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.
Signature dishes: Orecchiette con cime di rapa, Burrata pugliese, Tagliata di tonno
Must order: The orecchiette con cime di rapa, the burrata pugliese and the tagliata di tonno.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead by phone. The Pugliese wine list runs deep on Primitivo and Negroamaro producers.
Address: Via Bellotti 4, 20129 Milano
Boeucc in Milan dates from 1696 and is the city's oldest dining room, now at Corso Monforte near the Quadrilatero. The Lombard canon at white linen still anchors the
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Tortelli di zucca
Order: Risotto alla milanese, the bone-in cotoletta, then tortelli di zucca from Mantua.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead. The dining room has the original Boeucc 18th-century vaulted ceiling; ask for a table in the main room.
Horto in Milan's Centro Storico is Norbert Niederkofler's rooftop kitchen atop The Medelan, a Michelin-star vegetable-led tasting room opened 2023.
Signature: Vegetable tasting menu, Risotto with herbs, Seasonal garden plates
Order: The vegetable tasting set at 150 euros; the herb risotto and the smoked-celery main are the signatures.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead on the website. The chef's counter overlooks the open kitchen; book the 20:00 first sitting.
Ristorante Berton in Milan's Porta Nuova district is Andrea Berton's one-Michelin-star kitchen, opened 2013. The broth-based tasting menu and the signature risotto s
Signature: Risotto with bone marrow, Tasting menu, Signature broths
Order: The broth tasting set; the bone-marrow risotto is the signature primo.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead. The cellar tour with sommelier Tobia Sironi is the editor's pick add-on; book at booking time.
Erba Brusca in Milan's Naviglio Pavese is Alice Delcourt's garden-set kitchen, opened 2010 in a 19th-century farmstead on the canal. The garden-led seasonal carte an
Signature: Vegetable tasting, Tagliolini with herbs, Pigeon
Order: The seasonal vegetable plate, the tagliolini with garden herbs and the pigeon when on the carte.
Tip: Bookings open two weeks ahead. The garden tables in summer are the destination; book the Sunday lunch sitting at 13:00.
Trippa in Milan's Porta Romana is Diego Rossi's offal-led trattoria, opened 2015 with cucina povera reimagined. The vitello tonnato and trippa-Florentine still ancho
Signature: Vitello tonnato, Trippa alla fiorentina, Mondeghili
Order: The vitello tonnato, the trippa alla fiorentina and the mondeghili Milanese meatballs.
Tip: Bookings open 60 days ahead on the website; sells out within hours. Walk-up bar seats open at 19:30 for early birds.
Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. The risotto giallo and cotoletta
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Ossobuco
Order: The risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; dinner from 19:30. The garden is the spot in summer.
