Two things you need to know about Italian restaurants.
What is “coperto”?
On the menus and bills of Italian restaurants, you will almost always find the entry ‘coperto’.
This is not a scam or rip-off. The ‘coperto charge’ is completely legal and is always charged, even to Italian customers. It is a fixed fee that covers the cost of tablecloths, plates, cutlery, bread and service. In more exclusive restaurants, however, you will find the item ‘service’, which is often added to the ‘basic rate’.
Should I leave a tip?
Tipping is not part of Italian culture. Italians do not tip. We already pay the ‘coperto’ for the service provided by the waiters.
Restaurants serving Milanese cuisine
We have already warned you: tourist traps are a danger throughout Italy. Milan is no exception, especially when it comes to food.
Most restaurants claim to offer Milanese dishes. However, there is a risk that improvised dishes such as chicken or pork cutlets will be passed off as ‘real cutlets’.
So here are some of our favourite restaurants in Milan: if you would like to suggest other restaurants, please write to us. We will be happy to try them out.
Trattoria Arlati €€€
Via Alberto Nota, 47 Reservations: thefork.it Telephone: 02 643 3327
Very popular restaurant in the north of Milan. Milanese and non-Milanese dishes, extensive wine list, average prices.
L’Altra Isola €€
Via Edoardo Porro, 8 Telephone: 02 6083 0205
Restaurant from another era, informal service and authentic Milanese cuisine. Not far from Isola, even on foot. Advance booking by telephone is essential.
Testina €€€
Via Abbadesse 19 Reservations: thefork.it wheno.it Telephone: 02 4035907
This restaurant in the northern part of the city offers a simple menu with some Milanese specialities. The wine list is extensive and also includes wines from Lombardy that are not easy to find.
Al Garghet €€€
Via Selvanesco, 36 Telephone: 02 534698
On the outskirts of Milan, nestled in the countryside. A very atmospheric restaurant, but one that has already been discovered by tourists of all nationalities. Schnitzel and more. Advance booking is essential.
€€€€ – Luxury restaurants in Milan
The renowned guidebooks list a number of important luxury restaurants in Milan. The 2025 Michelin Guide, for example, lists 16 starred restaurants in the city: 12 with 1 star, 3 with 2 stars and 1 restaurant with 3 stars.
Enrico Bartolini at Mudec, in the Museo delle Culture (Via Tortona 56)
The only 3-star restaurant in Milan offers contemporary, innovative cuisine with a high level of service in an elegant setting.
Telephone number for reservations: 02 8429 3701 Email: info@enricobartolini.net – ristorante@enricobartolini.net
Here is a list of other luxury restaurants in Milan, all of which can be considered €€€€.
Andrea Aprea
Corso Venezia 52 (Fondazione Luigi Rovati), telephone number +39 02 38273030, email address info@andreaaprea.com
Verso Capitaneo
Piazza Duomo 21, telephone number +39 02 8975 0929
Seta di Antonio Guida
At the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Via Monte di Pietà, 18, tel. +39 02 8731 8897, email: momln-setarestaurant@mohg.com
Aalto Cucina by Takeshi Iwai
Piazza Alvar Aalto, telephone number: +39 02 250 62 888, email address for reservations booking@aalto-restaurant.com
Anima
Via Rosales 4, in the Hotel Una Milano Verticale, telephone number: +39 02.622.78.500, email address: prenotazioni@ristoranteanima.com
Berton
Via Mike Bongiorno, 13 Telephone number: 02 67075801, email address: info@ristoranteberton.com
Contraste
Via Giuseppe Meda 2, telephone number: +39 02 49536597, email address: info@contrastemilano.it
Il luogo di Aimo e Nadia
Via Privata Raimondo Montecuccoli, 6, telephone number: +39 02 416886, email address: info@aimoenadia.com
Restaurants serving Italian cuisine
€€€ Il Cormorano Sempione, Via Angelo Poliziano 1 – MM5 Gerusalemme or MM5 Domodossola – +39 94383205, bookable online
Seafood restaurant, elegant and quite formal atmosphere.
€€€ Il Cormorano Isola, Via L.P. Lambertenghi 34 – MM5 Isola – +39 02 69004384, online booking available
Seafood restaurant, cosy and informal atmosphere.
€€€ Zio Pesce Navigli, Via Cicco Simonetta 8 – MM4 De Amicis or MM2 Sant’Agostino
Online reservations, closed on Sundays, family-run fish restaurant. A starter and first course cost between €32 and €35.
€ Pasta Fresca da Giovanni, Via Ascanio Sforza 31 – Navigli area
Casual atmosphere, limited seating. Fresh pasta to take away or for a quick meal. Open for lunch; open until 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Closed on Tuesdays.
€€ Osteria Naviglio Grande, via Ludovico il Moro 139, Navigli area, online reservations available
Italian meat and fish restaurant near Navigli. Casual atmosphere. Good wine list with affordable local options.
€€ Osteria della Darsena, Via Vigevano 1, Navigli area, online reservations on their website
Italian cuisine with a predominance of meat and some fish dishes. Casual atmosphere.
€€€ Bauscia Brera, via dell’Orso 2, Duomo district, online reservations via TheFork or Quandoo, closed on Sunday evenings.
Formal atmosphere, Italian cuisine, mainly meat and various typical Lombard and Milanese dishes. €5 cover charge. Interesting wine list with choices for every taste.
€€ Locanda Perbellini Bistrot, Via della Moscova 25, MM2 Moscova, reservations online via platform or on the website. Open for lunch and dinner, closed Sundays and Mondays.
Restaurant with an elegant atmosphere and a concise menu featuring traditional Italian dishes, some with a modern twist.
€€€ Trattoria Masuelli San Marco, Viale Umbria 80, Porta Romana MM3 Lodi, +39 02 5518 4138
€€ Giannino l’Angolo d’Abruzzo, via Rosolino Pilo 20, Porta Venezia MM1
This successful restaurant serving Abruzzese cuisine has opened several locations in different parts of Milan: you can google them. Here we give you the address of the first restaurant, which offers typical cuisine from Abruzzo, a region in central Italy where meat specialities dominate.
€€€ La Brisa, via Francesco Ferrucci 1, MM5 Domossola
In the Sempione district, there is an elegant restaurant specialising in Trentino-South Tyrol, an Alpine region in north-eastern Italy. It offers dishes that are not easy to find outside Italy and even outside the region. Elegant but informal atmosphere, excellent service, good wine list.
Non-Italian restaurants
Italian cuisine is famous and appreciated all over the world, but it can be tiring, especially if you stay in the country for a long time. In Milan, you will find cuisines from many countries, in many cases with a quality recognised by the major international guidebooks. Here is a selection of restaurants you should try.
Japanese restaurants in Milan
€€€€ Iyo Taste Experience, Via Piero della Francesca 74. Telephone +39 02 454 76 898, email: info@iyo.it
The first Japanese restaurant in Milan to be awarded a Michelin star. Very chic atmosphere, reservations are essential, prices are high, as is the quality.
€€€ Shiro Poporoya, via Bartolomeo Eustachi 20, Porta Venezia area, book online
One of the few Japanese restaurants in Milan that is 100% Japanese-run. There are also hundreds of Japanese restaurants in the city that are run by Chinese people and offer an all-you-can-eat concept. The variable fixed price, usually around €15 for lunch and between €23 and €30 for dinner, does not include drinks, dessert or cover charge.
Chinese restaurants in Milan
€€€ Bon Wei, via Ludovico Castelvetro 16, MM5 Jerusalem
This restaurant describes itself as ‘upscale regional Chinese cuisine’. Very extensive menu with Chinese specialities and many exquisite ingredients.
€€ Wang Jiao, several restaurants in different parts of the city
Small chain of Chinese restaurants. Extensive menu, well-prepared dishes, friendly service and high quality. Due to the large crowds, especially on weekends, we recommend making a reservation.
€ Jubin, Via Paolo Sarpi 11
In the heart of Chinatown, one of Milan’s historic Chinese restaurants.
€ Trattoria Long Chang, via Paolo Sarpi 42
Simple Chinese restaurant, authentic cuisine at affordable prices. Generous portions. Friendly service, sometimes a little chaotic. Long waiting times on weekends.
Indian restaurants in Milan
€€/€€ Serendib, Via Pontida 2, MM2 Moscova
Excellent Sri Lankan cuisine in this historic restaurant, which is well known and popular in the city. Reservations recommended.
€€ Just India, Via Benedetto Marcello 34, MM1 Lima / MM3 MM2 Centrale
This restaurant is run by Indians and frequented by many Indians living in the city. The food is traditional, healthy and inexpensive.
Other international cuisines
€€ Dawali, Via Corrado II il Salico 11, MM3 Lodi
This Lebanese restaurant, which is not located in the immediate vicinity of the underground, is well rated on social media.
€€€ Bem Brasil, via Bessarione 5, MM3 Lodi
This Brazilian restaurant is popular with tourists and Milanese alike, at least according to reviews on TripAdvisor and Google.
A unique experience: have dinner on a tram
As an experience, the ATMosfera restaurant should certainly be mentioned: dinner on an old tram adapted to a restaurant, on a romantic tour of the city. It offers three menus (meat, fish, vegetarian).
In Milan there are two tram restaurants: one begins its journey at 20, the other one at 20:30. The dinner tour lasts about 2 and a half hours.
The cost is 70 euros covered and bookings are accepted from 75 days before the date for 2 people (or multiples of 2). Only from 6 days before dinner can you book for an odd number of person.
Remember to print the booking voucher: without that you will not be allowed on board.