Welcome To Harry’s Bar In Venice!
Yes, it may seem nondescript outside, but inside is one of the most legendary bars in the world – Harry’s Bar in Venice Italy opened in 1931 – and the 94 year-old institution is famous for hosting writers such as Truman Capote and Ernest Hemingway!
And since they are a bar, note what Ernest is holding in his hand – because they are famous for that iconic drink:
Their Famous Bellini!
I took the above photo in 2018, when my wife Alex and I were in Venice and HAD to have their famous Bellini!
Here’s their bar menu, with the Bellini listed first under cocktails….it’s white peach nectar and prosecco!
We sat right at the bar and watched the Bartender knock out more than a hundred of these 22 euro drinks in the hour we were there:
We are going to make one of their famous Bellini’s later in this story, and on that night we enjoyed it with a plate of pasta and ragu!
The menu is standard, but the vibe is incredible! And if you gaze through the curtains, here is what lies outside:
Venice Offers Amazing “Food With A View!”
You are right on the grand canal, as gorgeous as setting for a meal and a cocktail as you will ever find…after dark it gets even more spectacular:
I love this view and I love the vibe of Harry’s Bar – so I wondered: could I recreate it at home?
Well, I was ready to try and I had a special helper too!
“It’s Harry’s BAR – we must never forget; it’s not Harry’s Restaurant!”
That’s one of the most important lines in their cool cookbook that I bought, and it would provide me invaluable advice not only for making a specialty of the house, but that Bellini as well!
Therefore, before we cook, we must make the drink that made the bar famous!
Behold The Harry’s Bar Bellini!
It’s a simple and deliciously refreshing drink that Harry’s made famous worldwide – the “Bellini!”
OK, I used peach juice from a jar, and the bar makes their peach juice from scratch, by pulping the peaches by hand and and then forcing them through a sieve to get the juice.
You can as well – but that is your challenge not mine!
The recipe however is easy…add one part peach juice and then add 3 parts Italian Prosecco! What you drink at Harry’s Bar has a bit more texture because of the fresh pulp, but that aside, it’s an easy and delicious drink!
With that refreshing beverage next to you, time to make a really versatile vegetable dish that is a Harry’s classic!
Making “Legumi alla Primavera!”
I wanted to make this recipe because of its versatility – their local islands are brimming with fresh vegetables, and the recipe says to use what’s fresh in your area – and you can mix and match a bunch of different vegetables – except never eggplant! They say it ruins the flavor!
In Venice, the restaurant refers to the dish as “Torcellana” to honor the vegetables that grow on the nearby island of the same name…
Here are some of what I used:
Here are the ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove – who’s kidding who? I used a dozen!
2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
baby carrots cut into 1/4″dice
6 artichoke hearts
2 tbl. finely chopped onion – I used more!
4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4″ dice
12 asparagus spears trimmed into 1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper cut into 1/4″ dice
2 medium plum tomatoes cut in 1/4″ dice
1 leek, white part only cut into 1/4 inch dice
salt and pepper to taste
Let’s get cooking!
Finely chop your onions and garlic. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic then add the onions and sauce for a few minutes…
Next, I added in some carrots – not part of Harry’s recipe but I love them – and they say use what you love…cook it all for 7-10 minutes, then add your next ingredients:
I added the diced zucchini, asparagus and the bell pepper next, cooked for five minutes and then added the leek and diced bell pepper…
As you can see, this is a colorful mix of fresh vegetables being cooked in nothing more than olive oil – the flavors coming together as they cook…
Next, I added the tomatoes and the mushrooms, the tomatoes adding some moisture which of course the mushrooms will soak up!
Cook this all together for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are just cooked al dente…at this point, season with salt and pepper and you are done!
This blend of vegetables can be used on top of risotto or pasta and look what I did!
I actually made a unique squid ink risotto, which has a “flavor of the sea” – to honor the Venice lagoon!
While some may not be fans of the charcoal color of the risotto, I actually think it looked terrific as a base for my primavera – and it tasted great too!
Of course, you also need to make another Bellini – cheers!
For those who follow along, I share recipes and food stories here all year long.
My “food with a view” series celebrates great food from incredible places, and Venice never disappoints:
Welcome To San Marco Square For A Night Full Of Music!
Yes, as night falls in Venice, San Marco Square stays alive with crowds of people gathering in the courtyard to listening to live music being performed in the cafes that ring the square!
Several restaurants have seating in the courtyard, where you pay a small fee and order drinks, while music is performed for you live – Venice is frequently underwater due to very high tides…when we were there, there was a sheen of water an inch deep in many parts of San Marco Square:
The lower lights are actually a reflection of the lights on the building…and look at this reflection of the church:
After the performance, we wandered through some parts of Venice that weren’t for tourists – small alleyways that were desolate and almost eerie – you can see it all here:
You can see beautiful pieces of glass art created right in front of you – but is this going away?
There are reports that this timeless tradition is literally “under fire” – see my story here:
As for my “food with a view” series, how many steps would you take for this?
This fresh sun-dried Octopus was worth the ONE THOUSAND STEPS we took – see why here!
I shared a number of our meals in Greece, like this one:
As delicious as this fish stew was, it was nothing compared to the incredible sunset we saw as we ate it…see the entire meal and that amazing view here:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
I had a couple of bellinis at Heritage Grand Bakery in NYC when I was visiting my daughter a couple of weeks ago. Great place to eat, by the way. Love this post!
Thanks for that – I’m not familiar with it but will check it out! Happy New Year!
Cheers!
A Bellini at Harry’s bar, that must have been very special! By the way, the bar is also the origin of carpaccio.
Wow, I didn’t realize that1 thanks for sharing! Cheers!
Hope you like it: https://cookanddrink.org/2022/01/03/carpaccio-original/