4 speakeasies in Milan, editor-picked by TableJourney. All Milan nightlife.
1930 Cocktail Bar ★ 4.9
Cinque Vie · Via Edmondo de Amicis 22, 20123 Milano
1930 hides a members-only speakeasy in the basement of its sister bar Mag Cafe in the Cinque Vie quarter, with a password-and-membership entry, an antique vinyl room and Flavio Angiolillo's cocktail programme that has held a World's 50 Best Bars slot since 2019.
Tip: Membership and the password come via the Farmily Group sister venues; reservations are required and there is one seating per evening. No street signage at the door.
Backdoor 43 ★ 4.7
Navigli · Ripa di Porta Ticinese 43, 20143 Milano
Backdoor 43 packs a four-square-metre cocktail room and a takeaway slot into number 43 on the Naviglio Grande, billed as the world's smallest bar with three seats inside, a private one-hour booking system and a masked bartender for street-side orders.
Tip: Reserve the inside hour ahead via the Farmily Group site; the takeaway slot serves passers-by through a hatched window without a booking.
Iter ★ 4.6
Navigli · Via Mario Fusetti 1, 20143 Milano
Iter runs a travel-themed cocktail room a block back from the Naviglio Grande, where bartender Nicola Scarnera and the Farmily Group rotate a country menu every six months so the back bar, food plates and cocktail builds all shift around one cuisine at a time.
Tip: The country residency changes twice a year; the menu lists the current destination at the top. Reservations recommended for weekend evenings.
Nottingham Forest ★ 4.7
Porta Venezia · Viale Piave 1, 20129 Milano
Nottingham Forest has run on Viale Piave at the foot of Porta Venezia since 1980, with owner Dario Comini pioneering molecular mixology behind a tribal-art-lined bar that has held a World's 50 Best Bars slot for years and is the city's canonical fusion cocktail room.
Tip: The room is small and the line forms before 22:00 on weekends; no reservations so arrive early. The menu changes seasonally and runs to over 200 builds.