Since I am from Veneto, your review brought back many good memories. I’ll like to add more color, even though, not being from Venice proper, I am a “foresto” (foreigner) myself.

First, tapas gotta be a Spanish version of cicchetti. But that was obvious. Cicchetti are eaten at a “bacaro”, which is the Venetian version of an osteria (or the other way arond). Often times, groups of friends roam several “bacari” in a night (or day or both), in a so-called “Bacaro Tour”. You often just order a carafe (or two, three, four…….), sit wherever you find place and enjoy. The real bacaro is very cheap (yes, you can eat well and very cheaply in Venice) and rarely do you find tourists there. Proficiency in the Venetian dialect is required to order (or proficient friends).

You can’t drive in Venice (you can’t even ride a bicycle!), so, unless you have your own boat, you need not worry about finding a designated driver. All you need is to find a way to get home. It is perilous at times, since the way is always tortuous, the “campi” look all the same at night and you can’t go straight anyway. And if you did, water is waiting for you (it’s a long story and, by the way, the same reason for which most bridges connect “calli” that do not end in front of each other). Like pigeons, Venetians always make it back, walking! It just takes longer than one would like.

Thanks for the good memories you brought back!