lost on the way there....but what do you expect in Venice!?

Favorite Dish: The pizza's were fabulous - and huge! We enjoyed a great lunch sitting in the piazza - it doesn't get much better than pizza and vino, with friends - in Italy!

*** Last visit was Sep 2007 - had another tasty lunch, this time with my parents. The pizzas were even bigger than I remembered!! ***

Very disappointed by this place - having read rave reviews of it on several sites, we went there in October 2007 and had a bad experience. There were plenty of tables outside, but we were ushered inside and then made to wait at the bar for a table. While we were standing there, we saw pizzas being brought to a table next to us, and they looked dry and unappetising. One of the orders was wrong, and it was returned, but the poor lass who returned it was forced to wait and watch her friends eating theirs for a very long time. Eventually a table became free, but the party which had come in behind us by several minutes got it ahead of us. The waiters' clothing was grubby and they did not seem, from our pretty good view at the bar, to have a grip on things. After a very long wait - no offer of a drink while we were waiting - we decided discretion was the better part of valour and left. We had a great meal at another restaurant on the Campo.

It was a nice and cosy little place and full of Italian families or groups of friends. We were told it was in not a very touristy area so the prices were a bit cheaper than you would find in the main areas...

We first came here to meet our friends Sandy(smith) & Dave, it was their recommendation. It's a very pleasant little bar/pizzeria and a good place to while away some time. Later we came back on our own, and after a few beers we fancied a 'snack'. We though 'if we get ONE pizza, we can sneakily share it'. When they brought it though, it was already cut in 1/2 and was on two plates. I think the guys here might be psychic or something! Be careful about what you're thinking, OK :-)

Favorite Dish: Pizza & Beer!

Friendly, timely service. Great atmosphere.

Favorite Dish: Lots of kinds of pizzas. We all ordered different types and sampled each others'.

Small restaurant in a small Campo. Simple and inexpensive.

Favorite Dish: You must try the pumpkin, rosemary pizza. The single best pizza I have had in my life.

Same as above, but by evening. The Pizza is some kind of goats cheese & ruccola creation. Very nice it was too :-)