During our summer visit to Venice, the main goal was to escape the crowds by any means necessary. One fun (and delicious) way my traveling companion and I accomplished this was to choose an out-of-center restaurant and build our day around eating lunch there. Our explorations took us to the edges of lesser-known neighborhoods and to various islands around the lagoon. Here are our top discoveries.

Harry’s Dolci

The old-school wood-paneled dining room of Harry’s Bar is one of the most stylish places to see and be seen in Venice. But the cozy restaurant has one flaw: even though it’s right on the water, there’s no outdoor seating and not much of a view. Harry’s Dolci, across the Giudecca Canal, is a seasonal restaurant where you can dine on highlights from the original menu at elegant tables with stunning panoramas of the city. (In fact, you can even see the original Harry’s Bar if you squint.) Just as important, the food is as good as at the original. We enjoyed a perfectly cooked fillet of sole served with zucchini and a delightfully creamy saffron risotto with shrimp and asparagus, washed down by glasses of the house white wine. We couldn’t forgo dessert — “dolci” is in the name, after all. I opted for the light and tangy lemon meringue pie, the kind of thing I never make at home and rarely find on dessert menus. It was heaven. Closed in winter.

Harry’s Dolci 
Fondamenta San Biago 773, Giudecca. Tel. (39) 041-522-4844