Milan Travel Guide
Eating and Drinking in Milan
What to eat and drink in Milan — the saffron risotto, the cotoletta, ossobuco and winter cassoeula, panzerotti and panettone, the aperitivo ritual and the Negroni Sbagliato — plus how to order, what things cost and where to go.
Milan is a serious food city, but its cooking is different from the Italy most visitors know. This is the north, the land of butter, rice and slow-cooked meat rather than olive oil, tomatoes and pasta, and its signature dishes are rich, golden and warming. Add a cafe culture that runs from dawn espresso to the early-evening aperitivo, and some of the best pastry shops in Italy, and eating well becomes one of the great pleasures of a visit.
Risotto alla milanese. The city's most famous dish is a creamy risotto coloured and scented with saffron, traditionally made with beef stock, butter and bone marrow and finished with Parmesan. Legend links its golden colour to the glaziers who made the Duomo's stained glass and used saffron as a pigment. It is often served on its own as a first course, or together with ossobuco, braised veal shank cooked slowly with wine and vegetables and topped with gremolata, a mix of lemon zest, garlic and parsley. The marrow in the bone is the prize.
Cotoletta alla milanese. The Milanese version of the breaded veal cutlet is a thick, bone-in chop, fried in butter until golden; a thinner, larger version, beaten out flat and known as the elephant ear, is also common. It is usually served with a wedge of lemon and perhaps a rocket and tomato salad. The Milanese and the Viennese still argue over who invented it.
Winter dishes. In the cold months, look for cassoeula, a hearty stew of pork cuts and Savoy cabbage, and mondeghili, Milanese meatballs fried in butter, traditionally made from leftover meat. Polenta, often with stews or cheese, is everywhere in Lombardy. The region's cheeses are excellent: Gorgonzola comes from the plain around Milan, and Taleggio and many mountain cheeses from the valleys around Bergamo.
Quick bites. For lunch on the go, Milan has great options. Luini, a few minutes from the Duomo, has been frying panzerotti, half-moon pockets of dough filled with tomato and mozzarella, for generations; expect a queue and eat standing in the street. Pizza by the slice, focaccia and sandwiches are easy to find, and many bars serve a quick plate of pasta at lunchtime for office workers. The food halls and delicatessens are a treat too: Peck, near the Duomo, is a temple of Milanese gastronomy, with cheeses, cured meats, prepared dishes and wines.
Coffee and pastry. Breakfast in Milan is a cappuccino and a brioche standing at the bar. The city's historic pastry shops are part of the experience: Pasticceria Marchesi, now owned by Prada, has a branch overlooking the Galleria, and Bar Luce at Fondazione Prada, designed by Wes Anderson, is a cafe that doubles as a sight. Milan is also the home of panettone, the tall, airy Christmas cake studded with candied fruit and raisins; in the weeks before Christmas, the bakeries are full of it, and tasting the best versions is a local obsession. At Easter, the colomba, a dove-shaped cake, takes its place.
Aperitivo, Milan's great ritual. From about six in the evening, bars across the city fill for aperitivo: a drink accompanied by snacks, or in some places access to a buffet. Milan claims to have perfected the custom, and it is the perfect way to start an evening. The classic drinks are bitter and bright: a spritz, a Negroni or, the local favourite, a Negroni Sbagliato, the mistaken Negroni, made with sparkling wine instead of gin, which was famously invented by accident at Bar Basso, a historic bar in the east of the city. Campari, born in Milan, is the base of many drinks, and the Camparino at the entrance to the Galleria, founded in 1915, is the place to try it where the family once served it. The Navigli canals, Brera and Porta Venezia are the liveliest aperitivo districts. Quality varies widely: the best bars serve thoughtful snacks made to order, while some buffets aimed at volume are best avoided.
Wine. Lombardy's wines are underrated. Franciacorta, from the hills between Bergamo and Brescia, is Italy's finest traditional-method sparkling wine and a perfect aperitivo choice; Valtellina, in the Alpine valley to the north, makes elegant reds from Nebbiolo grapes; and the Oltrepo Pavese, south of the city, produces everything from sparkling wines to robust reds.
How to order and what it costs. A full Italian meal runs from antipasto through a first course of pasta or risotto, a second course of meat or fish and dessert, but nobody expects you to eat everything; ordering a first course and a side, or sharing, is perfectly normal. Many restaurants charge a small cover charge per person for bread and service, shown on the menu. Tipping is not expected, though rounding up is appreciated. Coffee standing at the bar costs much less than at a table, especially in the Galleria. Dinner is typically eaten from about eight.
Eating by neighbourhood. Brera is the classic area for an elegant dinner after a gallery day; Porta Venezia and Isola mix traditional trattorias with younger, more international places; the Navigli and Ticinese are best for aperitivo that rolls into a casual dinner; and the streets around Via Spadari and Cordusio, near the Duomo, are the place for delicatessens and lunchtime bars. Chinatown, around Via Paolo Sarpi, is one of the oldest in Italy and a good change of pace.
Practical advice. Restaurants near the Duomo and along the busiest stretch of the Navigli can be tourist-oriented; walk a few streets away for better value. Book ahead for popular places, especially on weekends and during fashion weeks and Design Week. In August, many family-run restaurants close for the summer holidays. And if you want a single classic Milanese meal, order risotto alla milanese followed by a cotoletta, with a glass of Franciacorta or Valtellina red; finish with a panettone if the season is right.