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ItalianPorta Romana
Trippa in Milan's Porta Romana is Diego Rossi's offal-led trattoria, opened 2015 with cucina povera reimagined. Kitchen leans modern italian, offal.
OrderThe vitello tonnato, the trippa alla fiorentina and the mondeghili Milanese meatballs.
TipBookings open 60 days ahead on the website; sells out within hours. Walk-up bar seats open at 19:30 for early birds.
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ItalianIsola
Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. Priced at €€€.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; dinner from 19:30. The garden is the spot in summer.
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ItalianTortona
Langosteria in Milan's Tortona district is Enrico Buonocore's seafood dining room, opened 2007 and now expanded to Paris and Saint-Tropez. Priced at €€€€.
OrderThe crudo selection, the spaghetti alla chitarra with king crab and the catalana di astice.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The new Cafe Langosteria at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele runs a more accessible aperitivo menu.
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Lombard TrattoriaPorta Romana
Trattoria del Nuovo Macello in Milan's south-east has cooked the Lombard trattoria canon since 1927, near the old slaughterhouse. Located in Porta Romana.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese, the cotoletta alla milanese with bone in, and the ossobuco when on the carte.
TipBookings open one month ahead on the website. Lunch is the calmer service; Friday evening fills up first.
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Lombard TrattoriaPorta Romana
Trattoria Masuelli San Marco in Milan's Porta Romana has cooked the Lombard canon since 1921, family-run by the Masuelli family for four generations.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the ossobuco and the cassoeula in winter.
TipBookings open ten days ahead by phone. Cash and card; the wine list runs deep on Lombard producers.
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Lombard, Modern ItalianPorta Venezia
Giannino in Milan since 1899 is the historic Lombard dining room near Stazione Centrale, the family-run kitchen that has fed Milan's industrial bourgeoisie.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco con risotto plate.
TipBookings open by phone or website; lunch sittings 12:30 and 13:30. The marble-and-mahogany dining room is the destination.
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ItalianPorta Venezia
Da Giacomo in Milan's Porta Venezia is the Tuscan-seafood dining room of the Bulgheroni family, opened 1989 and a Milanese fashion-week institution.
OrderThe spaghetti allo scoglio, the cotoletta alla milanese in the orecchio di elefante form and the fritto misto.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The Bistrot Da Giacomo next door is the easier walk-up sister room.
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Lombard, Modern ItalianCentro Storico
Giacomo Arengario in Milan sits atop the Museo del Novecento with a wraparound terrace looking at the Duomo. Kitchen leans lombard, modern italian.
OrderRisotto alla milanese and cotoletta with the Duomo view; the spaghetti alla chitarra with prawns is the alternative.
TipBookings open a month ahead; ask for the terrace. The aperitivo sitting at 18:30 is the cheaper way to use the view.
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Lombard, Classical ItalianCentro Storico
Savini in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele has cooked classical Lombard and Italian cuisine since 1867, the historic dining room of opera-going Milan.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese, cotoletta alla milanese and the tortelli di zucca from Mantua.
TipBookings open a month ahead. The post-Scala dinner sitting at 22:30 is when the opera crowd arrives.
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Lombard TrattoriaIsola
Antica Trattoria della Pesa in Milan's Porta Garibaldi has cooked the Lombard farmstead canon since 1880, set in the old grain-weighing house.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese, the ossobuco and the cassoeula in winter.
TipBookings open one week ahead by phone. The dining room has the original 1880 wood-panel interior; ask for a table by the window.
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JapaneseIsola
Iyo in Milan's Sempione district was the first Japanese restaurant in Italy to hold a Michelin star (2015). Located in Isola. Priced at €€€€.
OrderThe kaiseki tasting set or the omakase sashimi at the counter; the black cod with miso is the signature desser
TipBookings open one month ahead. The Iyo Aalto sister room in Porta Nuova holds the second star; book that for sushi.
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Modern ItalianIsola
Ceresio 7 in Milan's Sarpi district is the rooftop restaurant atop the Dsquared2 headquarters, with two pools and a 360-view terrace. Located in Isola.
OrderThe tagliolini al limone, the vitello tonnato and a glass of Franciacorta at the bar before sitting down.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead; ask for the pool-side terrace. The aperitivo at the bar starts 18:30 with city skyline views.
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Modern ItalianCentro Storico
Innocenti Evasioni / Terrazza Triennale in Milan is Tommaso Arrigoni's rooftop dining room atop the Triennale Milano in Parco Sempione, the relocated 2026.
OrderThe tortelli of caciotta cheese, the pigeon breast and the seasonal tasting set.
TipBookings open two weeks ahead. The rooftop tables in summer are the destination; book at least a fortnight in advance.
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Modern IndianPorta Venezia
Cittamani in Milan is Ritu Dalmia's modern Indian dining room near Brera, opened 2018. Located in Porta Venezia. At Piazza Carlo Mirabello 6.
OrderThe Goan fish curry, the butter chicken and the stuffed paneer naan.
TipBookings open two weeks ahead. The Sunday lunch tasting set with chai pairing is the editor's pick for first visits.
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Japanese, SushiCentro Storico
Wicky's in Milan's Centro Storico is chef Wicky Priyan's 12-seat omakase counter, opened 2009, the Sri Lankan-trained sushi master who put Italian fish.
OrderThe full omakase set at the counter; do not order off the carte.
TipBookings open 30 days ahead and sell out within hours. Lunch omakase at 12:30 is cheaper than dinner; vegetarian option available with notice.
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Modern Italian, Fine DiningNavigli
Contraste in Milan's Naviglio Pavese district is Matias Perdomo's Uruguayan-Italian modern kitchen, holding one Michelin star since 2017. Priced at €€€€.
OrderThe carte blanche tasting set at 130 euros; the sea urchin with parmesan is the signature.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The chef's counter at the open kitchen is the spot to ask for; vegetarian menu available.
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Modern Italian, Fine DiningNavigli
Sadler in Milan's Naviglio Pavese is Claudio Sadler's modern Italian dining room since 1995, a one-Michelin-star kitchen that codified the city's gold-leaf.
OrderThe Sadler tasting set, the saffron risotto with gold leaf and the beef tartare.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The chef's pass at the open kitchen is the seat to ask for; book the 19:30 sitting for a slower service.
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ItalianPorta Venezia
Don Giovanni in Milan's Porta Venezia is the Pugliese kitchen of the Quarta family, opened 1986 and a Milanese institution for southern Italian cooking.
OrderThe orecchiette con cime di rapa, the burrata pugliese and the tagliata di tonno.
TipBookings open one week ahead by phone. The Pugliese wine list runs deep on Primitivo and Negroamaro producers.
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Lombard, Classical ItalianCentro Storico
Boeucc in Milan dates from 1696 and is the city's oldest dining room, now at Corso Monforte near the Quadrilatero. Located in Centro Storico.
OrderRisotto alla milanese, the bone-in cotoletta, then tortelli di zucca from Mantua.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The dining room has the original Boeucc 18th-century vaulted ceiling; ask for a table in the main room.
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Modern Italian, Plant-ledCentro Storico
Horto in Milan's Centro Storico is Norbert Niederkofler's rooftop kitchen atop The Medelan, a Michelin-star vegetable-led tasting room opened 2023.
OrderThe vegetable tasting set at 150 euros; the herb risotto and the smoked-celery main are the signatures.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead on the website. The chef's counter overlooks the open kitchen; book the 20:00 first sitting.
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Modern Italian, Fine DiningPorta Nuova
Ristorante Berton in Milan's Porta Nuova district is Andrea Berton's one-Michelin-star kitchen, opened 2013. Kitchen leans modern italian, fine dining.
OrderThe broth tasting set; the bone-marrow risotto is the signature primo.
TipBookings open three weeks ahead. The cellar tour with sommelier Tobia Sironi is the editor's pick add-on; book at booking time.
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ItalianNavigli
Erba Brusca in Milan's Naviglio Pavese is Alice Delcourt's garden-set kitchen, opened 2010 in a 19th-century farmstead on the canal. Priced at €€€.
OrderThe seasonal vegetable plate, the tagliolini with garden herbs and the pigeon when on the carte.
TipBookings open two weeks ahead. The garden tables in summer are the destination; book the Sunday lunch sitting at 13:00.
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Regional ItalianCentro Storico
Frades on Via Mazzini is the Milan room of three brothers from Orani who run a restaurant and deli in Porto Cervo: modern Sardinian cooking near the Duomo.
OrderStart with the island hams and cheeses sliced at the deli corner, then the seafood of the day.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. The room is contemporary and books out with groups; lunch at 12:30 is the easier table.
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Farm To TablePorta Romana
Un Posto a Milano is the kitchen, bar and guesthouse inside Cascina Cuccagna, a restored farmstead with a farmers' market and a carpentry workshop.
OrderThe free-range cockerel, slow-cooked then finished over live flame, with roast potatoes.
TipOpen from breakfast to past midnight every day; the courtyard tables are the reason to come, so book them for a long lunch.
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TuscanCentro Storico
Bice has fed the fashion quarter since 1926, when Tuscan cook Bice Mungai opened her osteria; it moved to Via Borgospesso in 1939 and stays in the family.
OrderThe Tuscan classics the founder brought north, pasta e fagioli and ribollita, or the ossobuco with its risotto.
TipClosed Monday. A century-old room where the city's fashion and football set still eats; the lunch service is the quieter one.
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Modern ItalianPorta Romana
Particolare seats forty-odd diners in a winter-garden greenhouse off Porta Romana, cooking a Mediterranean-leaning menu in five or seven courses.
OrderThe seven-course tasting when you have the evening; the glasshouse opens fully in summer.
TipWeekday evenings only from 18:30; lunch is served on Saturday and Sunday. Ask for a table under the glass roof.
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Italian SeafoodPorta Nuova
Terrazza Calabritto brought its Naples seafood house to Viale Monte Grappa by Porta Nuova: raw fish at the counter and Campanian pastas served late.
OrderThe crudo selection to start, then whatever pasta the kitchen is dressing with the day's catch.
TipClosed Sunday; Monday is dinner only. Budget 80 to 100 euros a head before wine and book the evening sitting several days ahead.
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ItalianBrera
Casa Savini Tartufi on Via Cusani is the Savini truffle family's Milan room, reopened in November 2024 after eleven years as Tartufotto with a wider menu.
OrderAnything shaved with the season's fresh truffle; the newer carte adds crudo, oysters and Lombard plates.
TipOpen Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, closed Sunday. The bar at the front serves cocktails without a table booking.