2 Best Restaurants in The Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia, Italy

At this warm and sophisticated seafood place, going strong since 1966 near Piazza Unità d'Italia, you'll find exquisite dishes that honor the traditions of the Mancussi family. Although now run by the Leonardi family, Roberto Mancussi's culinary ethos remains: integrating nouvelle ingredients without overshadowing the freshness of whatever local fish he bought in the market that morning. Al Bagatto is renowned for its excellent wine cellar and a selection of distilled spirits from around the world.

Hidden halfway up the hill to the Castello di San Giusto, in what the Triestini call Zità Vecia (Old City), this informal little restaurant specializes in simply prepared seafood. Amid whitewashed wooden walls and nautical ephemera, you can sample the freshest catches—bluefish, sardines, mackerel, mussels, and squid—accompanied by salad, potatoes, polenta, and house wine. The consistently tasty dishes, especially the fish soup and the sardoni in savor (large sardines with raisins, pine nuts, and caramelized onions), show what a talented chef can do on a limited budget.