Dining in Milan

Milan, like most cities in Italy, features its own signature regional cuisine. In the Lombardy region, this means more rice than pasta, and almost no tomato.

A particularly cherished favourite of the Milanese is the cotoletta alla milanese, a breaded cutlet of veal, pork or turkey pan-fried in butter. There is still much debate as to which came first - the Viennese Wienerschnitzel or the cotoletta alla milanese.

Other typical dishes are cassoeula (stewed pork rib chops and sausage with Savoy cabbage), osso buco (stewed veal shank with a gremolata sauce), risotto alla milanese (with saffron and beef marrow), busecca (stewed tripe with beans), and brasato (stewed beef or pork with wine and potatoes).

Like so many Italian cities, Milan has its own take on seasonal pastries, turning out chiacchiere (flat fritters dusted with sugar) and tortelli (fried spherical cookies) for Carnival, colomba (glazed cake shaped as a dove) for Easter, pane dei morti ("bread of the deads", cookies perfumed with cinnamon) for All Soul's Day and panettone for Christmas.

When it comes to cured meats and cheeses, the fine-grained salame milano is famed throughout Italy. The best known Milanese cheese is gorgonzola, which takes its name from the town of Gorgonzola where it was originally produced, thought these days the major gorgonzola producers operate in Piedmont.

Where to eat

Trattoria Milanese
Via Santa Marta 11, Magenta & Brera
€€
Closed Tuesdays, reservations required

A firm favourite with the locals, this relaxed restaurant is housed in an ancient building tucked away on a narrow street in one of the oldest parts of Milan. The communal tables are packed at lunch time, attesting to the popularity of the very traditional menu.


Venus Ristorante
Piazza Motta 50, Orta San Giulio
€€
Season runs from November to March. Closed Mondays

Overlooking Lake Orta, diners are treated with views from the terrace in summer and from the upper floor in winter. Wine lovers in particular adore the Venus for its wine list of 800 choices, while Paolo Guensi, the manager, is always on hand to advise on the best pairings. The Venus is known for its chef's famous dessert millefoglie di mele al rosmarino con crema al limone - fine slices of apple ensconced in 'a thousand' layers of paper-thin pastry and lemon cream, subtly perfumed with rosemary, giving the dessert its name.


Latteria
Via San Marco 24, Magenta & Brera
€€
Credit cards and reservations not accepted

This former dairy is now a bustling restaurant housed in one room. As its so small, Latteria doesn't take reservations or credit cards, so anyone wishing to dine here should get there early -- or late if you want to avoid the tourists and mingle with the locals, who only arrive after 9pm. While the menu changes daily, the house's speciality remains its soups (minestrone, of course, but also a range of vegetable concoctions) and its many variations of risotto.

Al Pont de Ferr
Ripa di Porta Ticinese 55, the Navigli
€€€
Closed Sundays, reservations recommended

The river area in the south of the city is thronged with restaurants and cafés, with Al Pont de Ferr beign one of the more respectable. It has tables set out on the flagstones overlooking the canal -- if you're visiting in summer, remember to take along a pocket-sized can of repellant or a citronella candle to battle the bugs. The restaurant favours a pan-Italian menu, which opens with the motto: "Good cooking is the friend of living well and the enemy of a hurried life."

Joia
Via P. Castaldi 18
€€€
Closed Aug, reservations highly recommended

Joia stands out from the crowd for being one of the few vegetarian restaurants in an ocean of eateries catering to the carnivorous Milanese appetite. Swiss chef Pietro Lemman incorporates much of his homeland's trademark minimalism with Italian staples, producing a lighter fare beautifully complimented by the neutral-toned dining rooms. Joia features an extensive cheese board and a long wine list. For those who can't abide vegetable-only creations, there are some excellent fish courses to choose from.

Ristorante Cracco
Via Victor Hugo 4
€€€€
Reservations essential

This bastion of progressive Italian cooking boasting 2 Michelin stars was formerly Cracco-Peck, the result of a partnership between master chef Carlo Cracco and Milan's most famed gourmet food emporium, Peck. Chef Carlo Cracco specialises in twists on Milanese classics, playfully experimenting with contrasts of flavours, consistency and styles of cooking. Ristorante Cracco is not to everyone's taste, but is worth at least one visit for the experience alone.

Antico Ristorante Boeucc
Piazza Belgioioso 2, Scala
€€€
Reservations essential

Having opened in 1696, Boeucc has the honour of being Milan's oldest restaurant. It is not far from La Scala, and offers a truly authentic Milanese dining experience complemented by warm and attentive service amid classic decor. The ambience is almost a meal in itself, while the cuisine is traditionally Milanese offset by imaginative twists.

Don Carlos
Grand Hotel et de Milan
Via Manzoni 29, Duomo
€€
Reservations essential, closed August.

This is the destination of choice for post-opera dining, welcoming the opera lovers fresh from La Scala. Continuing the theme, the Don Carlos' intimate interior is plastered with sketches of the theater and other ornaments once housed in Milan's temple to opera, and clientele are entertained by opera recordings which match the taste and elegance reflected in the wine list. Located in the luxurious Grand Hotel, it is a favourite with both business executives and romantics alike.