Big news: I’ve officially joined the podcasting realm–meet The Milanophiles podcast! I like to think I’m the biggest champion for my adopted city and its environs that you’ll ever meet, and I’m frankly tired of how the city is overlooked and misrepresented. Most people have their own preconceived ideas of Italy, and Milan doesn’t fit the mold.  people are quick to dismiss it without giving it a chance. And they’re wrong to do so…Milan is Italy’s best unkept secret. It’s a discreet city, one that’s not as in your face as the big cities that constantly remain in the spotlight. It’s no secre ..read more

So, as mentioned on the latest episode of The Milanophiles podcast, here’s the recipe for risotto with pumpkin and ‘nduja from Cucina Millanese Contemporanea (Contemporary Milanese Cooking in English) by Cesare Battisti, chef of Ratanà, (one of my favorite restaurants in Milan!) and food writer Gabriele Zanatta of Identità Golose. To listen to the episode, you can click here. Otherwise, you can listen to The Milanophiles on all major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, etc. So, without further ado, the recipe, excerpted from the Italian version of ..read more

The Barbajada, Milan’s elusive caffeinated (and, at times, spiked) hot chocolate dates back to the early 19th century and holds De.Co (Demonizione Comunale), a status bestowed upon gastronomic products that characterize a city’s history. You can learn all about the beverage on the latest episode of my podcast The Milanophiles—it’s just a mere five minutes long, so why not give it a listen? You can download the episode here, or find it on all major streaming platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and more. The Milanesi take a lot of pride in the Barbajada. Yet despi ..read more

When it comes to food neighborhoods, everyone knows that London has Shoreditch, Paris has Bastille, and New York has Flatiron. But most people don’t know that Milan has Porta Venezia, a neighborhood that’s been where it’s at on the food front for about the last six years or so. Yet more recently, a particular stretch of Via Melzo, that between Via Lambro and Via Bixio, has become a dining destination in and of itself. If you listen to the first episode of my podcast, the Milanophiles, my guest Roberta Abate and I discuss this roughly 200-meter stretch of good eats. In recent years, restaurants ..read more

Big news: I’ve officially joined the podcasting realm–meet The Milanophiles podcast! I like to think I’m the biggest champion for my adopted city and its environs that you’ll ever meet, and I’m frankly tired of how the city is overlooked and misrepresented. Most people have their own preconceived ideas of Italy, and Milan doesn’t fit the mold.  people are quick to dismiss it without giving it a chance. And they’re wrong to do so…Milan is Italy’s best unkept secret. It’s a discreet city, one that’s not as in your face as the big cities that constantly remain in the spotlight. It’s no secre ..read more

Panettone, the emblematic Milanese leavened delight, is synonymous with Milan at Christmastime, but several establishments offer it year-round. In fact, panettone tutto l’anno is a slogan that went into effect a few years back and hasn’t lost momentum. But anyway, I digress. So, here’s a look at some of the best spots to nab some artisan-style (aka good!) panettone in Milan this holiday season–in no particular order of course. 1. Olivieri 1882 Pop-up at Rinascente The Vicenza-based Oliveri 1882 opened a Milan pop-up on December 6th offering the traditional and alternative versions of its award ..read more

If you’re spending this holiday season in the Lombard capital, here are some restaurants in Milan open on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Ristorante Berton Andrea Berton’s Michelin-starred restaurant is open on December 24 for dinner and December 25 for lunch with two special tasting menus that start at 160€ and 195€ per person respectively (beverages excluded). (Porto Nuovo) website L’AlchimiaThe excellent Michelin-starred restaurant is serving a seven-course Christmas tasting menu for 170€ per person (beverages excluded). website (Porta Monforte) Al GarghetThis charming traditional tra ..read more

A few years back, I penned this piece for Here about Michelin-starred chefs, both from Milan and elsewhere, who opened less-formal bistros in my adopted city. So, since the latest edition of the Italian Michelin guide dropped last week (with Lombardy receiving the most stars!), I thought I’d round up four new Michelinesque restaurants in Milan from three-star Michelin-rated chefs that opened recently enough—three are restaurants, and one is a boutique.  One opened in 2021 (and was awarded its first Michelin star last week), two opened over the last few months, and the fourth opens on Thur ..read more

Michelin released the 2023 edition of its Italy guide on November 8, 2022, so I felt compelled to round up the Michelin-starred restaurants in Milan as well as in all of Lombardy. The Italian Michelin Guide lowdown: this year’s big news is that chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo’s Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio, on Lake Orta in Piedmont earned its third Michelin star, bringing the number of restaurants in Italy that bear the coveted distinction to 12. Out of 385 starred restaurants in Italy, Lombardy plays host to 59—with 70 stars in total, Lombardy is the most-starred region in Italy. It’s followe ..read more

Note: This post was updated on June 10, 2022, to include Bites Milano (a restaurant I foolishly neglected to mention the first time around where I had one of the most memorable meals of the year) and another restaurant. On July 25, 2022, I replaced the latter with Røst. It opened in late 2019, and it rocks. I can’t believe I didn’t get there until this summer! And as Design Week has wrapped, I decided to change the title since we’re only halfway through 2022.  If the slogan of 1980s Milan was Milano da bere, thanks to Amaro Ramazzotti, then Milan’s slogan today is undoubtedly Milano da ma ..read more