Where to eat in Milan? Which restaurant do you recommend?

Guests arriving in Milan often ask me these questions. However, answering is not at all easy because Milan is full of restaurants of all types and genres: ethnic, regional, characteristic, elegant or alternative. I should make an endless list, so I decided to highlight only my favourites ones. To have a more exhaustive list you can always consult TripAdvisor, where you will also find the menus and reviews. As far as this post is concerned, I will divide the restaurants into two categories: the best restaurants, in my opinion, near Piazza Greco and the Giardino dell'Artista and, subsequently, my favorite restaurants that cook Milanese dishes. Let's be honest, can you visit Milan and not taste the risotto with ossobuco or the Milanese cutlet? I would say no. So let's start right away with

The 3 Best Restaurants and Pizzerias near Piazza Greco

Here are the 3 best restaurants near the Giardino dell'Artista FamHolidays in Milan
1) The first restaurant I want to recommend, easily reachable on foot from home, is a recently reborn historic Milanese restaurant. This is the Antica Osteria il Borghetto which has now become Ribot Borghetto in via Comune Antico 1 - Excellent meats and selection of wines, many traditional Milanese dishes including Milanese risotto cooked to perfection. Refined atmosphere and impeccable service. It is certainly not a cheap place but it is worth choosing if you want to spend a special evening and treat yourself to a nice Italian dinner. I am particularly fond of this restaurant because I went there with my parents and often also with the famous Italian-American artist Mike Bongiorno who. after work, he often took his closest collaborators to dinner at Borghetto, his favorite dish? Erotic potatoes, it's up to you to discover them.
2) The second place that I recommend certainly has much lower prices, it is located right in Piazza Greco, this is the Atmosphere. The Atmosphere is pleasant, the pizza is very good and the menu is quite varied. At midday business menu at 12 euros.
3) The last place still a few steps from home is the vegetarian and vegan restaurant Al Tatto in via Comune Antico 15. The place is very small so finding a place is almost impossible, reservations are necessary. Rather high prices but refined dishes with new combinations, the menu is defined by customers as a true sensorial journey. Outside the restaurant there are some tables where you can have an aperitif.

NOLO North east Loreto 

In about 5 minutes from the Artist's Garden and 4 stops with bus 87, you reach NOLO, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Milan. Much loved by young architects, students and creatives, the neighborhood has quickly become one of the centers of nightlife. In a few hundred meters between via Venini, viale Monza and viale Padova there are many restaurants, pizzerias, ice cream parlors and bars. Nolo is also a paradise for architecture lovers, I will tell you about this aspect in a future article.

The 3 best places in Nolo

1) Before telling you my favorite places to dine, I must absolutely point out one of the best places in the city for aperitifs: the BarTender in Piazza Morbegno. Do you know that in Milan the aperitif is a ritual? So to truly immerse yourself in the Milanese mood you cannot escape this very pleasant habit. After tasting your cocktail, or rather your aperitifs, in the center of the square, you will see a ping pong table available to anyone who wants to improvise an open air tournament. So let's go and find out right away

2) If you are a pizza lover, Gianni's NOLO.SO also offers a very interesting variety of doughs, salads, sandwiches and some tasty dishes.

3) Tre Fratelli in via Marocco 12, in addition to excellent pizza, also offers fresh fish dishes made with skill at prices that are difficult to find in the city. My favorite dish? the calzone filled with spaghetti with seafood, a delight for the palate. Massimo and his brothers will welcome you with sympathy and kindness.

So at this point you don't know which restaurant near Piazza Greco to choose? Don't have enough time to try them all? I always say: "2 days are not enough!". I will make your choice even more difficult because I cannot close this post without recommending the latest and unmissable ones

3 restaurants where you can taste true Milanese cuisine

1) The first restaurant I ever recommend is Donati in via Cassiodoro 4 tel 02 43329047. Sergio, the owner, will welcome you with sympathy and kindness. Depending on the season you will find special dishes with mushrooms, truffles and other delights, but if you want to try true Milanese cuisine, order the risotto with ossobuco or the Milanese cutlet. By the way, I stole the cover photo from their menu and just looking at it makes my mouth water. Sergio is a great football fan and his friends often take advantage of dinner to watch the most interesting matches together on the restaurant screen. Before closing this post I want to offer you two authentic Milanese trattorias:

2) Trattoria Sincera in via Porpora 154 is truly typical both from the point of view of the furnishings and the menu. Open both at midday and in the evening, it also stands out for its vast selection of wines.

3)The last place I recommend is in the Navigli area, an evening in this characteristic area is a must if you want to really get to know Milan. Trattoria El Barbapedana maintains the ancient charm of the taverns of the past unchanged. The dishes are excellent and characteristic, in addition to risotto and cutlet the chef also offers cassoeùla, a single dish based on cabbage and meat, perfect for warming up the cold Milanese evenings.

Here are my favorite restaurants in Milan but there are certainly many others that are worth trying. Indeed, if you discover someone I don't know, definitely let me know by posting the photographs on our Facebook page Il Giardino dell'Artista FamHolidays in Milan