The 37 Best Restaurants in Milan - EATER
From pasta to aperitivo, the best restaurants and bars in Milan, according to a local culinary tour guide
Milan is a city that’s both local and global at once. It’s well known as Italy’s fashion and design capital, a reputation that has attracted visitors from around the world and restaurants serving international cuisines (as well as dishes from other Italian regions). The city also has a storied Chinatown and introduced items from other international visitors and transplants, like sushi, to the country long before Rome. But Milan is also steeped in Lombardy’s culinary traditions, including dishes like cotoletta Milanese and creamy risotto all’onda. Agricultural regions, like the fertile Po Valley (home to carnaroli rice perfect for risotto) and Oltrepò Pavese (where vineyard-clad rolling hills burst with clusters of pinot nero), thrive just beyond the outer ring of the dense metropolis.
You can still enjoy the city’s Old World culinary charms, from boxes of artisan panettone around the holidays to retro market food stalls in the summer. But Milan’s food scene is increasingly embracing new concepts alongside its boundary-pushing fashion scene, even as the city’s world-famous amaro distilleries, Fernet Branca and Campari, continue to fuel an explosion of craft cocktail bars. The city’s chefs put creative spins on local ingredients, while new restaurants, many of them women-owned, celebrate social inclusion and vegetable-forward menus. Bubbly Negroni sbagliatos, traditional osterias, avant-garde pizzerias — Milan has more than looks.
In this latest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to include even more relevant info for diners, including a rough range of pricing for each destination — ranging from $ for quick, inexpensive meals with dishes largely under $10 USD (or the equivalent in euros), to $$$$ for places where entrees exceed $30.
Tipografia Alimentare
Open for: Lunch and aperitivo
Price range: $$
Tipografia Alimentare is well positioned with outdoor tables along the Martesana canal in the north of Loreto (Nolo) area. At breakfast, the counter-service cafeteria serves whole-grain pastries like cardamom buns with coffee from top Italian microroasters. Lunch and dinner bring table service, along with a menu of seasonal comfort food: warm root vegetable salads, slow-cooked bean soups, and charcuterie boards paired with natural Italian wines.
Must-try dish: On Fridays, the shop’s talented bakers flex their talents with sweet and savory maritozzi (sweet buns).
1 Via Dolomiti, Lombardia 20127
02 8353 7868
Variety of pastries at Tipografia Alimentare | Tipografia Alimentare
Altatto
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Altatto’s ethereal spin on vegetarian fine dining is a pleasant break from Milan’s meaty fare, but don’t expect the highly conceptual menu to be a snooze. The two chef partners — Sara Nicolosi and Cinzia de Lauri — met at Joia, where they worked with chef Pietro Leemann. In the warm, spartan interior or in the hidden outdoor courtyard, you’ll find a rotating vegetarian tasting menu with dishes like crispy porcini mushrooms with wild foraged herbs, or buckwheat gnocchetti with sweet potato slow-cooked in clay. The chefs deploy an element of surprise in every course and pair meals with a selective list of natural wines.
Best for: Anyone who appreciates vegetables crafted like works of art.
15 Via Comune Antico, Lombardia 20125
328 664 1670
Inside Altatto | Laura Spinelli
Trattoria Mirta
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Uruguayan chef Juan Lema, who named Trattoria Mirta after his mother, puts his own spin on traditional northern Italian dishes. In winter, try the squash in saor, enriched with raisins and pine nuts. Better yet, stop by in warmer months for the cotolette in carpione, a vinegar-marinated variation on the cult classic Milanese.
Best for: Sitting at a sidewalk table if the weather is nice.
Piazza San Materno 12, 20131 Milano Lombardia
02 9118 0496
Tortelli Lombardi filled with taleggio and radicchio | Mita Guerra Milutinovic
Mercato Centrale Milano
Open for: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Price range: $
Mercato Centrale is a two-story wing of the train station that includes over 30 restaurants, bars, and shops, complete with ample space for dining in. Visit master baker Davide Longoni for the best pizza al taglio (by the slice) in the city: a warm rectangle of anchovy, cucumber, and burrata topped with fresh sage. You could also consider the Chinese dumplings by Agie Zhou or a cocktail at the counter of Mag, the sister outpost to 1930, Milan’s celebrated speakeasy on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Upstairs, Marco Bruni sells Genovese classics including farinata (chickpea pancakes) and gooey focaccia di Recco, thin layers of unleavened dough stuffed with fresh crescenza cheese.
Know before you go: Give yourself extra time here to explore all your dining options.
2 Via Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Lombardia 20125
02 3792 8400
The dining area inside Mercato | Mercato Centrale
Berberè
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Berberè pizzeria prizes the quality of its ingredients over labels like “bio” (the EU-version of organic). The shop is known for letting guests choose from three different doughs: classic, a blend of organic multigrain flour and sourdough, or hydrolysis-based dough that doesn’t use yeast. The topping combinations are demure and elegant: Fried eggplant goes with smoked ricotta, basil, and tomato; coppa with stracciatella, fior di latte, and orange-infused oil.
Know before you go: The pizzas skew on the smaller side, so it’s best to order one and a half pies per person.
Via Sebenico 21, 20124 Milano Milan, Italy
02 3670 7820
Bufala pizza | Berberé
Ratanà
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Ratanà opened in 2009 in a fin-de-siecle villa located in the middle of a once run-down neighborhood, and it has become a Milan culinary landmark since the opening of Bosco Verticale in 2015, architect Stefano Boeri’s stunning residential vertical forest just next door. Chef Cesare Battisti offers creative spins on local cuisine on a shifting menu: Think seasonal variations of Italian risotto, squash blossoms with basil pesto, and game hen accompanied by lemon-glazed scallions for summer. That said, if you are looking for pure Milanese fare, the restaurant offers that too; the saffron-infused risotto and osso buco are available year round.
Must-try dish: Order at least 48 hours ahead for the la costoletta, a thick Piedmontese veal cutlet breaded and fried in raw, clarified Domodossola mountain butter.
Via Gaetano de Castillia 28, 20124 Milano Lombardia
02 8712 8855
Red smoked pepper, stracciatella, wild herbs, and walnuts | Ratanà
Ristorante Ribot
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Located near the racetrack, Ribot is an equestrian-themed restaurant located in a fin-de-siecle villa. The name Ribot itself comes from a champion horse, but the hues of the many horse racing-themed artworks and memorabilia are muted enough that they don’t make the overall decor look tacky. Don’t overdo it with the antipasti board; save some room for dishes coming from the grill, especially the steak fiorentina. Dinner grants you complimentary chocolate fondue with assorted fresh fruit.
Vibe check: This place is like a step back in time, especially during bustling weekend lunch.
41 Via Marco Cremosano, Lombardia 20148
02 3300 1646
Inside Ristorante Ribot | Ristorante Ribot
Ristorante Berton
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$$
Chef Andrea Berton trained under the revered founder of new Italian cuisine, Gualtiero Marchesi, before expanding his repertoire in London and then Monaco under the guidance of Alain Ducasse. At his own restaurant, Berton earned a Michelin star in 2014 after less than two years thanks to his gorgeous dishes, flawless technique, and minimal ingredients. The chef is known for his deep passion for brodo, or “broth,” so you can expect dishes like tender grilled beef sirloin and smoked potato cannoli paired with grappa-sprayed beef broth, or cod tripe with Trasimeno beans bathed in prosciutto broth.
Know before you go: Sit at the chef’s table to watch the kitchen in action
13 Via Mike Bongiorno, Lombardia 20124
02 6707 5801
Lasagna piccione | Marco Scarpa
Cantine Isola
Open for: Drinks, aperitivo
Price range: $$
This 126-year-old wine shop is located on Chinatown’s bustling main thoroughfare. Although Cantine Isola sells more than 1,500 wines by the bottle, it’s best to stop in and savor the by-the-glass selection while snacking on crostini, charcuterie, and aged cheese passed around by the friendly bar staff. Go early to guarantee a seat before the Milanese masses spill out of the bar into an entire sidewalk scene.
Know before you go: Tuesdays are poetry nights.
Via Paolo Sarpi 30, 20154 Milano Lombardia
02 331 5249
A selection of wine at Cantine Isola | Le Cantine Isola / Facebook
Ravioleria Sarpi
Open for: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Price range: $
Third-generation butcher Walter Sirtori and textile entrepreneur Hujian “Agie” Zhou joined forces to open this ravioleria (literally a “dumpling shop”) right next to Sirtori’s butcher shop. They prepare all of the Chinese dumplings on the premises, filling them with whatever cuts of beef or pork Sirtori’s supplier has handy.
Must-try dish: Do not miss the jianbing, the ultimate snack after a few glasses of wine across the street at Cantine Isola.
Via Paolo Sarpi 27, 20154 Milano Lombardia
331 887 0596
Dumplings from Ravioleria Sarpi | Mita Guerra Milutinovic
Osteria del Treno
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Close to Milan’s Centrale train station, this historic family-run osteria serves traditional northern Italian fare and an exquisite selection of Lombard cheese. The lightly adorned dining rooms welcome workers during the week and families on the weekends, when groups line up for anchovies bathed in Italian salsa verde, risotto Milanese, and traditional cassoeula (pork and cabbage stew). Stay hungry for desserts made in-house, like pistachio and hot pepper gelato or mandarin sorbet. On your way out, try to peek into the elegant Liberty-style great hall next door, an iconic events space in the city since 1898.
Best for: A no-frills business lunch at a legendary Milanese institution.
Via San Gregorio 46, 20124 Milano Lombardia
02 670 0479
Caponata | Elizabeth De Filippo-Jones
Yoshinobu
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
This high-end restaurant has a well-rounded menu of Japanese dishes, but is primarily known for its sushi and sashimi selection, which is best appreciated at the counter. There, chef Yoshinobu Kurio is happy to offer off-menu suggestions of nigiri or maki, such as langoustine tempura or temaki made with raw red shrimp and avocado. Yoshinobu’s fish-to-rice ratio in the nigiri deserves a mention, too: The fish always completely cloaks the rice base.
Know before you go: The brightly lit bar counter is the perfect spot to sit and watch the master himself.
Via Giuseppe Parini 7, 20121 Milano Lombardia
02 3659 1742
A spread at Yoshinobu - Yoshinobu/Facebook
Nún
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $
A popular lunch spot in Porta Venezia, Nún is a counter-service restaurant with customizable twists on wraps and pitas, including sabich stuffed with fried eggplant, and 100 percent Italian chicken shawarma with pomegranate syrup and spicy harissa. Vegan and vegetarian options are high points, especially the falafel dishes, which are made from scratch and come with an array of add-ons like feta, kalamata olives, sliced beets, capers, and smoky tahini.
Best for: A quick bite in Porta Venezia when you’re craving something beyond Italian.
Via Lazzaro Spallanzani 36 (Via Omboni), 20129 Milano Lombardia
02 9163 7315
Inside Nún - by Nún
Denis
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Among the steady flow of new avant-garde pizzerias, Denis Lovatel’s restaurant is a front-runner, with some of the most unique pies in Italy. After reaching celebrity status as a second-generation pizzaiolo in the Dolomites, Lovatel opened this location in Milan, which has become a go-to for local chefs. The paper-thin crust of his “mountain pizza” is dusted with a proprietary, umami-forward mix of dried mushrooms and wild herbs, and the vegetable-heavy toppings are exquisitely composed.
Must-try drink: End your meal with Lovatel’s house-made amaros infused with Alpine herbs.
Via Statuto 16, 20121 Milano Milan, Italy
375 798 8835
Mountain pizza | Denis
Bar Basso
Open for: Lunch, aperitivo, and dinner
Price range: $$
Anyone who’s enjoyed an aperitivo lately can thank Bar Basso, an institution that helped expand quality predinner cocktails beyond the walls of sophisticated international hotels. In 1967, Mirko Stocchetto, a barman who had worked at Harry’s Bar in Venice, took over the space, at that time a neighborhood haunt. A year later, while preparing a Negroni, he accidentally swapped gin with prosecco, unintentionally creating the Negroni sbagliato (literally “wrong”), which soon became a classic cocktail and symbol of Milanese hedonism. Bar Basso remains popular with the art and fashion crowd (especially during fashion week and design week), as well as with local retirees enjoying a predinner drink.
Vibe check: There’s excellent people watching from the outdoor tables, if you arrive early enough to snag one.
Via Plinio 39 (Viale Abruzzi), 20129 Milano Lombardia
02 2940 0580
Drinks and snacks | Andrea Wyner
Osteria Alla Concorrenza
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$
Chef Diego Rossi of Trippa (also on this list) shares his love for offal and cucina povera (peasant food) at Osteria Alla Concorrenza. Beef cartilage, pastissada di cavallo (horse meat stew), caponata, and a handful of crostini are some of the simple Italian dishes that jovial servers deliver on paper plates. The restaurant joins a wave of new natural wine bars in Milan, which serve a large variety of small dishes to fill you up from aperitivo hour to midnight. Osteria Alla Concorrenza is located in the heart of Via Melzo in Porta Venezia, a hotbed of new restaurants and bars where customers spill out onto the sidewalks on weekends.
Vibe check: Customers lean trendy and hipster.
Via Melzo 12, 20129 Milano Lombardia
02 9167 2012
Crostini | Osteria Alla Concorrenza
LùBar
Open for: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
The children of whimsical designer Luisa Beccaria started Lùbar as a simple food cart, but today the business occupies the portico area of the Villa Reale estate. Overlooking Milan’s public gardens, Lùbar serves as the cafe of Milan’s GAM (Modern Art Gallery). The fin-de-siecle decor, reminiscent of a winter garden, pairs well with the neoclassical structure of the villa. Dishes served in Sicilian ceramic bowls — like chickpea-flour flatbread paired with avocado, downsized arancine, and pistachio-speckled shrimp — blend Sicilian tradition with modern trends. The dessert selection is more traditional. Get the cannoli, which are filled on the premises.
Best for: Rubbing elbows with the fashionistas.
Search for reservations: SevenRooms
Via Palestro 16, 20121 Milano Lombardia
02 8352 7769
Pasticceria Sissi
Open for: Breakfast, lunch, and aperitivo
Price range: $
Owned by husband-and-wife duo Sissi and Zig Faye, Pasticceria Sissi is an old-school Milanese bakery with pink walls and a well-balanced selection of sweet and savory pastries. The staff fills croissants with custard right on site, and if the weather allows, you should enjoy your sweet snack in the backyard. That said, Sissi is at its best during Carnevale, when the Fayes make holiday-specific treats like chiacchiere, crunchy rectangles of fried dough doused in powdered sugar.
Vibe check: There’s a cozy garden.
Piazza Risorgimento 6 (Via Calvi), 20129 Milano Lombardia
02 7601 4664
A pastry at Sissi | Sissi / Facebook
Horto Restaurant Milano
Open for: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Price range: $$$$
Located a few steps from the bustling, touristy Piazza Duomo, Horto provides an ethereal escape, nestled on a rooftop with a view of the dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Chef Alberto Toè, under the guidance of Norbert Niederkofler, gained one Michelin star less than two years after opening the place. Outdoor tables are surrounded by a garden that provides the kitchen with plenty of ingredients, furnishings and finishes are made of natural and recycled materials, and a hyperlocal ethos drives the kitchen team, who source ingredients within an hour of Milan. A la carte selections and tasting menu highlights include pumpkin and beet carpaccio, pine-marinated beef with barbecued sunchokes, and oxtail raviolo in celeriac broth and parsley oil.
Must-try dish: Don’t miss the yogurt with persimmons, carrots, and Campari for dessert.
Via San Protaso, 5, 20121 Milano Lombardia
02 3651 7496
Chocolate ice cream, biscuit, woodruff cream | Christian Bazzo
Zia Esterina Sorbillo
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $
For the ultimate cheap eat just a few minutes from Piazza Duomo, check out the superlative Neapolitan pizza fritta (fried pizza) at Zia Esterina Sorbillo, among Milan’s melting pot of regional Italian dishes. The puffy, long-fermented, fried-to-order dough is best filled with meats like salami, cicoli (fried pork fat), or prosciutto. For purists, there’s tomato, cheese, and black pepper, with the simple combination of ricotta and provola di bufala that will more than satisfy. Rip off the top of the glossy pocket and squeeze up the gooey, cheesy center. Extra napkins are vital.
Best for: A quick, affordable bite near the Duomo
19 Via Agnello, Lombardia 20121
02 4549 1628
Pizza fritta | Elizabeth De Filippo-Jones
Camparino in Galleria
Open for: Lunch, aperitivo, and dinner
Price range: $$
This Milanese aperitivo establishment sits within the historic Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele, facing Piazza Duomo, and it boasts over 100 years of history. (Rumor has it Davide Campari was born upstairs.) Hungry aperitivo enthusiasts can reserve upstairs tables to taste morsels of squash, balsamic vinegar, and Grana Padano cheese, stracciatella and figs with port, and octopus and lime panella (chickpea fritters).
Must-try drink: The Negroni Sbagliato — any time of day.
21 Piazza del Duomo, Lombardia 20121
02 8646 4435
Shake shake shake | Camparino in Galleria
Pavé Gelati
Open for: Afternoon and evening gelato
Price range: $$
Across town from the team’s all-day cafe-cum-bakery/laboratory, Pavé’s gelateria churns some of the most exquisite gelato in Italy. The shop is committed to seasonal, meticulous sourcing, and sugar is applied lightly in the classic cream- and fruit-based varieties of gelato and granita. The sleek, minimal design of the shop matches the small-batch philosophy, too. Intense Piedmont hazelnut, fair-trade chocolate, and Bronte pistachio are among the traditional options, but experimental flavors, including ricotta, limone with olive, and white chocolate with lime and salt, rotate in and out.
Know before you go: If you want to beat the line in the warmer months, try to go right when it opens.
21 Via Cesare Battisti, Lombardia 20122
02 9438 3619
Gelato from Pavé | Pavé Gelati
Gastronomia Yamamoto
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Aya Yamamoto, born in Tokyo and raised in Milan, opened this homey Japanese restaurant to serve “Grandma’s vegetables.” That broadly translates into a focus on items not normally seen at the city’s roughly 400 Japanese restaurants, which mostly stick to maki and California rolls. There’s lots of meat, from ka-ree (Japanese pork curry) to donburi steak, and salmon, both grilled and in sashimi. The vegetarian options are many, rich, and the most unique for Milan; try the seaweed salad and potato salad with Japanese mayonnaise.
Vibe check: This Japanese comfort food draws a clientele of local regulars.
5 Via Amedei, Lombardia 20123
02 3674 1426
A range of dishes from Gastronomia Yamamoto | Gastronomia Yamamoto
Bentoteca
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Residents flock to Japanese-born Yoji Tokuyoshi’s restaurant for the rotating menu paired with natural wines. The chef showcases his experience as the longtime right-hand man to revered chef Massimo Bottura and at his own (now closed) Michelin-starred Ristorante Tokuyoshi. Dishes might include grilled eel glazed with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, fried veal tongue katsu sandwiches with cappuccio cabbage, and frog leg karaage.
Know before you go: You can cover all your bases with the omakase menu.
3 Via San Calocero, Lombardia 20123
340 835 7453
Mini wagyu don | Bentoteca
Rovello 18
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$
Third-generation chef Michele De Liguoro and his sister named Rovello 18 after the address of their family’s fine dining restaurant Da Pierino, a Michelin-starred destination in the 1950s. De Liguoro isn’t chasing a star at Rovello 18, instead offering a more casual answer to Da Pierino. The homey yet upscale osteria fare includes pasta paired with creamy broccoli rabe, clams, and bottarga, as well as crispy risotto al salto topped with Lombard taleggio. Diners can watch the action unfold in the open kitchen while enjoying seasonal antipasti, including sauteed artichokes, puntarelle salad, and grilled pepper tonnato (caper-spiked tuna sauce). Rovello 18 is also a wine destination: Its collection of over 800 bottles is replete with microproducers and crucial bottles from Italy and France.
Know before you go: If they’re fully booked, you can likely find a seat at the bar.
Via Ariberto 3, 20123 Milano Milan, Italy
02 7209 3709
Fettuccine with creamy broccoli rabe, clams, and bottarga | Elizabeth De Filippo-Jones
Langosteria
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$$
Langosteria is a temple to seafood, especially crustaceans. Since the first location opened in 2007, followed by a bistro nearby in 2012 and a cafe in the city center in 2016, Langosteria has established itself as a stronghold in the Milanese seafood scene, and rightfully so. With seafood-topped pastas and Catalan-style main courses, Langosteria manages to deliver an upscale experience without the cold formality usually associated with high-end seafood restaurants.
Must-try dish: Get the raw fish platter with shrimp from Mazara del Vallo.
Via Savona 10, 20144 Milano Lombardia
02 5811 1649
Inside Langosteria | Langosteria
Enoteca Naturale
Open for: Aperitivo and dinner
Price range: $$
Residents flock to Japanese-born Yoji Tokuyoshi’s restaurant for the rotating menu paired with natural wines. The chef showcases his experience as the longtime right-hand man to revered chef Massimo Bottura and at his own (now closed) Michelin-starred Ristorante Tokuyoshi. Dishes might include grilled eel glazed with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, fried veal tongue katsu sandwiches with cappuccio cabbage, and frog leg karaage.
Know before you go: Reserve online for aperitivo or dinner, especially during the warmer months, to secure a seat under the tall trees in the garden.
19/a Via Santa Croce, Lombardia 20122
Pouring some of Enoteca Naturale’s 300 bottles | Enoteca Naturale
Le Polveri
Open for: Breakfast and lunch
Price range: $$
Aurora Zancanaro, a chemist turned celebrated baker, opened this second location of Le Polveri, on Via Vespri Siciliani, as a small all-day cafe and “bread laboratory.” Come for specialty coffee alongside flaky laminated pastries, yeast-leavened buns, and olive oil slicked focaccias, the last often topped with stracchino cheese and bitter greens. At lunch, a short, ever-changing menu includes baked eggs and slices of Zancanaro’s award-winning bread smothered with whipped butter and house-made jam.
Best for: Bread and pastry lovers.
Via Vespri Siciliani 16, 20146 Milano Milan, Italy
A pastry at Le Polveri | Le Polveri
Macelleria Popolare
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Macelleria Popolare’s counter is a top destination for chefs and diners searching for Italian street foods of yesteryear. Tongue, spleen, tripe, lampredotto (the cow’s fourth stomach), chopped heart, and fried brains are paired with prodigal butcher Giuseppe Zen’s daily choice of wines. Picky eaters can stick to meatballs fried in gargantuan breadcrumbs or select some cheeses from the stall in the Darsena market nearby. Order and sit outside at the picnic tables overlooking the canal.
Best for: The best street food in Navigli canal district, tucked away inside a market that visitors often miss.
4 Piazza Ventiquattro Maggio, Lombardia 20123
02 3946 8368
Li-Sei Deli
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$
Husband-and-wife duo Okhee Lee and Kihyuk Jung pull from their shared Korean and her Japanese backgrounds to create the colorful menu at Li-Sei Deli: bibimbap with black rice, orzo, farro with beef, shokupan sandwiches, and onigiri. Arrive early and order at the counter for a chance to sit inside and admire the Nordic design vibes, put together by Jung, who studied set design at Milan’s prestigious Brera Academy.
Must-try dish: The Korean fried chicken is a must.
9 Via Vigevano, Lombardia 20144
02 4977 5083
Fried chicken | Li-Sei Deli
28 Posti
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
28 Posti is a respite from the young crowds that gather on the cobblestones outside bars along the canals in Navigli. Owner Silvia Orazi’s mother welcomes guests to the small restaurant, with a delightful interior that allows the modern food and natural wines to shine. Meanwhile, chef Franco Salvatore works in the windowed kitchen in full view. Select a tasting menu of three, five, eight, or 10 dishes. Or go a la carte with wacky yet seamless plates like guinea fowl breast with milk, honey, offal ragu, chocolate gelato, radish, kefir, and tarragon.
Know before you go: Vegetarians will not be disappointed if they give the restaurant advance notice.
Via Corsico 1, 20144 Milano Lombardia
02 839 2377
Dishes from 28 Posti | 28 Posti
Trattoria Trippa
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Trippa (tripe) comes up a lot on the menu by chef Diego Rossi, who trained with Dolomites-based chef Norbert Niederkofler. The menu changes according to availability, but, as a general rule, the chef repurposes “peasant” cuisine: a risotto comes topped with silene, an herb known for its sweet and mild flavor, or a soup with nettle and cicerchia (a local legume that used to be a pantry staple but fell out of favor). Simplicity is key: Rossi never uses more than four ingredients for a dish.
Know before you go: Trippa may be the hardest reservation in town. Set your alarm to snag a reservation; they go online at midnight CET a week in advance.
Via Vasari 3, 20122 Milano Lombardia
327 668 7908
Enrico Bartolini
Open for: Lunch and dinner
Price range: $$$$
In 2019, Enrico Bartolini’s restaurant at the MUDEC museum became the first in the city to achieve three Michelin stars. Bartolini first made his mark abroad, in the kitchens of Paolo Petrini in Paris and Mark Page in London, before returning to work in Italy at Le Robinie restaurant, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star at 29. Fresh spaghetti, toasted lemon, squid, whiskey, caviar, grilled artichoke, black garlic, and beef marrow are some of the highlights on the nine-course tasting menu, which will set you back.
Best for: A dinner date with your chicest friend.
56 Via Tortona, Lombardia 20144
02 8429 3701
The finishing touch | Enrico Bartolini/Facebook
Bicchierino Bar
Open for: Aperitivo and dinner
Price range: $$
Five young friends opened this austere wine bar in Giambellino, but you’ll probably be greeted by Martina Bellavista, who acts as matron directing guests toward one of the handful of small tables or the large communal table in the back. Bicchierino serves up some of the most deeply satisfying food in Milan, a surprise given there’s no kitchen. A small oven warms artichokes with fresh herbs topped with preserved lemon and Parmigiano and pecorino cream, as well as an Italian take on a roast beef sandwich with anchovy and caper mayonnaise. Cold horse tartare with horseradish and black sesame panna cotta also emerge from behind the six-seat bar, which is usually covered in fresh flowers. Guests can also purchase from a tight list of natural wines from France, Italy, and Spain to take away. Grab a reservation, since Bicchierino is one of the hottest bars in the city at the moment.
Vibe check: A lively, young fashion crowd in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.
Via Giambellino 39, 20146 Milano Milan, Italy
9124 0133
The flower-covered bar at Bicchierino | Bicchierino Bar
Torre
Open for: Aperitivo and dinner
Price range: $$$$
In 2015, the Prada family opened the Fondazione Prada museum to showcase the family’s extensive art collection. The multibuilding complex became a contemporary art destination, attracting visitors to a former gin distillery on the southern edge of the city. Diners came too for the celebrated Bar Luce, designed by Wes Anderson with trompe-l’oeil wall decorations and pinball machines. But head for the bar’s more mature sibling, Torre (“tower”), an upscale restaurant that opened in 2018 on the sixth floor of the newest building. The restaurant boasts one of the city’s most stunning dining spaces, decorated with works by Lucio Fontana and John Baldessari, as well as an expansive triangular terrace ideal for sunset aperitivi. Young Livorno-born chef Lorenzo Lunghi serves modern Milanese fare and seafood dishes influenced by Tuscan coastal cuisine. Freshly baked bread and sweets come from Marchesi, Milan’s most celebrated antica pasticceria, which the Prada family purchased in 2015 and expanded into a mini-franchise.
Know before you go: Grab a drink on the terrace bar before dinner to catch the sunset over the city.
14 Via Giovanni Lorenzini, Lombardia 20139
02 2332 3910
Inside Torre | Torre
Cantina Urbana
Open for: Aperitivo and dinner
Price range: $$
While many Italian drinkers steadfastly adhere to terroir and agrarian tradition, Cantina Urbana’s microwinery just outside Milan’s center is successfully pushing against those boundaries. Taking inspiration from New York’s Brooklyn Winery, lively entrepreneur and founder Michele Rimpici caters to a new crop of drinkers with an alternative space for winemaking and tasting in an urban setting. With grapes from the regions of Oltrepò Pavese, Valpolicella, and the slopes of Mount Etna, Cantina Urbana ages wines in steel, amphorae, and wooden barrels. There are also local snacks, charcuterie boards abundant with Lombard cheeses and salumi, and no-frills cicchetti that make for a filling aperitivo to stave off hunger before dinner.
Know before you go: Along with bottles for purchase, the winery offers tastings and tours.
87 Via Ascanio Sforza, Lombardia 20141
02 2701 4347
Inside Cantina Urbana | Cantina Urbana
Erba Brusca
Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
You’ll find Erba Brusca alongside the Naviglio Pavese canal, where the city begins to blend with smaller towns. The restaurant has an expansive on-site vegetable garden and an overall radical-chic vibe to go with the hyperlocal, seasonal tasting menu that changes weekly. Chef Alice Delcourt takes influence from her youth, split among France, the U.K., and the U.S. Options might include braised octopus with preserved sweet peppers, olives, capers, and fresh chickpea pancake, or kale risotto with sun-dried tomato pesto, sunflower seeds, and lemon.
Vibe check: Few tourists find their way to this picturesque spot on the Pavese canal.
Alzaia Naviglio Pavese 286, 20142 Milano Milano
02 8738 0711
Erba Brusca | Erba Brusca / Facebook
