During my visit it seemed like most dishes had fish or some other sea-foody component, so if you don’t eat fish it does limit your options quite a lot. Some of the places in Campo San Margarite are sort of hip and attract a younger crowd, you might have luck there?

Venice has very little variation in food choices (as does the rest of Italy). Italians love their Italian food, and I doubt you’ll have an easy time finding a restaurant that is strictly vegetarian. Depending on when you will be there (and what your accomodations are), make sure to try some fresh fruit and veggies from the Rialto market. If you have access to a kitchen, you could make a fabulous meal. Campo Santa Margherita is definitely a young college crowd, but don’t expect much more than pizza joints. Also, look for the side dish portion of the menu “contorni” for vegetable options.

Just about any restaurant you visit will have a wide selection of pasta dishes- Venice and the Veneto region are known for a variety of special ones. My suggestion to you is to ask the staff at the restaurant you are visiting for ideas. Usually the menus change seasonally, and to an extent, daily.

You might also check for ‘agriturismos’, which are restaurants (and sometimes hostels) that serve only organic food, and must grow a certain percentage of it themselves (~80%, I think). If you google ‘agriturismo’ you should find some directories of them- I would assume there are several in Venice, although I did not eat at one there.

Hope that helps! Enjoy your travels!

Hey there,
When we went to Italy we went to Rome and Venice. The food in Rome was amazing and there was a great variety but in Venice we were a little disappointed. Don’t worry, the gorgeous city itself makes up for it. I found a LOT of good food recommendations in the Venice Access Guide. One restaurant I think you will love is called La Zucca and it was the best meal we had in Venice. If we hadn’t discovered it on one of our last days there, we would have eaten there every day!
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/zucca.htm
Have a great trip!

I survived on pizza in Italy, but my vegetarian cookbook suggests there are other options. You could look for melanzana al forno (baked eggplant), spaghetti e cipolle (spaghetti and onions), penne al boccalone (not sure what makes this but it keeps coming up with no meat when I google it). And lots of antipasto (assortment of raw and cooked salads, marinated dishes, pickles, olives and peppers).