Eat in Milan

Here you will find my favorite places to eat in Milan, divided by occasion/type of cuisine.

Breakfast and Brunch

Gelsomina, an adorable pastry shop in viale Tunisia, between Repubblica and Porta Venezia, characterized by the presence of typical southern Italy pastries. The café's design stands out for rough floors alternating with majolica tiles, old iron chairs and tables. At the counter you will find croissants, cannoli, cassatine, brioches, maritozzi and sfogliatelle. We tried the "brioches con il tuoppo" (typical of Sicily) stuffed with pistachio and cream. Light dough and quality creams, the best way to start the day.

Orsonero Coffee is a cozy café dedicated to specialty coffee. It is located in a corner near Lima metro station, quite small but with various tables inside and outside. The design is minimalistic, similar to northern Europe coffee shops. They are not roasters but they choose the best Italian and European specialty coffee. They usually offer Gardelli Coffee (from Forlì, Italy) and Coffee Collective (from Denmark), but they like to change quite often. We went there at breakfast time, we had a cappuccino and a pour over (made with Guatemala coffee) paired with some amazing croissants. The pour over was very good and we decided to buy the coffee beans to make it at home.

Pasticceria Iginio Massari is located a stone's throw from Duomo di Milano, inside a prestigious headquarters of Intesa Sanpaolo bank. The pastry shop inside is basic with a big counter full of sweets of all kinds. The outside dehors is very nice, completely made of glass, in which it seems to be inside a shop window. The service is fast and polite. Iginio Massari is the most famous pastry chef in Italy and his desserts undoubtedly show why. For breakfast I recommend you to try a cappuccino and a veneziana (typical Milanese brioche with rounded shape and sugar sprinkles topping) filled with cream. If you want to taste his famous Maritozzo you have to wait until 11:00.

Hygge is a cozy restaurant inspired by Scandinavian design and cuisine. Here you can have breakfast, brunch or lunch. The brunch (only available on Saturday and Sunday) has a fixed price of 24€, always including filter coffee refill and orange juice. After choosing between Regular and Vegan menù, you can opt for various salty and sweet options.

I chose the Vegan Menù with: avocado, raspberry, mint and walnuts Smørrebrød, Pumpkin soup, Potato scones, Barley with vegetables and Carrot cake. The portions are huge, in fact, I couldn't finish it all. Every plate was good, especially the potato scones which I really recommend you to try.

Pizza

Pizzium is a restaurant chain specialized in Pizza. The atmosphere is informal, evoking southern Italy pizzerias. Each pizza has the name of an Italian region and the ingredients reflect the traditions of the same. I tried Pizza Sicilia: fiordilatte d'Agerola, tuna from Cetara, red datterini tomatoes and Sicilian olives. Good dough and quality toppings. The prices are lower than other pizzerias of the same level in Milan.

Cocciuto is a trendy pizzeria, present in three different locations in Milan. I went to the one in Porta Venezia, where the restaurant is cozy and well designed. Cocciuto embraces the philosophy of excellence for the choice of ingredients used for the menu. Their pizzas are characterized by soft and thin center, with a developed and fragrant cornicione (crust), intriguing and balanced toppings. Here I tried the Nerano Sbagliata: yellow zucchini cream, fiordilatte, zucchini chips, Sicilian pecorino, provolone, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil. A very good pizza, although I probably made a mistake in choosing this one as I am not a fan of pizzas without tomato sauce. Prices are average.

Aperitivo 

Bvlgari Hotel Milano has an elegant cocktail bar where you can taste an exclusive aperitivo.

A meeting point not only for hotel guests but also for the Milanese. They have a wide choice of drinks and fine wines. Your drink will always be paired with traditional Italian food. Service and location of a five stars hotel, nothing to say, everything perfect.

Chinese box is located in Brera, in one of the most fashionable streets of Milan, right in front of the historic Radetzky. This was my favorite place to go for a good aperitivo with friends or for a cocktail after dinner. Why? Because of the strategic location (close to transport and restaurants), the trendy design and the abundance of snacks to accompany the cocktails.

Mint Garden Café is a flower shop and a bistro. From 6:30pm they offer a good aperitivo with a good selection of wines, a list of classic cocktails and many appetizers (we practically dined there). I liked this place very much (I love bars with many plants inside) and the aperitif was rich and tasty.

Da Otto is a very popular place located in the heart of Chinatown. Simple but delightful environment, characterized by a hipster style. At aperitivo time you can opt for your own cutting board (a choice of six; such as hummus, cheeses, bruschetta and so on), which costs between 5 and 8 euros, to pair with a series of good cocktails. I really like this concept because you can often try new plates and ingredients always matching with your taste.

Bar Frida is a cocktail bar in the center of Isola area. They are open for lunch as a restaurant and in the evening as a cocktail bar. From 6pm to 9pm they offer a welcome plate to pair with your drink (there is no fixed price, you only pay the drinks). If you would like to have dinner there, they have a small kitchen open until midnight which offers various small plates, cutting boards and sandwiches. I like this place because they have a big offer of cocktails, the food is good (and quite healthy) and prices are low.

Japanese 

Zazà Ramen, is a restaurant specialized in Japanese Ramen with an Italian twist. Here you can choose between miso, shoyu or shio broth, with freshly cooked noodles and a vegetable, meat, or seafood topping. The broth doesn't taste as strong as real ramen should be, but the ingredient used are quality ones and the home-made noodles are really good.

Poporoya is both Japanese food shop and sushi bar. In a warm and welcoming environment, you can taste the best traditional Japanese cuisine, diving into the suggestive atmosphere which truly remind you Japan. Here you will not only find sushi, but also many traditional Japanese dishes that are difficult to find abroad. For example, I tried the Una don, a rice bowl with grilled eel. I must admit that it was not at the level of those eaten in Japan, but it probably depended on the eel itself which was a bit tough. The sushi, on the other hand, was very good.

Dinner

Asola Cucina Sartoriale is a Rooftop restaurant suspended between sky and earth, located in The Brian&Barry Building. The view above Milan is breathtaking, the perfect place for a romantic dinner. The chef Matteo Torretta celebrates in its plates both tradition and creativity. As soon as you arrive, three welcome finger foods are offered. Then they will serve you various types of homemade bread accompanied by salted butter mousse.

I tried the Risotto messico e nuvole with goat cheese, guacamole, coriander, white prawns and lime. And for dessert a tartlet with lemon cream, strawberry sorbet, wild strawberries and fresh peas. Everything was really good, the flavors are complex but perfectly matched to each other.

Ristorante Trussardi alla Scala is a refined restaurant in the center of Milan looking out onto the Teatro alla Scala. The pursuit is to revisit Italian culinary culture by using product of excellence and avant-garde techniques. The restaurant is elegant characterized by a luxury design.

Here I tried Grilled scallops with black garlic, bacon and licorice as appetizer and Black cod, hibiscus and yogurt as main course. The dishes had a very delicate and light taste. They also brought us a fresh pre-dessert and a small post-dessert (salted butter macarons), something I really appreciated.

Ristorante La Gioia is a new restaurant in Moscova. As soon as you enter you are enchanted by every detail in the room: from the bottles to the dishes, from the chandeliers to the plants that rise up to the ceiling. The staff is professional and helpful. Very good and well presented food. I tried their Super cacio e pepe and the waiter whisked the pasta inside the cheese wheel next to us, a real show at the table. They also offer very good desserts. I recommend the Pavlova and the Tiramisù del gallo (served with melted chocolate).

Ristorante Officina 12 is located near Navigli canals. The concept is to mix-and-match tradition and innovation, both in the restaurant design both in their cuisine. They only use certified Italian products and they offer homemade fresh pasta. The restaurant is elegant, but during lunchtime it is quite informal. I tried tuna and beans as main course, a reinterpretation of a typical Italian poor dish. The dish was good but nothing surprising, probably is a trendy place but a little overrated.