Former working quarter north of Stazione Garibaldi, now a natural-wine and neo-bistro district anchored by Ratana, Berbere pizza and Ceresio 7 rooftop.
Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. Priced at €€€.
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.
Antica Trattoria della Pesa in Milan's Porta Garibaldi has cooked the Lombard farmstead canon since 1880, set in the old grain-weighing house.
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Ossobuco, Cassoeula
Order: The risotto alla milanese, the ossobuco and the cassoeula in winter.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead by phone. The dining room has the original 1880 wood-panel interior; ask for a table by the window.
Iyo in Milan's Sempione district was the first Japanese restaurant in Italy to hold a Michelin star (2015). Located in Isola. Priced at €€€€.
Signature: Omakase sashimi, Black cod miso, Kaiseki tasting
Order: The kaiseki tasting set or the omakase sashimi at the counter; the black cod with miso is the signature desser
Tip: Bookings open one month ahead. The Iyo Aalto sister room in Porta Nuova holds the second star; book that for sushi.
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.
Signature: Tagliolini al limone, Vitello tonnato, Crudo di pesce
Order: The tagliolini al limone, the vitello tonnato and a glass of Franciacorta at the bar before sitting down.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead; ask for the pool-side terrace. The aperitivo at the bar starts 18:30 with city skyline views.
Al Posto in Milan's Porta Venezia runs Vito Bonanno's neo-trattoria carte from 2021, with rotating seasonal Italian plates priced at trattoria levels.
Signature: Risotto, Pasta of the day, Tartare
Order: The risotto of the day and the seasonal pasta; the beef tartare is the steady carte signature.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead. The lunch carte at 25 euros is the cheaper way in; dinner runs longer.
Manna in Milan's NoLo district is Matteo Fronduti's modern-Italian neighbourhood room since 2008. Located in Isola. Kitchen leans modern italian.
Signature: Seasonal pasta, Pork shoulder, Tasting menu
Order: The seasonal pasta of the day, the slow-roasted pork shoulder and the tasting set.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead. Lunch carte is the cheaper way in; the natural-wine list runs deep on small Italian growers.
Il Liberty in Milan's Porta Garibaldi is Andrea Provenzani's modern-Italian dining room since 2007, near Stazione Garibaldi. Located in Isola.
Signature: Risotto, Tortelli, Tasting menu
Order: The risotto of the day, the tortelli and the seasonal tasting set.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead. Lunch carte at 30 euros is the cheaper way in; the dining room is small and intimate.
Cantine Isola on Via Sarpi in the Chinatown district is the wine shop and bar that every natural wine pilgrim puts on their Milan list. At Via Paolo Sarpi 30.
Signature pour: Franciacorta Brut by Ca' del Bosco
Wine focus: Italian natural and traditional growers, Franciacorta
Food: Charcuterie and cheese boards
Ceresio 7 American Bar on the 4th floor of the Dsquared2 building runs two outdoor pools and a 360-degree skyline terrace. Located in Isola.
Signature drink: Franciacorta Spritz with seasonal bitter liqueur
Food: Cocktail snacks and aperitivo plates
Ravioleria Sarpi in Milan's Chinatown serves hand-folded xiaolongbao and boiled dumplings from a street-side counter on Via Sarpi. Located in Isola.
Try: Hand-folded dumplings and noodles
Birrificio Lambrate on Via Adelchi pioneered Milan's craft-beer scene when it opened in 1996. Located in Isola. At Via Adelchi 5. Booking recommended.
Eataly Milano Smeraldo runs a teaching kitchen above the food hall at Piazza Venticinque Aprile. Classes cover fresh pasta, Milanese risotto and regional.
Ravioleria Sarpi in Milan's Chinatown sells four hand-folded dumplings for under 5 euros from a street-side counter. Located in Isola. At Via Paolo Sarpi 27.
Try: Hand-folded xiaolongbao and dumplings
Blue Note Milano opened on Via Borsieri in 2003 as the European branch of the Greenwich Village jazz franchise, programming around 350 shows a year across contemporary jazz, Latin, R&B and brasilian residencies in an Isola dining room paired with two nightly sets.
Tip: Two shows nightly Tuesday through Saturday at 21:00 and 23:00, weekend later sets at 23:30; dinner reservations get you the closest tables to the stage.
Spirit de Milan runs across 1,500 square metres of the former Cristallerie Livellara glassworks in Bovisa, programming live swing, jazz, blues, tango and cabaret nightly alongside a Lombard kitchen, with a dance floor that hosts the Holy Swing Night every Wednesday.
Tip: Bovisa FNM is the closest train stop. The swing nights pack out for the lindy hop crowd; book a dinner table to lock in a seat before the first set.
Ceresio 7 opened in September 2013 on the penthouse of the former Enel headquarters in Isola, designed by Dimore Studio for Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2, with two outdoor pools, twin terraces and 360-degree sightlines across the Bosco Verticale and Unicredit Tower.
Tip: Cocktails run around 22 euros and pool access is dining-guest only; book the terrace at sunset for the strongest light on the skyline. M5 Monumentale is the closest metro.
MOGO opened in 2025 in a 400 square metre Isola room as a hi-fi restaurant and listening bar, with chef Yoji Tokuyoshi's kitchen, a hand-built sound system, a vinyl-driven DJ booth compiled by the Polifonic festival and a ceiling lighting wash that shifts through the night.
Tip: Sunday lunch is the calmest service; weekend evenings book the long counter for the closest sightline on the booth. The set tilts toward jazz, soul and ambient early then to techno and electro late.
Dexter Sound and Bites runs a small Isola room as chef Giovanni De Nardi's listening bar with kitchen, where vinyl jazz, soul and global grooves sit alongside small Italian plates inspired by his travels through Peru, Mexico, Japan and Spain.
Tip: Conversational tone early in the evening, leaning into funk, Latin and low-tempo disco later. Reserve via the site; Sunday and Monday closed.
Frida tucks a courtyard bar behind a gated entrance on Via Pollaiuolo in Isola, with around eighty cocktails on the list, a wide draft and bottle beer fridge, an aperitivo buffet and a tree-shaded patio that holds the room past midnight through the warm months.
Tip: Aperitivo runs to 21:00 with a free buffet; the courtyard is the seat to get from May through September. Closed for late lunch only on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.