16 Best Restaurants in Milan, Italy

Celebrity chef Ritu Dalmia runs well-regarded Italian restaurants in India, so it's no surprise that her restaurant in Milan offers a mash-up of modern Indian food with Italian and international ingredients; even the decor, with shelves of pottery and terrazzo floors, is a cultural combo. Look for unexpected flavors and a mix of small plates, more substantial mains, and utterly delicious fusion desserts.

The café at this foodie paradise at its original 1883 outpost near the Duomo features Italian specialty foods such as excellent cheeses, charcuterie, vegetables in olive oil, seafood, and sandwiches. It also reinterprets classic dishes like Russian salad and pâté, which can be washed down with a fine selection of wines by the glass or a bottle from its cellar of global labels. You'll also find Peck at City Life near San Siro and in Porta Venezia.

From day to night, step into the chic living room of 142 for whatever you are craving. Drink coffee and eat a homemade brioche at a bar decorated in crown caps or eat lunch or dinner at tables with a hand-painted Pollock flourish, while browsing a selection of art books. The influence of Sandra Ciciriello (who co-founded a Michelin-starred restaurant and worked as a fishmonger before starting 142) is evident in the fish-focused menu. There's also a selection of pastas and risotto with a twist. End the meal munching on caramel corn bonbons and salted caramelized popcorn from an oversized red-and-white striped box.

In Italian, al fresco means open-air, and when the weather cooperates you can dine in the candlelit garden of this restaurant converted from a former factory. The string lights and wooden tables create a romantic setting, while indoors, a greenhouse with terra-cotta floors is decorated with seasonal floral arrangements, chandeliers, and pendant lights to add to the 19th-century charm. The menu offers plenty of classic dishes from throughout Italy like Pappa al pomodoro (a Tuscan bread soup), a Milanese veal cutlet, and a codfish from Liguria. Fish and seafood are prominent for mains as are chef Andrea Mangiaracina's low-temperature cooking techniques. Wines from nearly every region in Italy make up the extensive list.

Outside the center of town, this is a fun place to sample specialties from the Puglia region of southern Italy. These include homemade orecchiette and other pastas served with a variety of sauces; dishes are piled high, so share or come with a big appetite. There is a wide array of first courses, as well as plenty of vegetable, meat, and fish dishes.

Alternative describes more than the decor and name at Altriménti. But there are the scarlet velvet Three Wise Monkeys (See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil) to greet you, evocative bright prints from contemporary Italian artists, that same scarlet for walls, stairs, and cushions, and fluted cardboard stools for resting handbags table-side in the bright main dining room that can seat 30. But in a neighborhood not known for its culinary prowess, the team behind Altriménti (with an impressive culinary resume with guidance by renowned chef Eugenio Boer) has also created a seasonally changing menu and wine list that takes the best of Italian regions such as baccalà mantecato (mashed cod, Veneto), crusco pepper (crunchy red pepper, Basilicata), and polenta (Piedmont) to create direct dishes with complex flavors, as nettles, lemongrass, and lime also grace white discs served on white linens. Alongside slow-cooked meats, seared seafood, and house made ravioli, there is Lombardy's classic risotto carnaroli allo zafferano (saffron risotto) with beef jus and Piedmont's vitello tonato (veal filet with tuna sauce). Mixed-to-order gelato and sorbet make dessert worth saving room for. 

A French-style bistro in the heart of Milan, Fioraio Bianchi Caffè was opened more than 40 years ago by Raimondo Bianchi, a great lover of flowers; in fact, eating at this restaurant is a bit like dining in a Parisian boutique with floral decor. Despite the French atmosphere, the dishes have Italian flair and ensure a classy, inventive meal.

Dining at LùBar, which was started by three children of Milan fashion designer Luisa Beccaria and which is tucked into the side of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, feels like eating inside a greenhouse—only with fashionable people among the trees and plants. The cozy, chic environs lend themselves perfectly to nibbling on small plates of modern Sicilian food—for lunch, an afternoon snack, or a light dinner.

This enoteca serves wine by the glass and, in addition to the plates of salumi (Italian cold cuts) and cheese nibbles, has light food and not-so-light desserts. It's a great place for people-watching on Via San Marco, while indoors offers a more dimly lit, romantic setting; check out the impressive vaulted basement, where bottled wines and spirits are sold.

Mobiles and natural-wood lanterns decorate this cozy restaurant where house-made pasta is the main event. Start with crusty sourdough bread and small dishes of seasonal salads, vegetables, and fish served on plates crafted in a Milan ceramics studio. Then ease into the pastas made in Francesco Costanzo's kitchen and served with a decadent combination of yellow tomatoes, raw shrimp, and stracciatella (a cheese from Puglia), along with a handful of other classic and modern interpretations of southern Italian flavors. 

Chef Cesare Battisti infuses the Milanese dishes of his childhood with a contemporary twist at this lively restaurant. Its two patios face a park with skyline views, and its dining room is decorated with vintage items (like an Olivetti typewriter and Scandalli accordion). A busy lunch crowd sips wine from a collection of natural and biodynamic labels. Start with a classic Milanese recipe for mondeghili (fried veal meatballs) followed by risotto alla vecchia Milano (risotto with saffron, bone marrow, and gremolata). Ingredients are seasonal and local where possible with a focus on small producers. Afterwards, take a stroll through the Biblioteca degil Alberi (Library of Trees).

The seventh floor of this famous Italian department store is a gourmet food market surrounded by several small restaurants that can be a good option for lunch, an aperitivo overlooking the Duomo, or dinner after a long day of shopping. There are several places to eat, including the popular mozzarella bar Obicà, God Save the Food for juices and healthy bowls, and the sophisticated Maio restaurant. A terrace overlooking the Duomo is shared by three locations. You'd best get here early—it's popular, and there are often lines at mealtimes.

Simple, fresh, authentic Ligurian specialties will take you back to lazy summer days on the Italian Riviera—even during Milan's gray winters. Such coastal classics as trofie al pesto (an egg-free pasta served with pesto) and bagnun di acciughe (anchovy soup), coupled with a basket of warm focaccia or a side of farinata (a chickpea pancake) reign supreme in this Milan favorite. It overlooks a lively (seasonal) bocce court. 

Although this establishment in the heart of Brera calls itself nothing more than a birreria con cucina (beer cellar with kitchen), locals come here for excellent evening meals in relaxed surroundings, and the traditional dishes vary with the season. A soft current of jazz and sylvan decor soothe the ripple of conversation. Plates could include involtini di spada gratinati (swordfish rolls with breadcrumb), zuppa di arselle e fregola (couscous soup with clams), and pizza selvatica con pesto e pinoli tosta (rustic pizza with pesto and roasted pine nuts).

Simple but savory fare and a menu that varies weekly characterize this osteria run by two brothers, Paolo and Roberto. Specialties include truffle tagliolini, and stuffed pasta, such as Gorgonzola-filled ravioli with walnut sauce, or pear and parmigiano tortelli with a saffron butter sauce. The extensive, meat-rich second-course dishes are paired with creamy polenta taragna (made with cornmeal and buckwheat flour) or hand-cut fried potatoes. The dessert menu changes daily, with in-house cakes, sorbetto, and tiramisù reflecting traditional tastes and seasonal availability.

This neighborhood restaurant is hidden behind Via Montenapoleone and thus handy to the restaurant-scarce Quadrilatero. What the menu lacks in originality it makes up for with reliable consistency in dishes like pizza and cotoletta. Clients include families from this well-heeled area, professionals, football players, and television stars. Like any Italian restaurant, it's not child-friendly in an American sense—no high chairs or children's menu—but children will find food they like.