Post — Risotto & Steel

MILAN HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN FOR ITS DECORATED PASTRIES AND THE EQUALLY HAUTE PASTICCERIE THAT SELL THEM. NOW PHENOMENAL BREAD HAS ARRIVED AS WELL. FROM A GRAND 19TH CENTURY CLASSIC PASTRY HOUSE TO THE HIP NEW MICROPANIFICO WHICH FITS ONE CUSTOMER AT A TIME, HERE ARE 10 BAKERIES CURRENTLY DEFINING THE NORTHERN ITALIAN CITY...

If ever there was a place to see the softer side of Milan, it’s in its timeless pasticcerie. Ubiquitous across the city, pasticcerie are often not only morning espresso and pastry bars but shops—like the local butcher, vineria, or fruit stand—where cakes, jammy tarts, tiny pasticcini, and chocolates are bought and sold for family gatherings and holidays. They punctuate neighborhoods around the city, often near churches, as post-service Sunday lunch always ends with ample sweets.

Here, the proximity to France and an eye for the finer things inspired traditions like flaky puff pastry and brioche as well as rich fillings of crème pâtissière and frangipane. (While each bakery has their signature favorites which are always on offer, classic bigné, cannoncini, and cygne filled with chantilly vanilla whipped cream or chocolate are among the more famous pastries in Milan.)

In addition to the preservation of the old in its bakeries—from the facades to the treats—Milan’s embrace of the new has never been more evident. Pride in tolerance for diversity, international expression, and creativity is having a moment—in society as well as food. New bakeries (many women-owned) and bakers (many young) have arrived, and thanks to a global sourdough fanaticism, what’s on the Milanese menu is even being redefined at the new-school places. Together, the spectrum of new offerings in addition to the classic have put Milan into an official bakery boom. Here’s where not to miss when in the city.

MARCHESI 1824

Milan's storied caffè culture begins here, at Marchesi’s original location where an ornate 18th century facade still frames a window display of refined cakes and wrapped confections. Almost 200 years after opening, in 2014, the brand was acquired by Prada, and yet early morning regulars continued to gather without pause around the deco bar (here and at two other locations) for un caffè e brioche “al volo” (on the fly). By mid-morning, a second crowd trickles in for cappuccino and the assortment of pasticcini, crostate, Aurora cakes, and elegant Sacher tortes. A Marchesi’s signature, the earthy marron glacé cream, which takes four days to make, is the perfect pick-me-up while window shopping on the way to nearby Castello Sforza, and the Gianduiotto or a 2000 gram Panettone make perfect statement gifts during the holiday. Via Santa Maria alla Porta.

CUCCHI

While bitter rumors circled that Starbucks would open across the street, third-generation owned Cucchi thrives, maintaining institutional status for coffee and aperitivo any time of day or day of week. In the spirit of its address, which was previously a caffè concerto or cafè chantant in the 1930s, Cucchi today enlists rising stars in Milan's design and fashion communities (notably Cristina Celestino and JJ Martin to help with window displays and furniture collaborations. It’s impossible to go wrong with their classic pastries, but the Lombardo sbrisolona and budino di riso—filled with creamy sweet rice and a touch of rum—is a particularly not-to-be-missed tribute to Milan’s old nickname “Milk City” and its famous location surrounded by rice fields.
Corso Genova, 1

LE POLVERI

On Saturday morning, a swarm of regulars concentrates in and around Le Polveri’s wooden outdoor seating space decorated with hanging dried flowers and mismatched stools. The wait to get inside Aurora Zancanaro's 50 square meter micropanifico (which can only accommodate one person at a time) is truly worth it. While her approach to bread initially made the shop a destination for locals, the leavened breakfast offerings soon rose to fame and are now also offered daily. The shop’s social media may hint to what's on offer, but you can almost always find a seasonal-fruit-topped pan brioche, cardamom and cinnamon buns, and a signature selection of bagged cookies. The cookies: savory kale and bitter chocolate with Maldon and rosemary will not likely survive long enough to make it to the inside of your cabinet. (It’s best to get your espresso elsewhere, as this is first and foremost a bakery.)
Via Ausonio, 7, 20123 Milano MI

SISSI

Pulling espresso shots faster than the eye can see, the baristas are quick and hospitable in this narrow pink shop, a local favorite that since the 1990s has operated under the watchful and stylish eye of exuberant owner Zig Faye. Faye and his wife, Sissi, make room for regulars for their morning constitutional “al banco” (coffee taken at the bar). Veneziane and bomboloni alla crema are made on site, while Italian brioche and cornetti are filled by hand with vanilla and chocolate pastry cream or jam to order. Seats in the garden are the ideal setting in which to enjoy little pastries dotted with precious, mini wild strawberries, or in winter, their creative and colorful almond marzipan.
Piazza Risorgimento, 6, Zona Risorgimento

Pastries and interiors courtesy of Loste Cafe

LOSTE CAFÉ

The young, creative Italian owners at this modern, recently opened Scandinavian-inspired bakery and wine bar met while working at NOMA in Copenhagen—one was the head pastry chef there for five years, and the other the sommelier and coffee shop manager. One of the few genuine third-wave coffee destinations in the city, it’s known for its filtered coffee and is one of the few places in the city you can get a flat white. Their treats are all expert variations on European classics, including the double-baked almond pain au chocolate and sugar biscuit with custard cream and jam filling, which often run out by midday. After morning, the pair serve lunch, wine, focaccia and aperitivi.
Via Francesco Guicciardini, 3

PANIFICIO DAVIDE LONGONI

A local institution known for having the best organic bread in the city, second-generation baker Davide Longoni recently opened his newest outpost (his first location in the city is eight years old) in the highly anticipated Mercato Centrale within the brutalist-design central train station. The eponymous maestro Longoni ignited sourdough's overdue revival in Milan, and his signature wall of loaves compliment any creamy Lombardian cheese like Taleggio or Gorgonzola. With a rotation of leavened breakfast cakes accompanied with some of the best coffee in Milan, Longoni has a loyal following, who you’ll often see lining up for panettone, cinnamon rolls, or their house babka. On top of that, the Mercato Centrale stall offers the best pizza al taglio in the city: A warm rectangle of anchovy, cucumber, burrata and fresh sage is an irresistible train lunch.
Mercato Centrale, Via Giovanni Battista Sammartini, 2, 20125.
Flagship - Via Gerolamo Tiraboschi, 19, 20135

TONE

In 2021, ethnobotanist Giovanni Marabese and experienced baker Marco Bianchi opened their all-day "bread lab" with an international twist: a Georgian oven (literally a "t'one"), wood-fired, deep and circular, for baking puri and lavash. By mid-morning every day, the counter is topped with khachapuri filled with three luscious, soft Lombardo cow's milk cheeses baked into the center of the leavened dough, a just-runny-enough egg in the middle. Simple café vibes and the kitchen experiments arriving in the case as the day passes, from Icelandic breads to fruit-filled focaccia and sourdough wholemeal boules, are temptation enough to inspire a return at aperitivo time for a second round (this time with a glass of wine from their extensive list).
Via Donatello, 22

PAVÉ

A once pioneering destination in Milan for the all-day cafe concept—serving breakfast, lunch and aperitivo (no reservations accepted)—this hip shop developed a lasting following. Their exquisite case is consistently filled to the edges with “monoporzione” colorful patisserie-inspired tarts, millefoglie, and meringue, among others. A layered yeast-leavened brioche is the closest one you'll find to a croissant without actually being one, excellent filled with prosciutto cotto and arugula, housemade jam, or Pavé’s own chocolate hazelnut spalmabile (spread). The three owners, Diego Bamberghi, Giovanni Giberti, and Luca Scanni, who've expanded into making beer and gelato at their birreria and duo of gelateria locations around the city, will celebrate 10 years in 2022.

Via Felice Casati, 27

TIPOGRAFIA ALIMENTARE

What began in 2018 as a mother-daughter-owned bistro a short walk from the Turro metro stop in the emerging NOLO neighborhood, Tipografia Alimentare serves vegetable-forward, locally sourced food that changes every day. In 2020, a British baker and fellow alum from the University of Gastronomic Sciences Nathan Cal Danby, joined the team, overseeing the buildout of their bakery kitchen including sourdough for the restaurant (and soon for purchase), whole-grain pastries such as carrot, date and labneh cakes, and olive oil cakes. Their coffees and natural-focused wine list are examples of their eye for finding the best small artisans.
Via Dolomiti, 1

TERROIR

Tucked down a quiet side street off the busy main stretches of the Porta Monforte neighborhood, Terroir is an elevated alimentari that gets an honorable mention for its subsequently spectacular baked goods. Opened by Gabriele Ornati in 2012, it has since become a destination for anyone who puts food shopping and local sourcing on a pedestal—including the selection of bakery selections sourced from top restaurants, bakers, and shops nearby. Offerings might include rosetta alla crema cardamom and hazelnut frangipane from 1 Forno del Mastro in Monza just outside the city, carrot cake or banana bread from Milan’s specialty coffee roasters (and hip café) Nowhere, or melonpan —a sweet Japanese-style bun—from Michelin recognized restaurant Bentoteca.
Via Macedonio Melloni, 33

By Elizabeth Jones first published on Prior

Our Favorite Old and New Pasticcerie in Milan - PRIOR