Milan is the perfect weekend break destination, as you can whizz around the city’s best cultural sites and still have time for some shopping. It may be viewed as a ‘working city’ compared to picturesque Venice and Florence, but Milan certainly has a great energy in the warmer months.
Food is also high on the agenda, whether it’s tucking into a rich Milanese risotto in a neighbourhood osteria, exquisite Prada-approved pastries at the most fashionable bakery in town or fresh pasta and profiteroles in a secret garden in lively Navigli.
Here are a few Milan addresses to add to your travel list…
Al Fresco
Al Fresco is one of the prettiest restaurants in Milan with a beautiful garden courtyard for outdoor dining. Not only is it elegant and picture perfect, but the food is truly delicious.
We started with two fantastic pasta dishes – an indulgent Rigatoni cacio e pepe with crispy guanciale and the rich, flavourful Pici with double tomato, olive oil, fresh basil and 36-months aged Parmigiano Reggiano.
This was followed by a classic Milanese veal cutlet served with crunchy home-made potato chips and a juicy Grilled beef tenderloin with chimichurri sauce, friggitelli and roasted onions.
It’s also essential to leave some room for the magnificent Big profiterole filled with vanilla ice cream, custard and poured dark chocolate and the lighter Zabaglione with Moscato di Pantelleria and buttery langues de chat. The owners are so warm and hospitable, ensuring that every guest leaves with a little bag of home-made biscuits and a taxi for rolling on home.
Osteria Della Darsena
Osteria Della Darsena is a cosy, typically Milanese restaurant nestled between the Darsena and the Naviglio Grande. It has a timeless, neighbourhood feel with flowing wine and a concise menu of Lombardy’s most iconic dishes.
We started with the glorious, aromatic Milanese risotto and rich, rustic Home-made pappardelle with wild boar ragu. The portion sizes were so big that I had to change my order from the Milanese veal cutlet to a lighter Burrata with vegetable caponata. Beef cheeks with potato cakes were so tender and hearty with no less than four enormous chunks to get through.
If you’re staying in the Navigli area, it’s a great choice for a memorable, relaxed evening and you definitely won’t leave hungry.
Berberè
Berberè is renowned for its healthy, sharable pizza made with living sourdough and high quality Italian ingredients. Established in 2010, it now has outposts across Italy and two in London (Clapham and Kentish Town).
The Navigli restaurant is cool and colourful with exposed brick walls and an open kitchen and counter. It’s set among some lively bars on Via Vigevano, where the party literally spills out onto the street, so you could spend a fun night out there.
We ordered one red and one white pizza – Prosciutto crudo from Norcia with Apulian burrata, rocket, fior di latte and orange olive oil and Norma with oven-roasted aubergines, tomato, fior di latte, grated smoked ricotta and fresh basil. They were both high quality and substantial yet very different – Norma was rich and smoky while the prosciutto had freshness and a unique flavour from the orange oil.
Mercato Centrale
Having visited Mercato Centrale in Florence, I was happy to discover an outpost in Milan. This fabulous, two-floor street food market is conveniently located inside Milan’s grand Central Station, making it the perfect stop for your first bite in the city.
It has a modern, industrial style with graffiti and posters on the walls. Chefs and artisans have curated each kitchen where you can find an array of Italy’s regional dishes, alongside sushi, dim sum, smash burgers and Texas barbecued ribs. Many of the vendors welcome you with tasty morsels on sticks, so you can see what grabs your attention.
Sergio Barzetti’s tomato and mozzarella arancini and Milanese risotto are essentials. We also enjoyed the foccaccia with golden, thinly-sliced potato and rosemary and a cassata Siciliana from Sabato Sessa.
The market is open daily from 7am until midnight and there are lots of food talks and cultural events.
God Save the Food
God Save the Food has long been a favourite lunch spot among stylish Milanese (Chiara Ferragni is a fan) with outposts across the city. It’s known as a speedy lunch spot with modern interiors and balanced dishes such as quinoa bowls, salads, club sandwiches and wok stir-fried noodles.
Before spending the afternoon at the Pinacoteca di Brera, we had a quick lunch on the terrace at God Save the Food Brera on the charming Piazza del Carmine. The Caesar salad with herby poached chicken, crispy bacon, parmesan flakes and crunchy croutons was so tasty and subtantial – perfect for a quick refuel on the go.
Sant Ambroeus
Sant Ambroeus is an established part of Milan’s city life, where fashion and business players meet for a power breakfast and the inimitable ‘sciure‘ hold court over afternoon tea.
The original pastry shop on Corso Giacomo Matteotti (close to the Teatro alla Scala) was established in 1936, but later closed in the 1980s to focus on US expansion. Luckily, it returned to its original home in 2022 with a new restaurant offering and a reimagined look by designer Fabrizio Casiraghi.
There are a few nods to its American cousins with a signature cheese burger and New England lobster roll on the menu, however teatime is all about Italian pastry at its finest.
We enjoyed pots of Earl Grey tea from the wonderful La Via del Tè (they have a delightful store in Brera) and shared the signature Sant Ambroeus princess cake.
This light, dome-shaped sponge cake is layered with raspberry jam and custard under a veil of orange marzipan – absolute perfection!
If you’re in Milan around Christmas, be sure to visit Sant Ambroeus for a luxury, hand-made panettone – a seasonal speciality from the Lombardy region.
Marchesi
A stroll around the breathtaking Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II wouldn’t be complete without teatime at Pasticceria Marchesi. The historic Milanese pastry shop was established in 1824 and is now owned by Prada with three locations in the city.
Its pistachio-hued tea salon on the first floor is ideal for people watching over a hot drink and a carefully-chosen cake from the counter (the waiters are ready to make helpful recommendations).
We enjoyed another exquisite pastel pink princess cake and pistachio cream cake with a molten, thick hot chocolate and a richly-roasted Italian coffee.
If the queue for the tea salon is just too long, you can usually walk straight into the adjoining espresso bar that has the same pastries and admittedly a more lively atmosphere.
Princi
Princi broke many hearts when it departed London, but good news, you can find it all over Milan. This chic cafe and bakery serves up pizza al taglio, colourful salads and traditional pastries all day long. We enjoyed some foccaccia slices smothered in gooey mozzarella, washed down with an excellent freshly-squeezed orange juice.
It’s worth looking out for the nearest Princi when you’re out and about for a quick, casual and reasonably priced lunch. We even picked up a few treats to take to the airport.
Have you visited Milan recently? Where are your favourite places to eat?
All photos by Chérie City
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