Like many visitors to Venice, we stayed in nearby Mestre – a short tram ride away from the tourist centre.  We did most of our eating in the city, but we found one vegan place in our neighbourhood that we were keen to try.  And in the end we loved it so much we went twice!

VgOloso is on quite a busy road, which is a shame considering there’s outdoor seating.  Fortunately the interior is just lovely too!  The menu is available in both English and Italian, and has some slight variations daily but basically has some pasta dishes, some burgers, and some other fun stuff.

On our first visit, Dr HH got this tagliatelle seafood ragout.  He loved the salty sea flavour, toasted nuts and hint of lemon, and was a very satisfied customer.

I got the carbonara, and could have eaten a second portion it was so delicious! (Mains were only about €6 each, hence they were a little on the small side – but coupled with a dessert, I was full.)  The mock meat bits were my favourite, they had so much flavour.

On our second visit a couple of nights later, Dr HH went for the hazelnut and chickpea balls.  They were good and meaty, and came with a really rich,thick tomato sauce – none of that watery stuff you sometimes get.  The potatoes were also sensational.

And I stuck with the pasta theme, this time with some ravioli.  The inside was solid green from the spinach, and they were really well-stuffed!  I also loved the tomato sauce.  It was just beautiful!

We had desserts both nights.  The first time, Dr HH ordered the coconut and blueberry crumble with lemon pistachio cream, which came in this little jar. He would have liked a bit more crumble than cream (which is always my approach to crumble too), but really liked it.

I was blown away by my dessert.  This tart with cocoa and cream was delicious!  The base was so thick, the cream was so creamy, it just ticked all the boxes.

We were both planning on having the tart again when we returned, but they’d sold out.  Nooooo!  Fortunately, the owner offered to make us an improvised dessert and returned with this lovely crunchy, nutty crumble with delicious chocolate cream.  Not only did it taste amazing, but we also appreciated them going to extra lengths to accommodate a pair of gluttons.

And finally, we also got a couple of gigantic biscuits to takeaway for breakfast the next day.  It was sandwiched with apple and mint jam, though we couldn’t really taste the mint.  The cookie was lovely and soft, and made a good breakfast.

This is one of the friendliest and nicest places I’ve been to, and if you’re staying in Mestre you owe it to yourself to pop in for a cheap and delicious feast!