Come the weekend and the urge to go out to dinner? Or do you have a appointment and you want to look good? Whatever your motivation for going out, we have selected some restaurants in Milan worth going to, whether you are alone or with company, take note.
Needless to say, the selection is small compared to the vast gastronomic offerings that Milan has. We have taken care to point out a few locales that we think deserve it. But that is not to say that the best are only these on the contrary. In the meantime we start with the following and then as we go along we will add to the list. There is no hierarchy; there is no first or last.
Table Of Contents
The company
Among the restaurants in Milan, this one should absolutely be noted. Opened in 2019, The Society is an amazing restaurant that we discovered just recently. Upscale gourmet restaurant whose beauty lies in not dragging its feet at all when it has every right to do so; on the contrary, one feels comfortable, welcomed, at home, among friends, relaxed and serene. Exceptional setting, sublime food and equally unique cocktails. Just think that more than 100 kinds of gin are hidden here. In case you know about it.
3 rooms each with a different, colorful, fun and refined wallpaper with vintage photos on the walls, real, family photos of the owners. And each with its own playlist so you can have an experience based on where you sit. Where we ate was the photo of Giulia‘s mother (the beating heart of the restaurant) during her first communion 50-60 years ago. The chef’s kitchen, Andrea, the other soul of the restaurant, will take you on a journey of incredible flavors. Already noted by the Michelin Guide, their goal is to get a star. The prices are from such a place more or less. 95 euros for the 5-course tasting menu, 130 euros for the 8-course menu, or choose a la carte. We recommend the tasting so you can really get to know the culinary art of this man who has hands of gold. Here is the menu.
Where: Castaldi Street, 9
Stendhal
Stendhal is a really very intimate and cozy venue in the Brera area. Typical Milanese cuisine but with an added twist. Good, affordable and elegant will know how to make your evening magical. We came out thrilled and can’t wait to return. You can really tell that the owner cares about providing a unique and personalized experience. Here you can breathe passion and authenticity, but most of all love for your work and for people. And of course to the sublimely cooked and presented food.
Where: Via Ancona, ang, Via S. Marco
Superficial
We of Superficial we are in love. To be listed among the restaurants in Milan to go to because it is absolutely deserving. Once a red light cinema, now the place to be. Here there is no menu where you choose the dishes but you choose the route: meat, fish or vegetarian and taste the chef’s proposals that change from day to day according to the whim and ingredients retrieved from the market. The cook is very skilled and creates dishes that are works of art with immense flavor. Definitely worth considering.
Where: sansovino Street, 1– Open daily lunch and dinner except Sunday evening and Monday.
Spores
Another incredible place that rightly deserves a place on the list. Spores. We tried it recently and admit that we were a bit hesitant given the rather unique dishes on the menu: parker bun, koji cheese, fermented vegetables or cold buckwheat noodles, shoyu kasu, crab broth, mussels, sesame oil, fermented bell bell pepper, marinated egg. Despite initial hesitations we then fell in love with it. Although we had never heard of some of the ingredients, we discovered a special place. The dishes are more than exquisite. Delicious. Unique. Unmissable. An excellent selection of wines. A set menu that you don’t choose and an incredible flavor journey.
Where: Passo Buole Street, 4. Open only for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Pitbeef Milan
Among the restaurants in Milan, I also want to mention PitBeef, another place of the heart. Enrico and Lucia are the two owners. Two exquisite people who welcome you as if they have known you forever. Of unique courtesy. Here, wood-fired meat is the star here to bring out the flavors to the fullest. Rich and inviting menu with special cuts of meat and tasty combinations. In addition to meat here, they are also experts in whiskey to accompany the dishes in the best possible way. Small, warm and cozy, Pitbeef is located in the shadow of the Bosco Verticale. A place that smells of home, passion and love. Super recommended.
Where: via de Castillia, 7. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Thursday. Fridays and Saturdays only for dinner. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Brasita’s
Brasita’s is worth trying, not only for the good and authentic Brazilian food, but also for the curious experience. In fact, it is hidden inside a gas station. It may not be the chicest venue, but it is genuine, international, and sincere. You can breathe a little bit of the do Brasilair.
Where: Gallarate Street, 40. Open daily 18-00. Weekend 11.30-00. Closed on Tuesdays.
IYO Omakase
There are no stories, if you want to have a one-of-a-kind sushi experience you must come here to IYO Omakase. We are located within the aalto Restaurant (another venue worth mentioning) in Alvar Aalto Square. An immersion in the magical world of Japan with a real Sushi Master preparing the dishes as per tradition behind a counter for only 7 guests. Here you can enjoy true Oriental cuisine with rich wine and sake pairings. We have been there and had the full experience. Needless to say, this is something very special that must be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
Where: Alvar Aalto Square, Liberation Avenue, 15. Open only in the evening every day except Tuesday.
From the Bolognese
Elegant, chic, luxurious and good. If among Milan’s restaurants you are looking for something of a high standard, your choice must fall here. The location is beautiful, especially in warm weather. The dehors inside a porch courtyard is truly impressive. Obviously prices rise but it is worth dining at this place with typical Emilian cuisine. From noodles to cold cuts to main courses, it’s a sensory journey you won’t easily forget.
Where: Amedei Street, 8. Open daily Monday through Saturday lunch and dinner. Closed Sundays.
Guyot
With Guyot we move and land in the Isola area about, Farini area. This venue is not very noticeable from the street because it is basement. Exposed brick and wooden beams provide a true tavern atmosphere. We were here to celebrate recently. Guyot is renowned for its risottos of many kinds, paired with excellent wines, for example, Chianti risotto with lamb chops. Gorgonzola, walnuts and figs. Pumpkin and taleggio cheese, and many others you can also find here. Recommended now that the cold weather is upon us. A nice risotto and go. Also solutions for celiacs.
Where: Via Arnaldo da Brescia, 3. During the week open only for dinner. On weekends also for lunch. Daily.
Osteria Dal Verme
If you are in Isola you can also choose Osteria dal Verme. Typical tavern offering traditional regional dishes. This is a cozy restaurant with exposed brick walls. The menu includes traditional Lombardy dishes such as risotto and veal chop Milanese style, ossobuco, braised beef, pasta and beans… We tasted the Grilled Beef and Speck Zigeuner with polenta taragna. A wooden stick wrapped with meat that is in turn covered with bacon. Delicious indeed.
Where:Jacopo dal Verme Street, 19. Open daily lunch and dinner.
Joy
Here, too, we go among Milan’s classy restaurants. Joy is indeed a joy-giving venue. An upscale environment that offers equally fine dishes in a cozy and chic setting. Dishes that appear simple but conceal an attention to detail and passion worthy of praise. Joy is perfect if you need to impress someone or to celebrate an important event.
Where: St. Mark’s Street, 38. Open only for dinner on Mondays, Tuesday through Sunday also lunch.
At the Baretto
Two steps from La Gioia you will find Al Baretto, the seafood restaurant linked to La Gioia. Needless to say, how much Il Baretto also exudes class and elegance. A true old moneyvenue , where to go to find quality, excellence and a classic, refined ambiance that smacks of Italian Dolce Vita in its heyday. A bit Mastroianni-like to understand. At Baretto is luxury, good living and good food. What more could you want?
Where: Marsala Street, 2. Open daily for dinner.
Together
Another place to be among Milan’s restaurants is Insieme. A simple, unpretentious but delicate and cozy place that offers its diners tasty dishes prepared with care and attention. We were there a few years ago and it surprised us. At Insieme you will find a restricted menu that represents the philosophy of owners Federica and Alessandro, which is to offer fewer dishes but more quality and excellence. A market cuisine made of small things but sought after and good. Very convivial as a venue and equally intimate. Recommended without a doubt.
Where: Giovanni Rasori Street, 12. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Sundays only for lunch. Closed on Mondays.
Orianna
We are downtown on Corso Garibaldi. Cuisine that tastes like home, as real as grandma’s, typical Emilian flavors. Orianna is a place to get together and share unforgettable moments with friends, to enjoy an intimate dinner with a special someone, for a business lunch where ties are loosened at the end or, more simply, to take a moment’s break when Milan becomes too cluttered, we read on the website. And it is true, we who have been there can confirm this. Orianna is intimate, collected, surprising and pleasant. It is home, it is Emilia in Milan. With its delicious sausages, noodles with meat sauce, el rison and other delicacies.
Where: Corso Garibaldi, 127. Open Wednesday-Sunday: 12.30 – 2:30 p.m. – Tuesday – Saturday: 19.30-23.00. Closed Sunday evening, Monday, Tuesday lunchtime
James Bistro
Great classic of the Milanese culinary scene. James is an institution. Between the super Duomo view restaurant, the deli, the pastry shop and the bistro, Giacomo is everywhere giving excitement all the time. The Bistro is my favorite one. Small, cozy, luxurious and chic French style in the Five Days area. Here you will find traditional cuisine classics with a modern and valuable twist. Giacomo’s cuisine is one that speaks to you and takes you on a journey of flavors you will never be able to live without.
Where: Via Pasquale Sottocorno, 6. Open for dinner during the week, also for lunch on weekends.
Berti’s
Fresh from renovation, Da Berti is a typical restaurant that nonetheless features a hint of modernity. One of the most beautiful outdoor gardens in the city in which to enjoy spring, summer and even fall evenings while the warmth holds. Easygoing, veracious but at the same time elegant and refined. Perfect for any moment you want to experience, alone or in company. Milanese cuisine is the star here, a cuisine that combines tradition and innovation by offering delicious dishes. We were at the garden opening this summer and they delighted us with several fingerfood style tastings, one better than the other.
Where: Francesco Algarotti Street, 22. Open Monday through Saturday lunch and dinner, closed Sunday.
Ratana
Back on Isola, view Library of Trees stands this restaurant worthy of mention. An eatery that offers traditional dishes revamped with a dash of modernity. Ratanà is a modern osteria whose chef interprets Milanese dishes with the free and creative flair that every chef should have. Small local producers, attention to seasonality of products and excellence of raw materials. Everything is studied and proposed to the best of its ability to give the diner an experience, not just a dinner.
Where: Via de Castilia, 28. Open daily lunch and dinner.
Immoral
A name a program. Immoral we have known him for quite some time. There are two locations in Milan, both in Porta Venezia. Immoral is a restaurant you have to go to in order to experience something different and unusual that tastes of irony, lightheartedness, freedom and friendship. Isn’t the name alone enough to invite you to book? We have been years ago to the venue on Via Lecco, which is small, cozy and very intimate with a very special gastronomic proposal. Done in its own way, honest, simple and sometimes provocative. More we do not want to reveal since Immoral must be discovered. You will not be disappointed.
Where: Via Lecco, 16 (Bistro). Open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 1 – Tadino Street, 43 (restaurant). Open Monday through Saturday from 7 pm to 1 am.
Damm-atrà
If among the restaurants in Milan you are looking for typical cuisine in a beautiful part of the city, then you must go to this restaurant on the Navigli. Very nice inside offers hearty traditional dishes, true and sincere. For an evening in the name of conviviality, wine and good food, you’re on the safe side here.
Where: Elia Lombardini Street, 1. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday and Monday closed.
Al Matarel
But true Milanese cuisine, as it used to be, if you want it, you have to come here. The menu is in dialect, and when we were there, the kitchen was still staffed by the elderly owner, Elide, who has been preparing the dishes herself since 1962, waking up at dawn and working hard until late at night. A powerful grandmother at the helm of the kitchen as it once was. Between the mondeghili, Cassœula, rib salad and ossobuco, it’s a feast here. A true trattoria of old Milan located in the heart of the city that you cannot miss.
Where: Via Laura Solera Mantegazza, 2. Open lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday.
Maio
And here we move up to the top, Milan restaurants are everywhere, Duomo view. We are above the Rinascente. A very cool venue with a terrace and a wonderful view of the Cathedral and its Square. Given the location and prestige, the proposal is not very accessible but deserves once without a doubt. Good menu with excellent proposals. Definitely an exclusive location to take the perfect photo for your Instagram feed or to bring your flame to impress. Quality, distinction and elegance distinguish this place by giving unique moments.
Where:” link_url=”https://www.google.com/maps/place/Maio+Restaurant+Milano/@45.4648826,9.1893908,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x4786c6ae5a15a703:0x5e9f44f7a17af81b!8m2!3d45.4648789!4d9.1919657!16s%2Fg%2F1wj_4x_m?hl=it&entry=ttu”> P.za del Duomo. Top floor of the Rinascente.
A place in Milan
From the rooftops of Milan to farmsteads. With A Place in Milan we move to an oasis of greenery and peace in the heart of the city. Cascina Cuccagna. We went for aperitifs. A very easygoing, informal, yet cozy place perfect for enjoying an evening with friends. Excellent food and careful attention to product selection. Equally excellent is the wine selection, so many labels available. A place in Milan, a bit like Cascina, also offers many activities, performances, such as Jazz concerts and various moments of togetherness where we can be together well and in joy. Rustic and hospitable is the perfect place. By the way, it is also guest quarters.
Where:” link_url=”https://www.google.com/maps/place/Un+posto+a+Milano/@45.4511367,9.2090041,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!3m8!1s0x4786c4242d48318f:0x95f6d1c7242cbf7e!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d45.451133!4d9.211579!16s%2Fg%2F1hhjfc8w7?hl=it&entry=ttu”> Via Privata Cuccagna, 2/4. Open daily from 9 am to 1 am.
Lymph
What if you wanted a vegetarian/vegan proposal instead? Well, some of these Milan restaurants have veggie offerings, but Linfa is the benchmark for plant-based and cruely-free cuisine lovers. Its young founder, Edoardo Valsecchi, has given birth to an establishment that, besides being a real gem in one of the trendiest areas of the city, Tortona, has started a business with a cuisine that looks to the future, responsible and sustainable as well as organic in full respect of the environment and animals. Truly a noble project. We went to a preview tasting event and were thrilled. The vegan diet scares many people, but if done right it is good, tasty and does not make them nostalgic for the omnivorous one. Never did I think I would taste a red turnip caviar. But at Linfa’s you can. And so much more.
Where: Via Bergognone, 24. Open only for dinner Monday through Saturday. Closed on Sundays.
Trattoria il Marinaio
Among the restaurants in Milan we also wanted to point out this one in the Isola area. An unpretentious little place. Pugliese. Which offers a really good seafood menu. Fresh, tasty and light. Perfect for lunch but also for dinner. If you go then let us know how it is we liked it!
Where: Guglielmo Pepe Street, 12. Open lunch and dinner daily.