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

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

Cantine Isola is a little gem in the hearth of Chinatown.

It is one of the few authentic wine bars in Milan. Cantina Isola is always very crowded (there is only one little table but I’ve never spotted it free) Everybody here stands in front of the counter, drinking excellent wine and eating (for free) very tasty snacks (olives, cheese, anchovies, sun dried tomatoes..)

During spring/ summer there is a nice patio in front of the bar so you can enjoy a nice glass of wine relaxing in the pedestrian street.

Ask the bartenders to advice you the best red/white wine of the day.

Since it is situated in the middle of Chinatown, if you come here to have “aperitivo” before you can have a nice walk across Via Paolo Sarpi (full of Chinese little shops).

If, after one, two or more glasses or wine and a few olives, your belly will ask for real food I would advice to go to the one of the best Chinese restaurant in Milan: Jubin, just 3 minutes walk away on the same street.

On Wednesday nights they do poetry reading: the owner will jump on a chair and will declare a poem and at the end he will ask for the author.

Wine + poetry: who’s asking for more?

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Cantine Isola | Art & culture, Bars | Glass of wine from € 5
Via Paolo Sarpi, 30 | Centro | +39023315249
Tue – Sun 08:30 – 21:30

Turnè Bar is definitely one of my favourite bars in town. It was created by two young guys and they soon had success with its good value and relaxed atmosphere.

It’s warm and cosy, also in summer! The music is diverse and not too loud for good conversation and the service is always good. It’s the kind of place where you can easily feel at home and it’s filled up with a relaxed and not pretentious crowd.

The big night is Wednesday night, when, after 22:00, the bar becomes packed with people from all walks of life but perhaps a little more open than the usual Milanese crowd and of course the best part, beer prices remain 4.50 euro all night! On Sundays, to chill out from the busy weekend, you can catch an Italian or foreign cult movie.

There is a light but good quality aperitivo from 18:00 – 21:00, including fresh pasta and couscous as well as salami and cheese but you can always have a toasted sandwich or salami and cheese platter at any time of night. They also offer a wine tasting menu, perfect with those cheese and salami platters!

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Turnè Bar | Bars | Beer € 5.00
Via Paolo Frisi, 2 | Porta Vittoria | +39243981132
18:30 – 02:00 daily

While this place  may seem a little far from the city centre it’s easily reachable by metro (take line 1 towards Sesto and get off at Gorla or Turro). This area has recently been experiencing some re-development and you can now find some nice restaurants and of course Ragoo, a great place for an after dinner drink or boogie.

It is what Italians call a “disco bar”, free to get in, a relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to dance some moves in the small dance area. The music is usually a mix of latest hits, Italian pop and old retro classics. While I enjoy the dance floor from time to time, I also really like the big outside courtyard which is great to hang out in and enjoy your cocktail. It’s just starting to get warm enough now!

I recommend arriving around 21:00 – 22:00 if you want to get yourself somewhere to sit in the courtyard, although of course that’s not guaranteed! Sometimes there is a line-up to get in around 00:00. 

Check out the blog for dj and live music acts.

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Ragoo | Bars, Music | Cocktail € 8.00
Viale Monza 140 | Hinterland | +390226005157
18:00 – 02:00 daily

It’s not common to sit under the olive trees in Milan, especially if you are in the middle of the city centre, but if you are a tourist or a student then it is easier than you might think.

The Caffè degli Atellani is a coffee bar on 2 levels, a glass cube with an English style garden an the rear with small tables and potted olive trees.

It’s opening times are quite peculiar: from 12:00 till 18:00 Monday to Friday. If despite this you are still able to pop in there, you’ll see it is definitely worth a visit! Beside the atmosphere, you will discover one of the most interesting public spaces of Milan: the Mediateca di Santa Teresa, a former baroque church that has been transformed into a municipal multimedia library. You can go there and use the internet, watch movies and TV programmes or listen to music (Tue – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 13:45).

The whole structure (the library and the bar) is a great example of how an old building that hasn’t been used for ages can be converted by a brave architect in a modern, light and multifunctional space. Absolutely great for the design-addicted.

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Caffetteria degli Atellani | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee € 1
Via della Moscova 28 | Brera/Porta Nuova | +390236535959
Mon – Fri 12:00 -18:00

Remember the name of this neighborhood: Isola. Isola in Italian means island. The reason for this is that the area was originally isolated, closed off either by streams or by railways. Traditionally this is the working class area, and maybe for this reason this is where most of Milan associations are, from trade unions to environmentalist groups to city-bikers etc. This is also the area of the laboratories, the artisans shops, etc. It’s definitely worth a visit!

Odd enough, Isola is just behind C.so Como district, which is famous for its models, expensive cars and discos. Unfortunately Isola is undergoing a big renovation and I fear it will soon become a copy of C.so Como. In fact there are lots of new, charming restaurants and cafes where you unfortunately pay the look more than the quality.

Les Folies is an exception to this trend: it looks like a normal bar with a side room full of small tables (sort of French bistro) but the food you get is delicious! The prices are exactly those you would get in a bar: the cake in the picture, e.g., is only € 2.50! Not only the taste is great but also the way the food is put on the plates: I had prawns and rice and got it served in circular shape on a black plate that made the white and pink stand out.

It’s very crowded at lunch, therefore I suggest to go in the evening but be there early, since it closes before nine.

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Les Folies | Bars, Restaurants (Intern./Italian) | Dinner & drinks € 16
Via Confalonieri 15 | Brera/Porta Nuova | +390268888671
07:00 – 20:30 daily

I love walking. One of my favorite streets in Milan, for a nice walk is Via Vincenzo Monti. I’ll try to find at least 10 good reasons why it can be renamed as the best street in Milan for me:

*1. It is beautiful: with high trees and old beautiful buildings on the side.

*2. It is very centrally located (near cadorna station) but there is not much traffic, and this is definitely a plus considering that it is located in the very city center.

*3. There is one of my favorite patisseries  (Sugar, at number 26).

*4. There are many nice restaurants  (pizzeria da Biagio is one of my favorites at number 28 and Pane e Salame at number 26).

*5. There is a great hair stylist (Tony&Guy at number 27).

*6. There are two beautiful flowers shops and I love flowers.

*7. It is close to the Triennale Museum (monder art/design museum).

*8. It is very close to the biggest park of Milan (Parco Sempione).

*9. There are a few supermarket and biological shops.

*10. It is very close to the Malpensa Express (train shuttle to Malpensa).

For all these reasons I recommend you to reserve at least a couple of hours to wander around the street, have a nice coffee or a pizza or just enjoy window shopping.

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Via Vincenzo Monti | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping
Via Vincenzo Monti, 2 | Centro
24 hours daily