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

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

This bio-natural restaurant is in the inner court of a modern building just opposite the Navigli. It is a great place to go to if you are curious to discover what vegan food is, i.e. the food with no meat, no fish, no egg, no cheese, no milk … you would imagine you can only have salad but believe me, it’s an entire new world of ingredients and tastes to explore. Not only tofu and seitan but also hummus, wakame, kamut, soya, cereals and many others.

I suggest to try Mudra for lunch and to get the menu degustazione (sampling menu): for just € 9.00 (€ 15.00 for dinner) you have a single dish with 1st and 2nd course + side order. Also the aperitivo is a nice experience: you can order your glass of biological wine or beer and peck from the buffet but if you want to try something different, you can get a 20 minutes ayurvedic massage with it (€ 18.00 instead of € 8.00)

At the 1st floor there are often courses (dance, massage, yoga…).

Afer 21:30 you need to press the entry phone to get in the inner court.

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Mudra | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Vegan food) | Sampling menu € 9
Piazza 24 Maggio 8 | Ticinese/Genova | +3903454512459
Tue – Wed 10:00 – 22:00, Thu & Sun 10:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 00:00

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

Open since 1907. I love this place. I love the mixed atmosphere, the tables outside, the fact that it is full of university students as well as normal people or actors, or models.

Bar Magenta is a point of reference in Milan. It is always open 7 days a week and all year long. I was used to work just in front of it and I came here for cappuccino in the morning, a nice salad or sandwich for lunch or a beer with colleagues after work.

Inside it is very beautiful, the floor is original from 1900′s and so are some wooden chairs and little marble tables.

The specialties here are Panini: there is a big blackboard inside where you can choose from more than 20 types (my favorite is primavera with focaccia bread: tomato, mozzarella, green salad and mayonnaise). But the cocktails also need to be mentioned: go for a classic: Negroni Sbagliato made with Bitter Campari, Red Vermouth and Sparkling Wine.

The little tables outside are perfect for a beer on a sunny afternoon or a coffee in the morning. Free newspapers and free WIFI are friendly facilities.

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Bar Magenta | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Pint of beer € 8
Via Carducci, 13 | Centro | +39028053808
09:00 – 02:00 daily

A few days ago it was a rainy and cold afternoon in Milano. I was having a walk with a friend and we had this longing for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. I thought about this cute place on the Naviglio Grande called Nero Fondente. Their window is always full of beautiful fresh cakes that seem to tell you “come in and taste me!”.

The place is small and cosy, there is a little mezzanine and from the big window you can see the canal. The apple pie I had was delicious and still warm cause they had just got it from the oven. Everything there is home made and fresh. I can’t say which is the best period to go to Nero Fondente, since when it’s cold outside you can find a warm atmosphere, but in summer you can also stay just outside and have a fresh drink. I would say the style is country-chic and the service very accurate.

They are open daily, from early in the morning until late at night so you can walk in any time.

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Nero Fondente | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Slice of cake € 5.00
Alzaia Naviglio Grande 48 | Ticinese/Genova | +390289059084
08:00 – 02:00 daily

One day I was walking in one of my favourite streets in Milano when my attention was caught by a new window. I looked inside and I saw a cute café, very New York style. I kept it in mind and on the first occasion I went there to have breakfast with a friend of mine.

That’s bakery opened in October and it’s specialized in cupcakes. I had the chance to speak to the owner and he told me his story. He’s from Naples and he has been living in Milan for a few years working for a restaurant. On a trip to London he ran into a pastry shop in South Kensinghton and for the first time he tasted a cupcake. He was impressed by the beauty of this sweet so he asked for the recipe.

Noticing that cupcakes would have been new for Milano, he took the risk of opening this new café and judging by the number of people sitting at his tables you can say the risk was worth.

He offers cakes, brownies, cookies, special teas and coffees but also hamburgers. You can stay there, where the atmosphere is really nice, from the colors on the walls to the music, or take away. Or you can just stare at the window with the colourful little cupcakes, each of which looks like a piece of food art!

The challenge: can you tell what the “red velvet” one tastes like?!

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That’s bakery | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Cupcake € 4.00
Via Vigevano 41 | Ticinese/Genova | +39028394890
10:00 – 00:00 daily

You’re staying in Milano over the weekend, you wake up late on Sunday morning and you have a longing for a place where to have a long breakfast which slowly becomes a lunch: you definitely want to go to Anadima.

This lovely place is close to Naviglio Pavese, one of the famous canals of Milano. It’s a restaurant which offers a great buffet on Saturdays and Sundays. Even if it’s a total white space, the atmosphere is warm and homey and the furniture is nice with a few original details. The brunch buffet is very rich: you can have home made delicious cakes, pancakes with maple syrup, rice or pasta and different sorts of meat, fish and pies. Everything is fresh and really tasty.

The atmosphere is very intimate and relaxed, you can stay there as long as you feel like. What I like the most is the little mezzanine where some tables are, where you can have a view all over the place through the beautiful bricks arch.Just a tip: I would suggest to make a reservation, it’s likely full as it’s not that big.

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Anadima | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants | Brunch € 20.00
via Pavia 10 | Ticinese/Genova | +39028321981
Mon 19:30 – 01:30, Tue – Sun 12:00 – 01:30

There are few places in a city where you feel like I am proud to live here because of this place. Ostello Bello is definitely one of them.

Before it was a hostel, a bar and a place to meet new people, it was a project some guys have been working on for years, with a passion you immediately see.

The place is located in the very center, between piazza Duomo and the Navigli area, the perfect spot to stay if you’re visiting Milano. The walls are beautifully decorated by the illustrator Elena Borghi and each room is painted in bright colors and has its own private bathroom (complete with the very Italian bidet!). The common kitchen offers a lot of cutlery and each floor has a fabulous terrace with hammocks and plants (I wish I had one like that at my place).

If you are not sleeping there you are very welcome to visit the café anyway, where the atmosphere is friendly and homey. The young owners of the place will take care of you as they did with each detail of the place, from the little frames which show the rooms’ numbers to the books in the shelves available for the guests. Some events will take place in the next months, so stay tuned!

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Ostello Bello | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea
Via Medici 4 | Centro | +390236582720
24 hours daily

Caffè della Pusterla is one of the cafés I usually choose when I want to take my time and have breakfast leafing through a magazine.

It’s always open, every day – any hour, very central, quiet and cosy. You can breathe the tradition in the wooden chairs and tables, black and white pictures of old Milano, antique signs and objects. The kitchen is always open, that means you can eat whenever you want. They offer simple dishes, a good selection of wines and desserts and a light buffet in the happy hour time.

The entrance is under a bower which creates an intimate atmosphere even if it faces a quite noisy street. Since at this café it’s very simple feeling at ease, clients can be really different: from students who work on their laptops, to couples with babies, from young people reading a book, to groups of people having a beer.

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Caffè della Pusterla | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Meal € 10.00
via De Amicis 24 | Centro | +390289402146
07:00 – 02:00 daily