Akademy/2019/A brief guide to Milan's Gastronomy

Note

This page is currently work in progress

What should I eat?

Must-eat from Milan:

Cotoletta alla milanese - in good places: check out in particular the "orecchio di elefante", a particular style with a very thin preparation
Risotto alla milanese (esp. with ossobuco, but also without)
Luganega, esp. luganega di Monza (like a salame)
Taleggio
Gorgonzola
Cheeses and salumi from Brianza (the countryside between Milan and Como Lake)

Wine grapes/Terroirs of the region: Nebbiolo (sometimes called Chiavennasca) is a typical lombard grape (esp. Valtellina), close to Milan you cna find the terroir of the oltrepò pavese, which is also quite rich and full of experimentation with natural fermentation (key grapes: Bonarda, Lambrusco, Barbera), and obviously Franciacorta is also not far away.

Where?

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Suggestions. All three very typical, top quality you can find in Milan in terms of food (if you don't want to go * or ** Michelin stars). Prices are 20-50 EUR per person, you can check the menu and most likely get a deal for a fixed one for many participants.

   Premiata Trattoria Arlati dal 1936

Via Alberto Nota, 47, 20126 Milano MI +39 02 643 3327

Trattoria Arlati is an ancient Trattoria (1936) from way back when that part of town was mostly countryside. Closer to the venue, a little chic but still very authentic, average price (30-40pp), incredible food

   Da Martino

Via Carlo Farini, 8, 20154 Milano MI +39 02 655 4974

Likely my best suggestion, is small and informal but with care to details, definitely cheaper and the food quality is beyond amazing. I am not sure if they host 30, but you can try. Cozy. Booking mandatory. Price range would be ~20-25 pp

   Ratanà

Via Gaetano de Castillia, 28, 20124 Milano MI +39 02 8712 8855

The fanciest of the three but still somewhat hipster and with a chilled mood, they grow their own food in a garden in one of the fancy/hipster districts of Milan. The building used to be a train station (a very small one)

More places to check:

   Un posto a Milano
   Anche bar

Pizzeria =

   Marghe (pizza)
   Briscola (pizza)

After dinner / aperitivo

Milan has a long-standing tradition of Aperitivi. Aperitivo is defined by bars and pubs providing a buffet dinner for free when accopanied by the purchase of a standard drink for a fixed price. Standard drink includes everything, from a soda to a cocktail, and you can expect the price to keep the same no matter what you order.

Aperitivo is almost universal to the whole town, every bar will have its variation on the theme. Expect to pay anything between 6€ (by the University) to 12-15€ in the city center for a more fancy experience and unlimited food.

Notable places for an aperitivo outside uni

Ceresio 7 (fancy), M5 Monumentale
IL Milano (Via Procaccini, M5 Gerusalemme)
Frida Bar (M5 Isola)

What should I NOT eat?

Italy is famous for its varied gastronomic scene, and it is sometimes hard to know which dish belongs to which area of production. While it's possible to find specialties in restaurants managed by non-milaneses, this is a list of famous italian food not typical of Milan. We advise against eating these dishes in non-specialised places, as they are typical tourist traps.

Pasta:

Carbonara
Amatriciana
Gricia
Bolognese

Others:

Pasta&Pizza
Hawaii pizza (please)
Porchetta
Cannoli

Google Maps map

You can find these places (and more) on this map: https://maps.app.goo .gl/AMdY6FjxHcNtv87F7