In the area between the red metro stop Wagner and the red metro stop De Angeli you can find many good pizzerias, and the odd Chinese or Japanese restaurant. But not a great quantity of bars. Whilst the more sophisticated crowd may head to Smooth (Via Buonarotti), the younger crowd usually head to via Ravizza and more than often Akkademia Bar.

With outside seating, it’s busy all seasons and on tap you can find the good quality beer such as Czech Pilsener Urquell, London Pride and Guinness. It’s décor is a little interesting, I think it’s an attempt at an English style club without the grunginess! The cocktails are fresh and tasty. The crowd is younger than surrounding areas, usually in the range of 18-30.

It’s a perfect place for a pre or post dinner drink in this popular restaurant district in Milan. It’s also close to the just re-done Teatro Nazionale.

If you are a bit hungry you can find a late night snack of french fries or popcorn. Yes, that’s right, popcorn isn’t only reserved for movie cinemas! Open till 02:00, it’s at it’s busiest during the Happy Hour (18:00 – 22:00) or after 23.00. Be careful in August as they close during the middle week of August.

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Akkademia Bar | Bars, Snacks | Cocktail € 7.00
Via Ravizza 1 | Fiera | +39243981132
18:00 – 02:00 daily

Hop is fantastic place for a cold beer and a relaxed atmosphere. With the heat, what’s more refreshing than a cold beer?! What makes it even better is that the beer is Italian and locally made. While beer isn’t Italy’s strong point, if you do like to try different beers, this would be a good place for you.

In particular, you can find beer from the local brewery – Lambrate. Also, they do a nice salad or sandwich should you feel a little hungry but this place is really about the beer. Happy hour is available at € 4 a beer with a plate of pizza bread.

Wednesday night’s are popular with the university crowd. On the weekend you may find some live music, tending on the Hip Hop side. Appropriate perhaps?! A recommended stop for the beer lover.

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Hop Birreria | Bars | Beer € 5.00
Via Regina Margherita 4/8 | Porta Romana | +390254122690
12:30 – 15:00 & 18:30 – 02:00 daily

Nestled up against a part of an antique wall of Milan, the original confines of the city, it has a lovely outside garden with a gazebo and it really has a nice atmosphere in the warmer months. Mind you, if it’s a bit chilly, there is an inside section.

The crowd is on the young side and they play dance/pop music relatively loud. You will find it at it’s busiest from 20:00 – 22:00.

At € 8 a cocktail/drink, it is a little more up market than where I usually go but if you go at aperitivo time you can also fill up on the buffet with lots of veggies, pasta and rice. They have a small restaurant but I must admit I haven’t tried it.

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Volo | Bars | Cocktail/drink € 8.00
Viale Beatrice D’este,36 | Porta Romana | +390258325543
12:00 – 14:45 & 18:00 – 02:00 daily

Before I moved to Italy, one of the first things that came to mind was FOOD! Salami, cheese, pizza, pasta oh and all coupled nicely with some wine of course! And of course, Italy didn’t disappoint me.

When it comes to cheese and salami I would recommend a visit to a fabulous jam-packed delicatessen just off the Corso Buenos Aires shopping strip.

Being Australian, my knowledge of Italian cheese was limited to Parmesan (Parmigiano) and Mozzarella and sadly, the only mozzarella I really knew was the copied version we put on our pizzas.

Now I can safely say that I have managed to try a reasonable percentage of the many cheese and cured meats Italy has to offer, but there is always something new to discover. Grab a few servings when you’ve worked up a hunger after shopping or maybe grab a few things for a picnic and relax in the nearby Giardini Publici (Public Gardens) near Porta Venezia. Don’t worry if they don’t speak English, just point at a few things…you’ll be right! They are really friendly and like to joke around with the customers. Avoid Saturday mornings as it’s really chaotic!

MM Metro Lima is the closest stop.

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Salami & Cheese | Shopping, Snacks
Via Tadino / Via Vitruvio | Centrale/Greco
Mon 08:00 – 13:00, Tue – Sat 08:00 – 13:00 & 15:30 -19:30

Il Trullo is a restaurant with cuisine from the southern Italian region of Puglia. Having never been to Puglia, I can’t pretend to be really “in the know” about the cuisine but over the years I’ve been familiar with a few dishes as many of my students like to tell me about their favourite dishes.

A type of pasta, orecchiette, which means “little ear” in Italian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orecchiette); is predominant on the menu and good to try in spring when “cime di rape” is in season, a leafy type of broccoli. I’ve also tried it with chick peas and mussels or tomato and ricotta and both are really delicious. Be warned however, the portions of the pasta dishes are huge!

Meat dishes include horse and fish. I’ve tried some of the fish and it was fresh and tasty. The restaurant is little and bookings are recommended on the weekend, it’s a place to enjoy with friends, not a quiet, romantic dinner. The price is honest, just like the wines and the average bill is around 30 euro which is good for Milan.

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Il Trullo | Restaurants (Italian/Pugliese) | Meal & wine € 30
via Maiocchi, 14 | Centrale/Greco | +390229513720
Tue – Sun from 19:00

Whilst Belgian food might not be what you had in mind when eating in Milan, Vent Du Nord does provide a nice interlude from Italian cuisine.

With the sea not even close, Milan also doesn’t seem like a top destination for seafood but it is actually the distribution centre for all of Italy, so all of the good quality stuff passes through Milan.

Fresh mussels cooked in a variety of tasty sauce options are the star of the menu here but I am also happy to come here for a late night cold beer and some tasty potato chips and mayonnaise. There are some tasty meat menu items too and the classic Belgian waffles for dessert.

Tucked away in a quiet street, yet easily accessible with the metro (Line 3, Stop Lodi) or Bus 90/91 you can find a little piece of Belgium. A great place to enjoy good food and a few beers with good friends.

With a recent visit, it was recommended that if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night it is recommended to book at least one week ahead.

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Le Vent du Nord | Restaurants (Belgian) | Mussels € 13.40
Via Sannio, 18 | Porta Romana | +39255189027
Tue – Sat 19:00 – 02:00

This is a favorite place for a beer at any time of the year and while it’s quite cozy inside now with the weather picking up (slowly) you can also drink by the canal.

It’s a little different from the usual bars in the Navigli area which can focus more on the Happy hour trade and cocktails and can lack a bit of atmosphere. They don’t do the normal happy hour buffet but you can order fantastic value cheese and salami platters if you’re feeling a little peckish.

Another cute thing is that they serve the beer in kitcsh ceramic beer mugs. They serve a good Italian brewed favorite Menebrea and the Prague favorite from Staropramen.

They don’t do the normal happy hour buffet but you can order fantastic value cheese and salami platters if you’re feeling a little peckish. It’s easy to find, just at the start of the Naviglio Pavese. The first canal if you are walking from the city centre. If you get there early you should have no problem finding a seat, later in the night after 22:00, could be more difficult.

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Coccio Birreria | Bars, Snacks | Beer on tap € 5.00
4 Alzaia naviglio pavese | Ticinese/Genova
Tue – Sun 18:00 – late

Milan is the city of design, fashion, it is famous for the Duomo but not so famous for coffee. However there are a few “torrefazioni” (shops where you can buy fresh roasted coffee beans) and Hodeidah (aka Torrefazione Procaccini) is one of these.

Torrefazione Hodeidah is a cute little shop with a vintage atmosphere. Here the coffee is drunk quickly (espresso can be finished up in less then a minute) at the counter. I usually come here in the morning and I have some nice croissants or a pastry together with a wonderful coffee or cappuccino.

If you enjoy the coffee you’ve tried (I’m sure you will) you will have the possibility to buy it and there is also a wide tea selection together with chocolate, biscuits and sweets candies.

In case at home you don’t have moka pot, you can easily ask them to roast the coffee also for other kind of coffee machines, such as American Filter coffee machine or a Turkish machine.

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Torreffazione Hodeidah | Coffee & tea | Espresso € 1
Via Piero della Francesca, 8 | Fiera | +3902342472
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 19:00

If you want to try “the not so usual Pizza” this is the place for you.

Italians (like most people in the world) love Pizza. Most pizzerias in Milan offer more or less the same variety of Pizza, namely: very soft with a high border.

Ciripizza makes a completely different pizza: starting from the dough which is very thin (I think they do not use yeast) and of course very fresh ingredients.

The result is a crispy, light and delicious pizza. I love the one made with whole wheat flour (farina inegrale) and my favorite topping is cherry tomatoes, rucola and Parmesan cheese.

I suggest to ask to the waiters for spicy olive oil (olio piccante) to add evenly on top of your pizza, at the table.

Another interesting aspect is the menu which has pictures of all pizzas represented in the restaurant.

Apart from pizza on the menu you’ll find appetizers (bruschetta, salami, ham and fresh mozzarella) and something quite unusual for a pizzeria: roasted chicken.

I don’t eat meat so I’ve never tried but it is very popular on the tables so I suppose it is very good.

Regarding the drinks you will find not only draft beer (Italian Nastro Azzurro) but also wines and different international beer bottles.

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Ciripizza | Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza & beer from € 13
Via Canonica, 63 | Bovisa | +39023315249
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 00:30, Sun 18:30 – 00:30

In my opinion, one of the best way to discover the habits of a country is to visit a supermarket or, even better, a street food market. Walking through the stands full of fruits, vegetables, spices, it is possible to figure out what locals will eat for dinner and therefore understand a bit about their culture.

The Market of via Fauchè is one of the best street markets in Milan, where you can find many stands full of fresh fruits or vegetables. 

I love the varieties of stuff you can buy all in one place: not only fruits and vegetables but also fresh fish, cheese, flowers, clothes, bags and shoes.

The market it is situated in a residential area, so taking a walk into the market could present a nice occasion to visit an authentic part of Milan, off from touristic paths.

There are no metro stations close, but you can choose between different tram and bus lines (tram 1, bus 43, 57) and again experience the truly Milanese atmosphere. (Trams are a peculiarity of Milan and they are beautiful )

If it is summer after the walk in the market, you can have a wonderful ice-cream at Massimo del Gelato (via Castelvetro, 18). Try Chocolate Cavour (fantastic, with cherries and a hint of coffee).

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Market of Via Fauchè | Shopping | Free
Via Fauchè | Bovisa
Sat 08:00 – 15:00