The Best Casual Restaurants in Milan

Modern and contemporary Japanese–Italian food. An exciting place. Bentoteca is an exciting place run by chef Yoji Tokuyoshi, previous chef at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana. It’s a sort of an unusual concept of Japanese–Italian food, it's very modern and contemporary. And it's a nice addition to the Milan restaurant scene which I think is quite high-end, old school and traditional. They had this beautiful and delicious miso-glazed pigeon dish, that was spatchcocked and grilled flat. It's wonderful to see that cities like Milan gain new additions – people are thinking and developing their own concepts from the old school and young chefs are exploring the market and finding new spots to open their own restaurants.

The first place to put on your list for MilanoHigh energy Trattoria, fun & banging food!Chef Diego is cooking some incredible ingredient focused food with a lot of outstanding offal dishes.

Contemporary bistrot revisiting Milanese cuisine, in Navigli.Contemporary bistrot, revisiting Milanese cuisine, with a clear influence of French cooking techniques. Located close to the Navigli canals.

A must-visit cocktail bistro in MilanCarico has been open for a few years now, and this must-visit experimental cocktail bistro has been steadily acquiring a great reputation among locals and city visitors alike, for its libations and ever-changing small plates menu. It’s informal and fun, the large tables are the perfect place to enjoy an aperitif, or a moment with a good drink after dinner. The establishment also recently opened an experiential intimate tasting room for special occasions.

A high level dinner by chef Federico Sisti in a relaxed and laidback environment.Federico Sisti is a pure talent. Sharp technique and great flavour combination for a high level dinner in a relaxed and laidback environment.

Lovely place overlooking the Piazza Duomo, friendly and young atmosphere, delicious and creative platesOne of my favorite places in Milan, relaxing vibes and never fails to excite me for the quality of the dishes.The desserts are magical too!

Garden-to-table, perfect for Sunday lunchHead down the Naviglo Pavese a little and you'll find Erba Brusca on the side of the road. The restaurant itself is much more charming, it's big plusses being the fresh produce, much of which they grow themselves, and the laid back vibe. Sunday lunch is my favourite time to go and I like to take seat in the kind of conservatory and just... take my time.

Old style italian Osteria with homemade dishes to share and natural wines in Milan.A ‘Osteria’ like those of the past, Osteria alla Concorrenza in Milano, where you can drink (natural) wines happily with friends and taste various dishes to share in a nice, informal and welcoming atmosphere.The plates to order on the blackboard are united by the mouth watering just reading them, such as the platter of cold cuts, Recco focaccia with mortadella, pickled vegetables (good!) radicchio and Morbier, bean soup and hen in saor.For wine, it is better to ask for advice to the host who will surely find the bottle that best meets the tastes of the diners: in my case an interesting Nebbiolo that cleaned up the palate between one bite and another.Beautiful floor ‘old Milan style’ and the pictures on the walls, I would have taken a thousand other photos.

Real Chinese tastes in the business heart of Milan.Missing China? So this place will make you jump back to the mainland with an authentic experience of both food and service.

A neighbourhood trattoria in Milan’s Affori neighbourhood specialising in wild porcini dishes. In addition to house-made pasta and fresh porcini risotto, you might luck out and find the bruschetta con casserecio salsiccia fresca Toscana aka raw Tuscan “sausage” (more like a pork tartare, really) on the menu.

New opening in Milan: The Manzoni restaurant launched together with the well-known Tom Dixon designer studio.Responsible for the cuisine: barely 30 years old chef Davide Figliolini, who previously had worked for Dabiz Muñoz in Diverxo.The menu can be described as trendy international cuisine with an Italian base. Modern and young, well curated.To try: suckling pig with raspberry sauce, tacos with tuna, duck ravioli with Alba white truffle.

One of the smallest but truly bright gems in the gastronomical scene of Milan. 28 Posti is casual in its ambiance but absolutely not a regular place for eating. Chef Marco Ambrosino offers a creative cuisine of the season and territory and perfectly “marries” it with fermentation. Modern and extremely innovative yet truly tastes well and stays comfy. Biological and natural wines make 80% of the wine list and the sommelier is very well-prepared. I’d suggest for a Sunday curious lunch with friends.

Apparently new opening in Milan’s fast developing area of Ex-Fiera with stylish and intimate atmosphere and great service by young team of professionals.Very good wine selection with wide variety of wines from all the Europe, not only Italy.Menu is curated by famous Milanese-Dutch chef Eugenio Boer and their faraona and pastrami are just impeccable!Special thanks for having English cheese in menu.

One of the oldest and most influential bars of Milan. Space of preserved history and traditions of Milanese Aperitivo with its typical drinks on the ground floor and an homage to international tendencies - on the 1st floor.To try: Campari Seltz - worth a visit to Milan, Campari Orange and Milano Torino cocktails.If you feel hungry make sure to order pancot - a twist on traditional plates of Lombardy presented in a bready manner studied by chef Davide Oldani.

Solid, flavorful, contemporary food yet very rooted in tradition. A relaxed ambience in the most contemporary area of Milan is the perfect location for Cesare Battisti to express his beautiful cuisine. Very solid, flavorful, contemporary yet very rooted in tradition.

Simplicity at its bestSimple, seasonal and delicious dishes with many vegetarian options. A ultra cosy płace focused on sustainability and natural wine.

A single product restaurant, completely dedicated to pasta opened by Mathias Perdomo and Simon Press late 2020. The third spot opened by creative chef Mathias Perdomo and his strong partner Simon Press, at the end of 2020 completely dedicated to pasta and its declinations throughout Italy.Pasta is approached as an ingredient not only as a course within a menu. The techniques, the handwork of making every single cappelletto or raviolo, the different seasoning according to the market, and the study of every single Italian region is incredible. Young Arianna Consiglio, a Sicilian soul and still not even in her 30s is doing a great job combining rich taste, elegance in the final results and a good variety of hyper local and innovative recipes. Arianna has a true passion for Exit Pastificio, devoted to the process of educating people in eating pasta in a different and not standardized way. Unmissable plin with sugo arrosto, fusilloni and tarte tatin.The combination of three or five dishes offers a wide spectrum of the menu and for this tasting approach, the bar suggests a possible cocktail pairing with low abv recipes, fermented drinks and Italian and international spirits.

Cozy tiny place in a cool neighborhood serving small plates with interesting ingredients, matches and flavorsCozy tiny place near Porta Venezia in Milano.Small lovely plates, interesting combinations of ingredients, various techniques and freshness are just some of the characteristics of Bites Milano.I recommend sitting at the counter to appreciate some phases of preparation and composition of the dishes!My favorite dishes on the menu of 8 tastings (chosen from the kitchen) the mackerel, an original version of katsu sando (with cabbage) and Chwanmushi with eel.Good also the panna cotta!1. Pickled mackerel, spicy vinaigrette, tangerine, yuzu 2. Scallop, Nduja 3. Katsuosando, braised cabbage, dried shrimp4. Chawanmushi, cauliflower, eel, Ikura5. Veal tongue, seaweed6. Yakitori, beef cheek, green pepper 7. Pannacotta, brewer's yeast, hazelnuts 8. Crispy waffle, red turnips, mascarpone, creamy toasted barley

Natural wines and interesting dishes on a quiet stretch of the NavigliGianluca Ladu was among the first to work with natural wine in Milan: he started out with a first, smaller version of Vinoir, on a quiet stretch of the Navigli, and over the years he expanded; he's changed a few chefs in the kitchen, but what hasn't changed is how well his very personal selection of wines pairs with the dishes. At Vinoir it's not about small plates of trite culinary cliches, it's real food, cooked well, closer to the offer you'd expect from a good bistro. They might not have the cool logo or the cool merch, but they know how to please customers with grown-up taste. If you sit outside at the right time of the day you may also catch the boats from the two rowing clubs of Milan as they zip by on the water. Now that's cool. (If you can't find a table at Vinoir and want to stay in the area, my next pick is Enoteca Naturale, which occupies a wing of Emergency's headquarters and part of its garden, in front of one of Milan's most beautiful churches, Sant'Eustorgio. Younger, hip vibe, if you like that kind of scene, with a knowledgeable staff that knows how to keep the party going).