The incredible saga of Carlo Cracco, Italy’s best-loved chef, has reached a turning point with this gigantic restaurant in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. And it has already become a must-see gastronomic milestone. With underground rooms on Via Victor Hugo and flashy window displays in the middle of Milan’s toniest retail space, the Galleria has been rejuvenated thanks to the restaurant. Cracco is more than just a chef and TV personality, he is the symbol of what Italian cuisine was and is. He is the embodiment of a culinary trend, cooking that is talked about more than eaten. He was ahead of his time, particularly in his relationship with the media. And now he is breaking ground in a way that will change the city.
Five floors of Craccoworld
The new Cracco restaurant brings together a café, a restaurant, a wine cellar and a private lounge for special occasions. It’s open every day from 8 in the morning to late evening, from breakfast to after the theater. From €1.80 ($2) for a cappuccino (1.70€ for a brioche, or $1.90) to hundreds, if not thousands, for a dinner in the gourmet restaurant. Around 50 places on the ground floor, outdoor terrace included 50 on the first floor, up to 100 seats and 150 standing on the second floor. All told, about ten thousand square feet of space in a project this city has never seen.
The chic Milan ambiance
Inside, the atmosphere is old Milan from the end of the 19th century, mixed with Art Nouveau, the expression of a set of architectural styles ranging from the second half of the 19th century to Gio Ponti, an idea of the Milanese style that is simple, polished and light, exuding intuitive imagination.
The Café
The food that the Café offers is simpler than the restaurant, with less elaborate dishes, for quick and informal lunches and dinners. One novelty is the area dedicated to pastries and chocolate creations by pastry chef Marco Pedron. You have morning brioches, tarts, pralines, and biscuits. Everything is created and produced in the laboratory on the mezzanine floor. Desserts and chocolate can, of course, be eaten on-site or to-go. Special mention must be made of the “crioche” made every morning by pastry chef Marco Pedron. “It’s neither a croissant nor a brioche,” Pedron says, “it’s a crioche because before the dough is folded with butter, it’s a made with butter and egg yolk.”
The Restaurant
On the first floor, there’s a reception area adorned with gray and light blue wood paneling and hand-painted wallpaper with large floral corollas. The actual restaurant is arranged in three rooms and two private spaces. The cuisine will continue in the same vein as in the restaurant on Via Victor Hugo. There will be plenty of classic dishes, including caramelized Russian salad, marinated egg yolk, saffron risotto with bone marrow, turbot in a cocoa crust and more. They try to always do everything in the name of a harmonious combination of tradition and innovation.
The Fumoir
A separate menu, with suggestions such as oysters, spaghetti with caviar and a special selection from Spigaroli, for the spectacular Fumoir: a mahogany and zinc counter, an Art Deco wine cellar with mirrors and nickel-plated elements, highlighted by walls covered in moss green metallic thread.
The Private Room
The second floor, which is accessed exclusively from the courtyard overlooking Via Pellico, is reserved for special occasions. Designed as theater scenery, it enables the creation of a bespoke ambiance every time, thanks to the lack of fixed furnishings, except for the large 1920s Levanto marble bar counter. A hall and wardrobe, decorated in dark green fabric and lacquer, leads to a large unique space, Sala Mengoni, with walls covered in a special textured resin with a double design, giving it a silver-plated iron effect. There are a terrazzo floor and a restored 19th-century fresco with a cherub motif that inspired the decoration of other ceilings. Once more the positioning of the mirrors creates a whole series of references and reflections in a constant dialogue with the Galleria’s dome.
The Wine Cellar
The basement wine cellar, where you can enjoy a tasting as well as purchases, has red lacquered walls and spruce wood shelving. It is home to over 2,000 different wines and over 10,000 bottles, with a significant selection of Italian and French wines in particular.