3 Restaurants You Shouldn't Miss in Milan
ALLA VECCHIA LATTERIA
Tucked away in a tiny alley downtown, this restaurant may appear inconspicuous but its food will persuade you to make amends with vegetarianism altogether.
Alla Vecchia Latteria, via Unione 6, Milan, Italy
Alla Vecchia Latteria is one of those restaurants that has teeny-weeny tables but comes with courses that are big in size and flavor. This in itself should be enough to make this place worth your while. But what really counts here is that at the end of the day its food will reconcile you with greens, veggies and vegetarianism altogether.
Its secret weapon is Francesca Notari who is both at the helm of the kitchen and co-owns the place with her husband. Francesca is originally from the south of Italy and it is from that part of the country that her recipes are from.
In all truthfulness the menu equally combines northern with southern cuisine. The primi (pasta courses) are mainly from the North with things like pizzoccheri valtellinesi (buckwheat flour and cheese pasta), ribollita toscana (a long-cooked Tuscan stew); mushroom and artichoke tagliatelle; cheese and walnut gnocchi and so forth. The secondi (main courses) instead are genuinely and totally a thing from the south and are made with greens you probably have never heard of. I am thinking of things like cabbage parmigiana, different types of veggie balls and pies made out of potatoes, carrots and zucchini; cardoon pies and cauliflower pies and much more.
ERBA BRUSCA
With its simple style and its kitchen garden Erba Brusca brings old rural food back into modernity
Erba Brucia is in Alzaia Naviglio Pavese, 286, Milan.
There is something romantic about Erba Brusca. Perhaps it’s its throwback concept or maybe it’s simply the food. The restaurant reminds you of a good old trattoria with all that wine on display, the semi rustic tables and their last fine touch - the kitchen garden in the backyard. However, despite its old fashion look, you get a subtle, pleasant modern vibe that stays with you when you leave the place. The menu is a celebration of the good old days as well.
Interestingly enough the lunch menu changes every week. The one in the evening besides its a la carte version, it has a fixed option that gives you two propositions: a 4 course choice for 34 euros and a 6 course choice for 45 euros. The food is quite unique with things like salted deer meat, wild boar ragu’ pasta, fried coriander seeds and more traditional courses like Milanese risotto and ossobuco (sliced veal shank). In any case everything is beautifully made and the combination of tradition and modernity gives the food an extra zing you won’t forget.
LA SIDRERIA
Despite its old fashion look you get a subtle modern vibe
A 7 foot Cider Barrel Greets You at the Entrance
La Sidreria Via Arcangelo Corelli, 31
all you can eat formula for just 25 euros.