Pasticceria Rizzardini

They have a variety of baked goods and drinks like coffee, which I did not try and am not addressing in this review.
I had come here specifically for the marzipan fruit (2 pieces = 100 grams for 4 Euro). It tasted like eating a block of fondant paste, i.e. very sugary. I’m a huge marzipan fan and have eaten Odense brand marzipan straight out of the tube. I’ve also had American, Austrian, Swiss and German marzipan. In comparison, this marzipan tasted more like sugar than almonds and was comparatively very dense and hard. I wonder how long it’s ok to store it in the window display like that, as usually marzipan usually dries out quickly and needs to be covered. However, the aesthetic of the faux fruits was commendably artistic, almost too beautiful to eat.
Their location is across the canal from the Rialto vaporetto stops.
They were open later than another pasticceria a few blocks away, which is a plus.
The service was pretty quick.
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I’m pretty sure Pasticceria Rizzardini translates to «hella good» in Italian!
There are multiple reasons why this bakery is the most famous in Sestiere San Polo. The old world feel of the place, the friendly owners, the € 1 espressos are only a few! Pastries are between 75 centavos to € 1.90 depending on what you get.
It took us awhile to find this place and it’s more of a local’s hunt than a tourist one. I stood there lusting after the display case and stared at the different bite-​sized pastries filled with custard or topped with fruit, the various biscotti and meringues (this seems to be offered at a lot of pasticceria in Venice). They also carry Caffe Rialto which is a local coffee and the 4.4 oz vacuum sealed pouch is only € 4 which makes for a great little gift for friends or co-​workers.
The pastries are outstanding! The mele tart was absolutely scrumptious! I really love fruit in my desserts and these were amazing slices of tart apples that were glazed with magic! (magic, I tell ya!) The crumbly shell tastes of pure butter (mmm, butter!) Their fruit tart also boasts of perfectly ripe fruits with vanilla custard on a pastry shell.
I do have to admit that the cream puffs take the cake. (Wait, can I say cake even though, well, it isn’t really a cake? LOL) Make sure to get the one that’s covered in dark chocolate, you’d be rolling your eyes to the back of your head.
You can tell that I visited Pasticceria Rizzardini more than once on our two day trip to Venice. How many times, you ask?
I’ll never tell.

We went here on a suggestion from a friend. It is fun to find, and it is on a main street, not off the beaten path. They have the best espresso in Venice, and a selection of incredible desserts and pastries. We loved the almond cake, cookies, and chocolate cake. But be certain to try the espresso… perfecto!

I love going to small family owned shops like pasticceria rizzardini. Navigating through the alleys in Venice, I could not find this shop. I had to stop a very old gentleman and ask him in my basic Italian… he looked surprised at my request as this is not a touristy place at all and then smiled and pointed me in the right direction.
This place is great for stocking up on Venetian cookies, especially dolce di mandorle, moro (chocolate and almond cookie), golosesso (dark chocolate w/​pecans), dogi (amaretto cookies)…bought tons of all of these cookies and loved every minute of eating them.
The husband and wife who run this place are pretty sweet and friendly… they didn’t speak any English but it wasn’t an issue at all.
If you have a sweet tooth and want some freshly baked Venetian cookies, go here… its amazing!