Although many restaurants in Milan serve a wide-ranging menu that covers the entire Italian peninsula, there are still some places in town where you can savor true Milanese cuisine, including dishes like risotto, cotoletta (veal cutlet), mondeghili (Milanese meatballs), and braised meats. Here are 12 places worth a visit when you're in town.
12 Restaurants for Traditional Milanese Cuisine
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From old-fashioned trattorias to star-studded restaurants, these 12 spots celebrate traditional Milanese at its finest.
Milano
Osteria Tajoli
This osteria pays tribute to one of Milan’s musical legends, the famous singer and actor Luciano Tajoli, who was born on Via Bessarione, a few blocks away, in 1920. He started performing when he was four years old at the tavern he always visited with his father. Sadly, singing was the only eas...
Osteria alla Grande
Osteria alla Grande sits on the city's outskirts, but it's well worth the trip. Here, in the heart of the Baggio district, this small old-school restaurant does a brisk business featuring the historic classics of the Milanese tradition, including risotto, real Milanese tripe, and cotoletta.
March: Trattoria La Madonnina
Come here for the boiled and braised meats—as simple as bread and butter, as honest as wine. A popular, convivial and no-frills place that’s a piece of Milan history, this trattoria is located in a trendy neighborhood behind Milan’s canals, and offers bargain prices, a small buffet, and a nice outdo...
Testina
If you’re desperate for good Milanese cuisine in a pleasant and informal setting, head to Testina. Almost as if it’s intimidated by the presence of the other restaurants that line the bustling city streets, Testina stands there silent in a small alley behind the Sondrio metro stop, churning out qual...
Risoelatte
Milan is more than cutlets and risotto, and this spot, which translates to “rice and milk,” is steeped in the Milanese gastronomic tradition of the 1960s, which included rice and milk especially as part of the evening meal. The young Pugliese chef celebrates these simple dishes in an environment tha...
Antica Trattoria della Pesa
“Old Trattoria of the Weight” is so-called this because it's located in the spot where goods from outside the city were weighed for duty. This restaurant, founded in 1880, still has something to say, thanks to the excellent dishes of the Milanese and Lombard tradition.
Damm-atrà
Here is Milan, in all its essence. Damm-atrà, which in dialect means “listen to me,” offers the warm atmosphere of a classic Milanese tavern, with all the traditional dishes like *patate povere* (“poor potatoes”), the wine-braised veal chop *rustin negà*, and a cotoletta that stands among the best i...
Trattoria Aurora
Forget the fact that Aurora’s current owners are from Bergamo. This centuries-old stand-by on Via Savona has long included traditional dishes such as stews, braised meats, risotto and cotolette that make it 100% Milanese. This restaurant has remained classic, intact, and unaffected by the nefarious ...
Trattoria Arlati
If you’ve never been to this place, then you’ve missed out not only on a dreamlike experience but a piece of Milan’s history, as well: that of the Pirelli company, whose employees took their lunch breaks here for many years. And you’ve also missed out on the late singer Lucio Battisti’s piano, which...
Trattoria Masuelli San Marco
Trattoria Masuelli San Marco is an institution in Milan, a classic spot that has helped build the history of Milanese cuisine, especially at the hands of Giuseppe, aka Pino, son of the founder, Francesco. In a retro, 1930s atmosphere, the dishes seem to dance to a Charleston-era rhythm: pork and sav...
Ratanà
Even in Milan, too many people still haven’t tasted these *mondeghili* (fried beef meatballs), which are served with breadsticks from the famous Grissinificio Edelweiss. Chef Cesare Battisti is a true Milan native, with a smiling face, deep soul, and insatiable desire to continue learning. He was th...
Berton
Dinner here is an absolute treat at this restaurant whose namesake chef is one of the most star-studded of Milanese chefs – Andrea Berton holds four from Michelin. He embodies everything stellar about Milan and his risotto is unbeatable.