The Fiddler's Elbow
Yes, I know. I have been outspoken before out my hatred of faux-Irish Pubs wherever they may be, from the Andes to Andorra, from Cambridge to Cologne. However, sometimes you have to get your priorities straight - Manchester United were playing Chelsea and I needed to find somewhere likely to show the football.
The Fiddler's Elbow, just off the Strada Nova near the Ca' d'Oro has the usual characteristics of an Irish Pub, which you can take as positives or negatives as you wish - a largely Anglophone clientele, Guinness posters on the walls, battered little tables crammed into nooks, and televisions tuned to sports channels. The youthful crowd were friendly, comprised of students, the odd married couple to whom Venice was a second home, and the occasional Italian keen on the English league who asked questions concerning the points gap between the two teams, and how the end result (a 1-1 draw) affected the title race.
The drink of choice was Kilkenny at €5 a pint. A useful spot for those missing the comforts of home, but not the sort of place I would automatically recommend as one of my places to visit in Venice.
From journal We Open In Venice...