Canal-side former working quarter south-west of the centre with Ripa di Porta Ticinese aperitivo bars, antique-stall Sundays and late-night cocktail rooms like Mag Cafe.
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.
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.
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.
28 Posti in Milan's Navigli runs a 28-seat counter, the lunch trattoria where Marco Ambrosino cooked Mediterranean modern Italian from 2010.
OrderThe seasonal tasting set; the squash ravioli with sage is the signature primo.
TipBookings open one week ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; the chef's counter overlooks the open kitchen.
Antica Osteria Il Ronchettino in Milan's southern suburbs has cooked the Lombard farming canon since the 1920s, in an 18th-century farmstead.
OrderThe risotto alla milanese, the cassoeula in winter and the ossobuco.
TipBookings open one week ahead. The garden tables are the destination in summer; closed Mondays and August.
Risotteria Melotti by Porta Genova serves fifteen risottos made with the family's own Vialone Nano and Carnaroli from Isola della Scala, all gluten free.
OrderThe Risotto all'Isolana served in its little pan, the family's home-town recipe, at 16 euros.
TipOpen every day from 11:00, with continuous service Friday to Sunday. The Milan room follows Verona, New York, Rome and Florence.
Osteria Passami il Sale sits on Via Villoresi, a quiet street eight minutes from Porta Genova, cooking sea and land dishes from the Italian repertoire.
OrderThe seafood specialities of the day; the wine list is short and Italian.
TipOne of the few Navigli kitchens open on Monday, dinner only that night; Sunday is lunch only. Satispay and cards accepted.
Bar Gattullo at Viale Porta Lodovica has served Milanese espresso and house-baked cornetti since 1962. Order the traditional milanese espresso and cornetto.
DrinkTraditional Milanese espresso and cornetto
Drogheria Reale on Via Tortona in the design district is the specialty-coffee anchor of the Porta Genova creative quarter. Located in Navigli.
DrinkSpecialty espresso and cold brew
Pasticceria Cucchi on Corso Genova has baked Milanese pasticcini and almond torte since 1936. The marble counter and the show cake tiers are Milan intact.
Worth the queueTorta di mandorle
Sevengrams in the Porta Genova design district roasts specialty lots from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Rwanda and Honduras in a converted warehouse.
BeansEthiopia, Guatemala, Rwanda, Honduras
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
Vinoir at the quieter end of the Naviglio Grande is Milan's first natural wine bar, open since 2012, with over 300 vini artigianali from Italy, France.
PourOrange Skin Contact Ribolla Gialla by the glass
WineNatural and biodynamic Italian and European growers
FoodSmall plates: fassona sushi rolls, octopus, cheeses
Cantina Urbana in Navigli is an urban winery that ferments and bottles Lombardy grapes on site in a converted warehouse. Open tue-sun 18:00-23:30, closed mon.
PourCantina Urbana Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese
WineUrban winery: grape to bottle in central Milan
FoodAntipasti and pasta plates
MAG Cafe at the Naviglio Grande has shaped Milan's cocktail scene since 2011, the bar with the antique Argentine pharmacy counter where Flavio Angiolillo.
DrinkHouse Negroni with Campari and house-infused vermuth
FoodLight lunches, pastry, aperitivo snacks
Rita at Via Fumagalli in Navigli was a pioneer of the fresh-ingredient cocktail in Milan when it opened in 2002. Open mon-sat 18:30-02:00, closed sun.
DrinkRita Sour with house citrus cordial and egg white
FoodAperitivo snacks
Backdoor 43 on the Navigli is the speakeasy behind the unmarked door at Ripa di Porta Ticinese 43: room for only four guests at a time, classic cocktails.
DrinkBoulevardier with Buffalo Trace and house Campari
FoodNone
Ugo on Via Corsico in Navigli is a small speakeasy with faux taxidermy and antique decor, where the cocktails are built around unexpected flavour.
DrinkTrique: vodka, white vermouth, celery, green apple, lime
FoodNone
El Brellin on the Vicolo dei Lavandai in Navigli Grande is the canalside trattoria that made Milanese fritto misto and aperitivo snacks a destination.
TryMilanese fritto misto and fried canal snacks
Birra Rathaus at Viale Cassala has brewed German-style lagers and weizen on-site since 1999. Located in Navigli. At Viale Cassala 4. Booking recommended.
Tap House on Ripa di Porta Ticinese along the Naviglio Grande pours 40 rotating lines from Italian and European craft producers. At Ripa di Porta Ticinese 51.
Mercato Comunale Wagner at Piazza Wagner is Milan's oldest market, founded in 1929 in a covered hall. Open mon-sat 07:00-14:00, 16:00-19:30, closed sun.
Fiera di Senigallia along the Alzaia Naviglio Grande every Saturday is Milan's oldest open-air market, with 200-plus stalls and a ring of street food vendors.
MAG Cafe on Ripa di Porta Ticinese is the late-night canalside bar that stays open until 02:00 on weekends. Located in Navigli. At Ripa di Porta Ticinese 43.
TryLate-night cocktails and Navigli aperitivo snacks
Backdoor 43 on Ripa di Porta Ticinese on the Navigli is the speakeasy that stays open until 02:00 nightly. At Ripa di Porta Ticinese 43. Booking recommended.
TryCraft cocktails in a late-night speakeasy
Apollo Club spreads across 1,000 square metres in a former Latin American restaurant near Porta Genova, with a welcome bar, a games room, a disco floor and a kitchen, running an aperitivo-to-late-night programme that swings between live shows, talks and DJ sets.
TipFriday and Saturday nights run to 04:00 with the dance room as the focal point; the games room with ping pong and arcade is the early-evening hang. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
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.
TipReserve the inside hour ahead via the Farmily Group site; the takeaway slot serves passers-by through a hatched window without a booking.
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.
TipThe country residency changes twice a year; the menu lists the current destination at the top. Reservations recommended for weekend evenings.
Mag Cafe runs an all-day room on the Naviglio Grande as the public face of the Farmily Group, with a vintage interior of paint-stencilled wine barrels, marble side tables and a vinyl-led evening soundtrack that pivots the cafe into a cocktail listening room after sundown.
TipAperitivo runs from 19:00; the cocktail menu lists fairytale-themed signatures alongside the classics. The basement holds the 1930 speakeasy access for members.
Rita has run on the corner of Via Fumagalli and the Ripa di Porta Ticinese since 2002, with a tile-floored room, sidewalk tables and one of the first fresh-juice cocktail programmes in Milan, paired with a gourmet aperitivo that holds a Navigli regular crowd late.
TipAperitivo from 18:30 with the buffet included in the cocktail price; the sidewalk tables fill by 20:00 on summer weekends.
Private tour · 3 hours
Enjoy a private Navigli food & drinks tour with a local guide. Taste pizza, supplì, focaccia, and a curated prosciutteria board, paired with prosecco, and gelato as yo...
Private tour · 3h 30m
Eat and drink your way along Milan's Navigli canals on a private tour, from Ligurian classics to a saffron risotto finale, with a guide dedicated only to your group.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Discover the soul of Milan’s Navigli district on a guided food tour. Savor handmade dishes, visit a painter’s studio, and enjoy a curated plate paired with a premium P...
