Quadri restaurant in Venice – how romantic can one restaurant be? Candlelit views over Piazza San Marco from the windowside tables, a single red rose in a bud vase, silver-domed dishes revealed with a flourish, the Quadri orchestra below, the chimes of San Marco above, crystal chandeliers, rose-coloured fabric-lined walls, gilt mirrors all invoke sighs of pure pleasure. Quadri has bags of history – it was founded in 1775 as a Turkish khava (coffee) house by one Giorgio Quadri from Corfu. The coffee house remains among the porticos on the ground floor, while the grand first floor restaurant was created in 1830. Absolutely everyone has dined here, from Lord Byron to Sting. The seasonal Italian menu features dishes like marinated seabass in puff pastry with baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and mustard, and bucatini pasta with eggplant and provela cheese, duck breast in fruit sauce. House wines are recommended. A pair of interconnecting dining rooms make Quadri an impressive choice for private or corporate entertaining, too, with a host of menus to choose from.