Whether you choose from this list or find your own, one rule holds: reservations are a must. Saturday night is the busiest time to eat in Milan, so call the restaurant or book online, ideally a few days ahead for the weekend.
This is the list we hand to guests staying at Siracusa, our home in Porta Romana. The neighbourhood spots below are a short walk or a couple of metro stops from the door. As we open more homes across Milan, each one will come with its own local list.
Where to eat
Pizza
- Pizza AM. One of the most popular classic and traditional pizzas in the city, known worldwide.
- Vincenzo Capuano. Popular in recent years, more creative pizza while staying traditional.
Trattorie and neighbourhood gems
- Creda. A neighbourhood gem, southern Italian food made to share. One of our favourites.
- Pescherie Riunite. Seafood is pricey in Milan, but this place puts out great food at fair prices and it is very close to the apartment. We are there weekly.
- Panigacci. Classic dishes done extremely well, with fun owners who put the music on. Very popular with international guests, and a huge collection of gins, so it is a great place to linger for a drink after dinner.
Worth the trip out
- Ponte Milvio. Roman cuisine in a tiny, authentic spot, a little further from Porta Romana. The best carbonara around, in our opinion.
- Osteria del Binari. Traditional Milanese cuisine in an old school, sprawling establishment over towards Porta Genova. Risotto and ossobuco, ten out of ten.
Before you reserve, check TheFork and Tripadvisor. Some of these places run discounts through the apps, and it is worth a look if you want to find other spots or if the ones above are fully booked. Reserve through the app, then just show up, tell the restaurant you booked that way, and the discount is applied.
Bars near the apartment
- MOM. A neighbourhood classic for more than fifty years, and our personal go to every other weekend. Hundreds of people, cheap drinks, no seats, a proper stand in the street kind of place. If the drinks line gets too wild, Rusty is right around the corner. Grab your drinks there and dive back into the MOM crowd.
- Ultra. Creative, classy drinks with great food and snacks. A sit down place, more refined but still casual.
- Lacerba. A historic Milanese bar with a good drinks menu and a cosy room. There are only a few seats, so we usually stand outside. Right next door is NON la solita vineria, a lovely wine only alternative.
Bars a little further out
- Doping Bar. A classy hidden gem, very particular and cosy. Higher end, but genuinely one of a kind.
- Cantine Isola. Wine by the glass or the bottle in the heart of Chinatown, a personal favourite. It closes early, but you are right by the Arco della Pace, which is full of places to carry on the night.
- MOGO. Soft clubbing, and hard to get into. If you want to go, message us, we have contacts there.
Clubs and nights out
There are dozens of clubs, but our top tip is to follow CityBeat. They are good friends of ours and they gather all the events in one place on their Instagram. You can also check DICE or Resident Advisor, though those are a bit more of a gamble.
Nights start late here. Aperitivo runs from about 7 to 9pm, bars really fill up around 10 to 11pm, and clubs do not get going until past midnight. Pace yourself accordingly.
This is the part of hosting we love most, so if you want more ideas, a table somewhere that looks fully booked, or a hand getting into one of the harder spots, just message us. We are always happy to help.