A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Milan
- Milan Information
- Eating & drinking in Milan
- Night life in Milan
- Getting around in Milan
- Things to do in Milan
- Where to stay in Milan
- Milan street map
Milan has a reputation for having one of the highest standards of living in the whole of Italy. And, as you’d expect, fine eating and drinking is central to this quality of life. While it may not always come cheap, there are plenty of reasonable places - and even the odd outright bargain - for those prepared to hunt around.
In terms of where to eat, the golden rule applies in Milan as it does everywhere else: stay well clear of the heavily-touristy streets surrounding the city’s main attractions. Around the Piazza del Duomo, especially, the streets are full of restaurants trying to lure in custom with tacky, multilingual menus and over-priced food.
For cheap meals, the best place to head is Navigli. Here, the huge number of university students has helped spawn a wide variety of cafés and pizzerias offering simple, low-cost food. Additionally, the area’s many ‘paninotece’ are great places to pick up a delicious panini and a couple of cold beers.
Another Milanese institution which goes a long way to keeping costs down is the local version of the ‘aperitivo’. From about 18.00 to 21.00, dozens of places across the city offer ‘stuzzichini’ (complementary nibbles) in addition to a happy hour drinks deal.
If you’re looking for something more substantial but don’t want to pay the staggering prices of some of the city’s classiest restaurants, the slightly humbler Milanese ‘trattorie’ are ideal.
Typical antipasti include ‘nervetti’, a local specialty of boiled calves’ shank seasoned with onion. This could be followed up with the city’s signature dish, a filling ‘risotto alla milanese’ which is flavored with beef broth and saffron.
As you’d expect in Italy, a good meal, or indeed, pretty much any social occasion, is washed down with a few excellent glasses of wine. Sparkling wines in particular are a regional staple. Franciacorta is especially recommended, while Grumello, Sangue di Guida and Bardolino are also excellent. As the evening lengthens and people start to move from restaurants to bars and clubs, they’re a great way to kick off a long evening’s partying.
