For me one of the unforgettable moments of Milan will be the Charcuterie (Delicatessen or a Gastronomia or a Salumeria) Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone on Via Monte Napoleone, 12 in Milan, Italy (+39 02 784 429).
When someone asks me where they should go for dinner on their one and only night in Milan, it breaks my heart to think that those people will not be able to taste several other delicious and authentic Italian trattorias.
As with any big city, Milan has many good restaurants. So, the answer to the question on where to go is always “lacking”. However, many small things, from atmospherics to people, and the place, the region, come together to create an ideal dining place and experience for everyone.
Therefore, below is my exquisite diners’ list for Milan…
© La Briciola
On the end of the Via Solferino at number 25, just where Via Solferino crosses Via Castelfidardo, is the well-known La Briciola. Frequented by locals all the time, it is the natural gathering place for Italian families on weekends. The owner knows most of his visitors, greets everyone personally and makes himself comfortable at friends’ tables. Teenagers celebrate their birthdays here with a dinner. The owner attends to the children’s table as well and teases them since he apparently knows them from before as well. If the metaphor will serve itself right, it is almost like the “kebapcis” of Turkey in that sense.
Nevertheless, La Briciola is an interesting place… There are many reviews online that depict the restaurant as a place with a terrible service, which is not totally untrue. In fact, eventhough I have been to this restaurant several times, I feel that each time it is getting worse. Yet, the interesting fact remains that despite that feeling I also still feel like going back, I recommend it to friends and I cheerish the thought of the place.
I assume that my sympathy for the place has to do with its atmospherics afterall. The owner has created his home in this restaurant, keeps entertaining his friends and is very casual towards all others, but the restaurant is still indeed very cosy. There are pictures of frequent diners everywhere, the inner design of the place is somewhere between a Christmas carol and a kindergarten. There are lights everywhere, yet the place is dim. In other words, the place makes you feel warm in the inside despite all the justifiable bad reviews it gets on service.
As for the food, it is good, but I have eaten better… They start with a basket of bread and crackers, a plate of salami and meatballs, all of which are compliments of the house. Some servants tend to forget these compliments, so be ware and ask for them if you want. The risotto is delicious and so is the Cottelette alla Milanese (also called the elephant’s ear as the shape and size of the huge meat is reminiscent of it). If you will have coffee, you will also get a big, very big, box of cookies from the house again.
If you are not taking a cab, the easiest way to get here is to take the green line (metro) until the Moscova stop. From there walk down on Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi for about a few minutes only. You shall pass the Ice-cream store on your right (another delicious encounter for after dinner and I would suggest that you try the white-chocolate). Take the first right onto Via Marsala. At the end of this street you will spot La Briciola right on the corner. Phone number: 02-655-1012
The other place that I must mention is Il Verdi in Piazza Mirabello 5, which was not on Google Maps in 2007 and when you called the restaurant to get directions, you could not get anyone who spoke proper English on the phone. Despite this luminious picture, Il Verdi is a must for all those who cheerish over good food and local taste. In fact, Piazza Mirabello is near Brera and not far away from La Briciola. From outside, the restaurant looks as if it is in a vault or in a cellar. With its tiny windows and cute window panes, this lower ground restaurant is all that you can ask for in a typical Italian restaurant.
The waiters do not speak any English, the menus are all in Italian and apart from myself and my friends, there were no other foreigners in the restaurant. We had pappardelle with mince and meat with foi gras and a slice of prosciutto, each of which was a different paradise on the taste dimension. The phone number for the interested: 02-659-0979
© Guarda La Gallery
Next on my list would be Trattoria Torre di Pisa on Via Fiori Chiari 21. Located in the heart of the beautiful Brera -the region that is known as the Montparnesse of Lombardia- this authentic trattoria has been around since 1959. Made up of four small rooms, 5 little windows with hand-made country motif curtains, the smell of fresh food, stew, trip, rissoles, sausage, the herbs and the sound of the kitchenware and the dishes seduces the casual passer-by inside. However, despite the trattoria’s very inviting and seductive nature, it is hard to find an available table without reservations. The place has been packed with painters, stylists, industrialists, actors, intellectuals, models and great families’ offspring since the unexpected arrival of Giancarlo Baghetti, a famous Formula One racer, in the early 1960s. When Baghetti loved the food and spread the word, Torre di Pisa became “the gastronomic epitome” of the milanese “dolce vita”.
Although the menu is in Italian and the waiters cannot speak English, the waiters understand you and confirm whatever you may say with a nod -and they never fail! I would recommend anything from their menu, but I should nevertheless mention the gnocchi, ravioli and the steak. I would suggest everyone to do it the Italian way when they arrive at this little germ. Share a gnocchi or ravioli as the first course, and then order the steak or the steak Fiorentine as your second course. Ask for grilled vegetables with your steak. Drink a Chinati Classico Riserva and finish your final glass with an assorted cheese plate, which has the freshest parmesan cheese I have ever tasted in my life. All of this is for a maximum of 40 euros per person.
From nuts and chips to lasagna, mashed potatoes and ravioli, the concept of aperitivo did evolve adamantly. Being a top-notch reason for socializing in Milan, the concept of aperitivo slowly disappears at every incremental mile towards south. In fact, in Sicily, apart from “posh” hotels or resorts, it is really difficult to find a place for happy hour. The best one can get is cheap nuts, salted chips and maybe pickles.
What makes Milanese aperitivi different from its counterparts in the south probably has a lot to do with the diversity of the Milanese population. After Florence and Bologna, Milan is one of the major student cities of Italy. It is also the most industrial city. Aperitivi serve as occasions for a quick sip of something and quick bite of another thing for the young professionals of this trendy city. In fact, it is not uncommon for the hip and young consultants of world-wide companies to stop for a little break at 7 or 8, only to pick up from where they had left off afterwards. Certainly, it is equally likely for the students to meet after school for a convenient stand-up dinner at legitimate prices.
Apertivi function like this: At a fix price for a beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), one can eat without any limits from an open buffet. Then the question remains, where does one go for a taste of this modern-day Milanese tradition?
No place around the old city center, Duomo, will satiate your appetite or enchant your eyes with a scene of the local life, except for Straf, Via San Raffale 3. The bar of the famous design hotel of Milan is frequented by the fashionable locals for an afternoon treat. The food is still limited in variety and varies in quality. Straf features special music events every Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Still, I would recommend to walk away from the Duomo to the purely artistic, yet also fashionable Brera region. This luxury Bohemian region of Milan is also oddly reminiscent of the stone paved streets of old Romanian cities. Brera is filled with open-air coffee shops, cafes, boutiques, home-made pastry shops, salumerias and wineries. One could pick any open-air cafe for an afternoon aperitivo, but for a more trendy look -but no food- try out the Radetzky at the corner of the Moscova metro station. Young professionals love this place.
For those, who are interested in substituting their dinner with an aperitivo, Iguana is the place (Via Papa Gregorio XIV, 16). From cold platters to various hot dishes -pasta, lasagna and risotto- there is a lot to eat and a lot to choose from. It gets very crowded after 7.30, therefore seating may be a problem.
Fitzgeraldo in Porta Romana is a red-carpet, fancy place for aperitivo.
Volo on Viale Bligny 39 is frequented by Bocconi students. Once again, the food quality and variety is very good, however there will a marked difference in the atmospherics of the Bligny street when compared with the more historic and romantic Brera.
Roialto on Via Piero della Francesca, 55 in zona Sempione has a posh setting with a huge chandelier hanging from its top; however the food here is limited despite the tradition. Arranged into sections of pasta, meat, fish, cheese, fruit and appetizers the food is served by a waiter in very small quantities.
Diana of the Sheraton Diana Majestic, Viale Piave 42 is another posh place for aperitivo. Dress up a little bit, be ready for a bit of noise and crowds, and enjoy yourself in the heart beat of this posh place.
Last, but not the least, is Cafe Noon in Cadorna… Walking out from the entry to the Malpensa Express at the Cadorna train station, Noon Cafe is right at the corner, Via Boccaccio. This is one of the popular places for aperitivi, and as it is in a busy neighborhood of businesses, it is often frequented by the young professionals. The regular dishes of Noon Cafe are cold salmon sashimi, cheese, poppers, and little pizzas. If it is your lucky day, you will be served risotto and meatballs in very small platters as well.
Remember, that despite their slim looks Italians eat frequently. After an aperitivo from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm, it is not uncommon to head for a 3 course dinner. So, watch your mouth and budget!
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
