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 €€€€.
Signature: Sea urchin and parmesan, Risotto with razor clams, Tasting menu
Order: The carte blanche tasting set at 130 euros; the sea urchin with parmesan is the signature.
Tip: Bookings 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.
Signature: Risotto with saffron and gold leaf, Beef tartare, Tasting menu
Order: The Sadler tasting set, the saffron risotto with gold leaf and the beef tartare.
Tip: Bookings 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 €€€.
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.
28 Posti in Milan's Navigli runs a 28-seat counter, the lunch trattoria where Marco Ambrosino cooked Mediterranean modern Italian from 2010.
Signature: Tasting menu, Squash ravioli, Hand-pulled tagliatelle
Order: The seasonal tasting set; the squash ravioli with sage is the signature primo.
Tip: Bookings 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.
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cassoeula, Ossobuco
Order: The risotto alla milanese, the cassoeula in winter and the ossobuco.
Tip: Bookings open one week ahead. The garden tables are the destination in summer; closed Mondays and August.
Bar Gattullo at Viale Porta Lodovica has served Milanese espresso and house-baked cornetti since 1962. Order the traditional milanese espresso and cornetto.
Signature drink: Traditional 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.
Signature drink: Specialty 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 queue: Torta di mandorle
Sevengrams in the Porta Genova design district roasts specialty lots from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Rwanda and Honduras in a converted warehouse.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Guatemala, Rwanda, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, 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.
Signature pour: Orange Skin Contact Ribolla Gialla by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and biodynamic Italian and European growers
Food: Small 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.
Signature pour: Cantina Urbana Bonarda dell'Oltrepo Pavese
Wine focus: Urban winery: grape to bottle in central Milan
Food: Antipasti 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.
Signature drink: House Negroni with Campari and house-infused vermuth
Food: Light 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.
Signature drink: Rita Sour with house citrus cordial and egg white
Food: Aperitivo 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.
Signature drink: Boulevardier with Buffalo Trace and house Campari
Food: None
Ugo on Via Corsico in Navigli is a small speakeasy with faux taxidermy and antique decor, where the cocktails are built around unexpected flavour.
Signature drink: Trique: vodka, white vermouth, celery, green apple, lime
Food: None
El Brellin on the Vicolo dei Lavandai in Navigli Grande is the canalside trattoria that made Milanese fritto misto and aperitivo snacks a destination.
Try: Milanese 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.
Try: Late-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.
Try: Craft 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.
Tip: Friday 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.
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 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.
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.
Tip: Aperitivo 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.
Tip: Aperitivo from 18:30 with the buffet included in the cocktail price; the sidewalk tables fill by 20:00 on summer weekends.