A Day in Milan — The Perfect Foodie Itinerary

Standing tall in Northern Italy’s Lombardy region, Milan’s cuisine focuses more on hearty dishes like saffron-infused risotto, rich-buttery polenta, and slow-roasted veal ossobuco. The city also moves at a much faster pace than you’ll find in most other parts of Italy, with a lot of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it foodie opportunities.

So, I decided to take a closer look at Milanese cuisine, and where to find it, to help plan your next Milan food tour.

Exploring Milan’s Unique Culinary Scene

When you look at Milanese cuisine there’s nary a tomato in sight. Olive oil gives way to some of the richest butter on the planet, and seafood often plays second fiddle to veal.

This palette of hearty flavors helps fuel the frenetic pace of Milanese life. Yet the people of Milan also know how to settle down to enjoy high-quality aperitivo cocktails, which help them slow down before enjoying a fulfilling, relaxed meal.  

Essential Milanese Dishes You Have to Try

No Milan food tour would be complete without sampling some of the classic Milanese and Lombard dishes like

Risotto alla Milanese

This special type of risotto is made from a saffron-infused stock enhanced by onions, and garlic, enriched by the region’s world-famous butter. The buttery flavor from the cows living in the nearby alpine meadows brings a lot of richness.

However, it’s the use of saffron that makes Risotto alla Milanese unique to Milan. Historically when the Duomo di Milano was being built, saffron powder was used to color the stained-glass windows, and found its way into the risotto the artisans were eating. 

Cotoletta alla Milanese

Cotoletta alla Milanese is a luxuriously tender veal chop, breaded with hearty breadcrumbs, and pan-fried in butter. It’s essentially a Lombard take on a German schnitzel.

There’s some debate about who invented it first. Though several centuries-old cookbooks suggest that an early version of cotoletta alla Milanese was created in Milan as far back as the middle of the 12th century.  

Ossobuco

You’ve probably heard of ossobuco before. In Milan, it’s made from slow-braised veal shanks that are cooked until they’re fall-off-the-bone tender. It’s often topped with a gremolata of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic.

Cassoeula

Photo credit: “Cassoeula” by Remulazz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This is a comforting pork and cabbage stew you find all over Lombardy. It’s reminiscent of French cassoulet, but it doesn’t have beans. It focuses on belly-filling braised pork, which is often accented by carefully stewed cabbage.

Polenta

Polenta is made from finely ground cornmeal that’s very similar to American grits. In Milan, they often simmer it in a copper pot. Many creative Milanese chefs will add other ingredients like melted fontina or gorgonzola cheese to create hearty appetizers like Polenta Concia.

Where to Find Authentic Milanese Cuisine in Milan

There are tons of great restaurants featuring the classic dishes of Milan. However, I think the following offers the best takes on Lombard and Milanese cuisine.

Al Garghet

Photo credit: Al Garghet

Located on the outskirts of Milan, Al Garghet is a charming trattoria that’s tucked peacefully away from the busy city center. It’s also my top pick for risotto alla Milanese.

Al Garghet is surrounded by vibrant green fields and gardens that give it a charming old-world ambiance. While I appreciate the warmth of the wood interior, I think the outdoor seating area is the place to be in fair weather.

The menu at Al Garghet focuses largely on Milanese cuisine with hearty risottos, osso buco, and the iconic Milanese cotoletta. Yet the dish I’m most blown away by is their risotto alla Milanese. The stock gives the risotto a sauce-like quality. Then they infuse it with real saffron which gives the velvet-smooth risotto an other-worldly color and aroma.

Al Garghet (€€€) – Via Selvanesco, 36, 20141 Milano MI, Italy – Open Tuesday to Friday from 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM.

Trattoria Milanese

Trattoria Milanese is located in Milan’s Brera district. It’s beloved by locals and tourists alike for its cotoletta alla Milanese.

The ambiance of the dining room is the embodiment of Italian warmth. It has wooden tables, vintage rustic décor and classic, red-checkered tablecloths.

Trattoria Milanese’s menu focuses on traditional Milanese dishes, like ossobuco alla Milanese, and rich buttery risotto. However, my favorite is the cotoletta alla Milanese.

The breaded veal cutlet is thicker than most other places, which makes it exceptionally moist. They pan-fry it in clarified butter which has a higher smoke point that perfectly crisps the breadcrumbs while also giving the entire dish a richness emblematic of Milanese cuisine.

Trattoria Milanese (€15-€20) – Via Santa Marta, 11, 20123 Milano MI, Italy.

Ratanà

You’ll find Ratanà in Milan’s vibrant Porta Nuova district, just a stone’s throw from impressive architectural attractions like the Bosco Verticale and the Piazza Gae Aulenti. Making it an ideal place to enjoy creative twists on Lombardy classics, while taking in the living history of Milan.  

Ratanà sits within a historic building which gives it an atmosphere of rustic elegance. Perfect for enjoying some of Milan’s most cherished dishes like osso buco.  

The menu at Ratanà uses locally sourced seasonal ingredients to create their dishes. This shows up in the depth of flavor they get out of their osso buco, which is sourced from Lomardy’s alpine meadows. This gives the tender veal a grass-finished flavor that you can’t find in osso buco sourced elsewhere.

Ratanà (€30-€40) – Via Gaetano de Castillia, 28, 20124 Milano MI, Italy.

Trattoria della Gloria

Trattoria della Gloria in Milan is just outside of the vibrant Navigli district, offering a cozy taste of authentic Milanese cuisine. It’s also my top pick for cassoeula in Milano.

The ambiance at Trattoria della Gloria radiates warm with rustic wooden tables, soft lighting, and walls festooned with vintage décor. It’s the perfect cozy atmosphere for enjoying lusciously braised pork.

Trattoria della Gloria’s menu showcases Milanese and Lombard specialties, focusing on hearty, regional flavors. Their cassoeula is deeply braised, giving it an umami that perfectly complements the earthy tang of the cabbage. The sauce also has a depth of flavor that only comes from rendered marrow in the braising stock.

Trattoria della Gloria (€30-€40) Via Mario Pichi, 5, 20143 Milano MI, Italy.

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco

Photo credit: Trattoria Masuelli San Marco

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco is an institution of Milanese cuisine near Corso XXII Marzo, and other popular tourist attractions like Porta Romana and the Fondazione Prada Museum. They’ve been making the classical Lombard, Piedmont, and Milano dishes like polenta since 1921.

The interior has a retro ambiance rich with traditional Italian décor. Including charming wooden furniture and vintage accents that evoke Milan’s culinary heritage.

One of the things I love about Masuelli San Marco is the way they use polenta as a creative canvas for so many other variations. This includes polenta dishes served with braised meats, mushrooms, and rich, comforting sauces.

My personal favorite is when they use polenta as a bed for smaller portions of ossobuco. The natural juices from the braised veal naturally soak into the polenta. I also find that the organic brightness of the gremolata atop the ossobuco accentuates the subtle corn flavors of the polenta.

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco (€20-€25) Viale Umbria, 80, 20135 Milano MI, Italy.

Sources

Al Garghet. (n.d.). Al Garghet – Via Selvanesco, 36, 20141 Milano MI, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.al-garghet.it 

Ratanà. (n.d.). Ratanà – Via Gaetano de Castillia, 28, 20124 Milano MI, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.ratana.it

Trattoria della Gloria. (n.d.). Trattoria della Gloria – Via Mario Pichi, 5, 20143 Milano MI, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.trattoriadellagloria.it

Trattoria Milanese. (n.d.). Trattoria Milanese – Via Santa Marta, 11, 20123 Milano MI, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.trattoriamilanese.it

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco. (n.d.). Trattoria Masuelli San Marco – Viale Umbria, 80, 20135 Milano MI, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.masuellisanmarco.com