While you can find pizza everywhere in Venice, it is not a traditional Venetian dish, and for a long time, wood-fired pizza ovens were actually banned in the historic center due to the high fire risk they posed to the city's ancient, tightly packed wooden-piled buildings. Traditional Venetian cuisine focuses on "cichetti" (small snacks), fresh seafood from the lagoon, and rice-based dishes like "Risi e Bisi." However, due to international tourist demand, many restaurants now serve pizza, often using electric ovens. For travelers in 2026, it is important to know that many "tourist trap" restaurants in the St. Mark's area serve frozen or low-quality pizza to cater to quick crowds. If you want good pizza in Venice, you should head to the Cannaregio or Dorsoduro districts, where local pizzerias have obtained special permits for proper ovens. While Venetians themselves do enjoy pizza as a casual dinner, they would likely tell you that the "real" pizza belongs to Naples, while Venice belongs to the "Sarde in Saor" (sardines) and "Bigoli in Salsa." Eating pizza in Venice is perfectly acceptable, but you are generally better off trying the local seafood specialties that the city has spent centuries perfecting.