Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

This pub is near the popular area of Viale Monte Nero, that recently became stylish and full of cosy bars. The place is special because of the wonderful selection of craft beers. The best are raw beers from Italian producers, I suggest in particular beers from the famous Birrificio Lambrate and from lesser known but emerging microbreweries from Milan and Lombardy such as l’Orso Verde.

Habitués meet in this lively bar to relax, chat before clubbing in Porta Romana or after going to the Colosseo cinema in piazza delle Cinque Giornate.

I really like the happy hour. For 4.50 euro from 19:00 to 21:00 you can have a pint of beer and a tagliere with slices of pizza and snacks. If you feel hungry you can splash 6.00 euro for a tasty selection of salumi. The music is good and so is the service: friendly and bilingual. The place is great but be careful: no wine is served in this beer lovers heaven!

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Hop | Bars | Happy hour € 4.50
viale Regina Margherita 4 | Porta Romana | +390254122690
Mon – Fri 12:30 – 15:00 & 18:30 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 18:30 – 02:00

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

What about a coffee break while shopping in Milan? Torrefazione Il Caffè Ambrosiano is an institution on the central Corso Buenos Aires 20.

This torrefazione serves excellent espresso and cappuccino. In the morning I go to have breakfast there with cornetti. There are no tables to seat inside, you just stand up and have your coffee!

It’s also a deli that sells different coffee blend, chocolate bars, truffles and sweets. The same little company also owns another shop in corso XXII Marzo 18 and two outside the city.

During Christmas festivities it’s a great place to go for a gift. In this little café I can buy hampers with coffee and sweet delicatessen and they are not so expensive compared to others. The coffee is blended in the Italian traditional way. During spring and summer it serves excellent caffè freddo or shakerato.

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Torrefazione Caffè Ambrosiano | Bars, Coffee & tea | Espresso € 0.90
Corso Buenos Aires 20 | Centrale/Greco | +390229525069
07:00 – 20:00 daily

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Image by Alessandra Gesuelli

Milan doesn’t show off its beauty. The best places I’ve ever seen in this city were hidden in some courtyards of historical buildings. This is what happened when I first visited Teatro Grassi, the new space of Piccolo Teatro Strehler in via Rovello near piazza Cordusio, 5 minutes walk from the Duomo.

One year ago they reopened the Teatro Grassi as a new space of the famous Milan Cultural Institution Piccolo Teatro. The entrance is near the wonderful courtyard of Palazzo Carmignola.

Palazzo Carmignola’s courtyard has a cafeteria inside where I like to have a coffee or a snack before a show, a bookshop, rooms for meetings, and workshops with famous actors or directors. They also host art exhibitions. The cafè has recently launched an aperitivo from 18:00 every day, if you want to go is better to book, if you just show up and ask for a table, you won’t find one. Trust me! This place is really becoming very popular now.

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Piccolo Teatro Grassi | Bars | Coffee € 0.90
via Rovello 2 | Centro | +390242411889
Courtyard 08:00 – 22:00 daily

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Image by Audrey Smith

Don’t get confused by the name, Nidaba theatre is not a theatre but a live music pub. Just right in Navigli area you can find one of the few easy going live music pubs in town.

The place is small and cosy and you’ll be surprised by how many musicians they can stuff onto the extremely tiny stage!

The main advantage of this pub is that you have music 7 nights a week, you don’t have to pay any entrance and a beer is 6 euros, the normal standard in the area.

The atmosphere is hot and dark, sweaty i would say, as i imagine jazz clubs should be in New Orleans. But it is not just about jazz, one of the good points of this place is that every day you can have different kinds of music and you can have fun like I did with a fantastic Irish music group or an amazing 50′s American rock and roll band (it seemed like they were from the tv series “Happy Days”!).

A nice place if you want to do something different and escape from the often poshy Milan atmosphere… check out the website for what’s coming up!

Music usually kicks of around 22:00 – 23:00.

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Nidaba Theatre | Bars, Music | Beer € 6.00
Via E. Gola 12 | Ticinese/Genova | +390289408657
21:30 – 02:00 daily | Closed in August | Music 22:00

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Image by Audrey Smith

This bar is just a few minutes away from Piazza Duomo but as it is tucked away in a small street you may not find it. Although, I must say I’m always surprised by how many do!

A good place for a post shopping or Scala drink without the exorbitant prices you can find around the Duomo. It’s not a place that gets really busy later during week days so it’s a great place to enjoy a quiet drink and chat with friends. Although it can get full with the banking crowd from 19:00 – 21:00.

On the weekends it can get a little more interesting with a DJ playing Top 40 music and very strong cocktails. These strong cocktails have seen some people getting a little excited and getting up and dancing on the bar! It generally kicks on till 02:00 – 03:00 depending on the owner’s mood!

It’s a great place if you want to organize a big group get together such as a birthday.

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Victoria Cafè | Bars, Music | Drink € 6.00
Via Clerici 1 | Centro | +39028053598
18:00 – late daily

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Image by chiara anselmo

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

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

In summer there is a nice patio in front of the bar 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, Relaxing | Glass of wine from € 5
Via Paolo Sarpi, 30 | Centro | +39023315249
Tue – Sun 08:30 – 21:30

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Image by Chiara Anselmo

Gattullo is one of the most famous place in Milan for sandwiches and for pastries.

The place is just the same as it was in  the late 70′s: furnitures, lamps and cutlery look so stylish in my opinion, and the “panini” are just a must.

I recommend you to go for the “Gattullino”, wich takes the name from the owner of the bar) or Manhattan (with shrimps, artichokes, rucola, smoked cheese and cocktail sauce). The original recipe includes also ham but I ask to have it without it and I think is excellent.

If I come here for lunch I will also have a small slice of homemade pizza (with aubergine or onions) and at the end, together with coffee a small pastry with fresh raspberry and chocolate.

When I lived in the area I often had breakfast with cappuccino and brioches and my favourite was the kipferl with blueberry jam, but also croissants with crème are wonderful.

The prices are not so friendly but for the quality of ingriedients this is a place where I like to take my friends to experience a wonderful “Italian panino”.

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Bar Gattullo | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Sandwich& Coffee € 8
P.le di Porta Lodovica 2 | Ticinese/Genova | +390258310497
Tue – Sat: 07:00 – 22:00

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Image by Audrey Smith

Whilst some may mourn the loss of Le Trottoir from the original Brera zone, this bar is alive and kicking in another part of town in a very historic building next to the new Porta Ticinese (one of the city doors).

It’s really centered perfectly in the heart of Milan’s nightlife. It is a historical meeting point for the artistic scene but on the weekends it is more of a live music venue with energetic, live music usually of the funk and soul genre. Lately on Saturday nights there has been a great ska influenced band.

On the second floor, a DJ plays dance/top 40 whilst the outdoor seating area can be great for a little peace and quiet. It can get a little crowded on the weekends but it’s a good place to pick up the pace a little after a quieter drink in the nearby Navigli area. You will find people from all walks of life here! At the moment Saturday night’s are featuring a rock band who play lots of 90′s rock and The Beatles.

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Le Trottoir | Bars, Music | Entry from 22:00 € 10.00
Piazza XXIV Maggio 1 | Ticinese/Genova | +39028378166
11:00 – 02:00 daily

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Image by Audrey Smith

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

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Image by Audrey Smith

This is a favourite place for a beer at any time of the year but in winter it is particularly cosy inside, with comfy chairs, quirky furniture and old book cases with ageing books. 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. 

Another cute thing is that they serve the beer in kitcsh ceramic beer mugs. They serve a good Italian brewed favourite Menebrea and the Prague favourite 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 10pm, 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

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