Exploring The Food Scene in Milan, Italy: 7 Restaurants To Plan For

Our first meal in Milan was one of the biggest mistakes of our trip. We ate at a restaurant near the Duomo and overpaid for mediocre food and learned an important lesson: you can’t just walk into any restaurant in Italy and expect to be served amazing Italian food. There are many touristy restaurants near the most famous landmarks all across Italy and Milan is no different. I’m glad that we learned this lesson early on, because after having such an underwhelming experience, I was determined to not let it happen again for the duration of our trip. Our first correction of this mistake was dining at the well-known Osteria da Fortunata.

Osteria da Fortunata

For our first dinner in Italy, we strolled through the beautiful Brera district on our way to Osteria da Fortunata (full review). We made it to the small restaurant and stood in line outside for about 30-40 min–and it was absolutely worth the wait. This was everything I was looking for in a traditional Italian food experience.

Mozzarella di Bufala

Fortunata is a great place to experience classic Italian dishes. We started out with a staple  Italian antipasto, Mozzarella di Bufala, which is mozzarella made from Buffalo milk. It’s simply a big perfect ball of the best fresh mozzarella you’ve ever had. The outer layer is slightly tough and chewy while the middle is very tender, and all of it is delicious.

Gnocchi

For our entrees, I ordered Gnocchi tossed in a ragu meat sauce. As I was enjoying this meal, I couldn’t believe that I was eating handmade gnocchi in Italy. This was a dream come true!

Ravioli all'uovo

Genevieve had Ravioli all'uovo, which is ravioli stuffed with sheep’s milk ricotta and a lemon zest with basil, salt and plenty of butter. It was absolutely fantastic!

Tiramisu

For dessert, we decided to go for gold and we found what we consider to be the gold standard of Tiramisu. It was a mission for us to try Tiramisu at several different restaurants to observe the different takes on this classic Italian dessert. The Tiramisu at Fortunata really is the most consistent in flavor, texture and volume that we found in our entire trip.

Torta di Ricotta e Cioccolato

Because we were in Italy and on our honeymoon, we splurged and got a second dessert - Torta di Ricotta e Cioccolato which translates as “Ricotta and Chocolate Cake”. This particular ricotta cake is made with sambuca which is a liquor with an anise, or licorice-like flavor. This dessert is the epitome of decadence.

Osteria da Fortunata was a wonderful intro to Italian cuisine and wrapped us in a warm hug to conclude our first day in Italy.

Gusta Mi

I was so excited to wake up in Milan, that I got up early and set out to explore the pastry world of Italy. I wanted to bring back some beautiful treats to my now wife, Genevieve. I was really looking for a classic Maritozzo, but as I searched Google for a bakery within walking distance to the Duomo. I began to learn that Milan does not wake up particularly early, and many shops don’t open until 7:30 or 8am.  Even after a bakery opens, I found that several items may not be available immediately and finding a Maritozzo became oddly difficult that early in the morning.

GustaMi is one of the few bakeries open at 7am that is close to the Duomo. The server was very kind and happy and greeted me with a smile. I decided to delay the Maritozzo hunt to sate another curiosity in trying all of the different filled croissants available at GustaMi.

I returned with 3 croissants, all with different fillings, as well as a single brioche with a dark chocolate filling. The first item we tried was the chocolate croissant filled with the beloved hazelnut-chocolate spread known as Nutella. It is exceptionally sweet and exactly as you’d expect.

We were most eager to try the ubiquitous pistachio-filled croissant, which was the second one we tried. Though you can find pistachio cream in the U.S. it’s not very common, whereas in Italy, there isn’t a single pastry shop in the country that doesn’t have a pistachio-flavored “something”–and with good reason!   It is creamy, sweet, and the perfect preparation for such a delicious nut.

The third croissant was filled with a common pastry cream referred to as “crema pasticcera”, which is a vanilla flavored custard that always hits the spot.

I also brought back a chocolate filled brioche, and while the dough conveyed a similar texture and experience to the croissant, the dark chocolate filling was much more mild and savory. We both preferred this to the sweet-forward Nutella filling.

After enjoying a sugar-filled honeymoon breakfast, we headed for the train station to meet with our friend in Como, which is only a 40 minute, beautiful train ride away from Milan!

Como

Como is an idyllic small town on the gorgeous Lake Como. Upon walking across the street from the train station, you’ll find yourself at the top of a beautiful park that looks down into the laketown.

We met our local friend at an excellent little lunch spot with outdoor seating and the Italian standard for coffee and cured meats. Genevieve and I both could have this meat plate every day of our lives for lunch and be happy. 

Genevieve was introduced to our friend’s favorite coffee, the “ginsing”, which turned out to be a flavorful and slightly sweet treatment to espresso. After saying farewell to her, she told us where to find the “Best Gelato in Como”. We immediately took a stroll toward the water, witnessed swaths of people waiting for the fairy to take them to Bellagio, and ended up experiencing our first gelato in Italy together.

Gelateria Lariana is right on the water and the perfect way to enjoy a Gelato while taking in the scenic views of this famous laketown.

Gloria Osteria

On our way to Gloria Osteria (full review), we took our time enjoying views of the Sforzesco Castle and its marvelous fountain. From there it was a short stroll through the Brera district before arriving on the doorstep of Gloria for dinner. This restaurant prides itself in its flamboyant interior design, laced with inspiration of Italian Glamour and French Bohemia from the 1960’s.

Our waiter was delightfully jovial and confidently boasted that Gloria has the “best bread in Milan”. It was good enough that I didn’t care to argue with the statement. Served with olive oil, this bread was a great warm-up for the decadence to come.

Negroni

We began the evening with a glass of wine and the classic Italian cocktail known as a Negroni. Gloria has 4 different takes on the Negroni, but I ordered the most traditional one called “Il Conte”. It’s made with Hendrick's gin, Mancino vermouth rosso, Campari, and where it differs from the traditional Negroni is the added olive bitters and green olive garnish.

Wellington di Rombo

For my entree, I chose Wellington di Rombo. Rombo is the Italian name for the flatfish known as Turbot. This fish is in the center of the wellington, surrounded by a fish-cake-like layer wrapped in seaweed and pastry dough – all covered in beurre blanc with trout roe. To be honest, I was impressed with the presentation, but I don’t think my palate was prepared for how lightly cooked the fish was and I am also not used to eating fish eggs, however, I do appreciate the creative take on Wellington.

Cappalati e Ricotta e Spinachi

Our second entree was Cappalati e Ricotta e Spinachi, that is Cappalati pasta stuffed with ricotta and spinach covered with Parmesan Fondue and Spinach Cream, then dusted with freshly grated parmesan.

If you choose to dine at Gloria, plan on ordering dessert; their Dolci is particularly exceptional!

This overly decadent dish is a profiterole filled with cool pistachio gelato and warm chocolate, then covered with even more hot, rich, chocolate sauce that really takes it over the edge. Every bite pleases the senses with combinations of cool and warm creaminess, rich flavors of pistachio and chocolates, and the fluffy, balancing texture of the profiterole. This dessert is hard to pass up!  However, if you can choose only one, you can’t miss the icon of Gloria Osteria, their signature Tarte Citron XXL.

Tarte Citron XXL

The Tarte Citron XXL begins with a vibrant lemon tart, which is then topped with an absurd amount of sweet, marshmallowy meringue. Despite the drastic difference in volume, the flavor ratio is perfectly balanced. The novelty of this mountainous desert alone is irresistible to the curious–and its delivery doesn’t disappoint.

As some may mention, if you eat at Gloria, the bathrooms are an experience all on their own. If you are curious to hear about our surprising bathroom trip that caused us to talk, you’ll have to head to our YouTube channel for our full Gloria review.

eCooking

If you are an American like me with a diet that is built around protein, Italy’s standard pastry-and-caffe breakfast can be a bit of a shock to your system. At some point you may find yourself looking for any place that will simply cook you eggs in the morning. That is what led us to eCooking! They do much more than scrambled eggs. The Uova Benedict features eggs prepared in vinegar and water at 64 degrees celsius, which produces more gelatinous egg whites than the traditional poached egg, and are served atop Pane Nuvola, which translates as “Cloud Bread” for its light and airy texture. It’s also topped with spinach, avocado, “Benedict sauce” and beetroot sprouts.   

Pushing past the traditional espresso, they offer a variety of modern coffee brew methods here, and single-origin bean options. Will opted for the Chemex–and accidentally ordered two pastries.  He said he meant to order only one, but maybe the Spirit of Italy was getting to him.  

As for eCooking, this is a very California experience in the heart of Milan, and the food makes you feel good.

Princi

Touring art galleries and ancient buildings for hours made us quite hungry, and we were on our way to the Library when we noticed an impressive-looking bakery. We decided to stop in on our way back and found that Princi is a gold-mine for “firsts” in Italy–and like Fortunata,  it boasts a viewing window to the in-house bakery. 

I finally found the coveted Maritozzo that I was searching for and tried my first Roman-style Italian pizza. There are so many incredible items here that it quickly became a favorite, including the Veneziana Crema, Pane al Cioccolato,and much more!  We loved Princi so much that we decided to come back on our 4th day before leaving. See our full review here.

LaVazza

Right next to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is Lavazza’s flagship store! 

The interior is spacious and nice, with plenty of table seating. At this location (and many other coffee shops in Italy), there is a bar where you can order your drink, receive it quickly and sip while you stand - much like would at a beer bar in the U.S.. This is actually the way many of the locals enjoy their coffee while they’re on their way.

Unlike the locals who order simple espresso, Genevieve ordered a latte and I ordered a Cremespresso, which is a specialty drink served at Lavazza. It’s espresso with milk and cream, but served as a frozen slush, very akin to ice cream. I actually had no idea what I was ordering, but it was quite good and a nice surprise in the warm month of July.