Milan
Since 1967, Dorando Giannasi has been serving Milan's best roast chicken from his food stall on Piazza Buozzi. Marinated in a secret herb mix and broiled…
Must-see restaurants in The Italian Lakes
Milan
There’s nothing more Milanese than breakfast at Sissi. Yet, with its bright pink walls, vintage posters and an Italian-Senegalese owner with a big…
Milan
Picking up on the demand for vegan, vegetarian and raw food, this clever contemporary kebab bar serves up hearty wraps stuffed with seasonal salads,…
Lake Como
Should you need ‘una pausa’ while you’re waiting for your Varenna ferry, enter this nouveau-rustic bistro-cafe and peruse the cake case ...
Milan
This is the place fancy Milanesi go to buy nonna her favourite sweets, such as marron glacés, Boeri (chocolate-covered cherries) and chocolate pralines…
Milan
This first-class gourmet Chinese restaurant showcases the very best Lombard ingredients in a refined Chinese menu. The restaurant is super sleek with chef…
Milan
Opened by celebrated German chef Ernst Knam, this is one of the most famous pastry shops in the city. Known for its unusual flavour pairings and chocolate…
Milan
Having opened a few years ago with little fanfare, Gelateria Giova is now suddenly on the list of some of the best gelaterie in the city. Named for the…
Milan
This gelateria is a temple to Lombardy's luxurious milk products: everything here is 100% natural, handmade and locally sourced. What's more, owner…
Milan
This old-school gelateria has been in the business of ice cream since 1930. Opened by his uncle Ugo, Francesco now maintains the shop's reputation with a…
Milan
This former florist’s shop is great for a light French-influenced lunch, or an excellent aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) among the flowers. Dinners are fresh…
Milan
This sunny Tuscan restaurant with its custard-coloured walls and Reseda green panelling serves up an elegant, unpretentious menu featuring largely fish…
Bellagio
Clocking up 100 years of service in 2019, all of them under the same family tutelage, Silvio continues to serve simple lake-to-table food at reasonable…
Bergamo
With its wedges of focaccia-style pizza displayed like colourful art in the front window, it’s no wonder this bakery-cafe is perennially crowded. This is…
Bergamo
If you’re staying in the Città Alta, it’s worth letting gravity carry you downhill to seek out this lunch-only, four-table cafe with an out-of-the…
Stresa
The street profile isn’t a knockout and the interior isn’t particularly exciting either, but a quick opinion poll of local tastes will reveal that…
Cremona
For a break from risottos and pastas, this elegant Japanese spot makes a fine destination. Amid vaulted brick ceilings and flickering candles, Kandoo…
Bergamo
Things have changed little since the original wine dealer started here in 1848. Elegant tables with delicate wrought-iron-backed chairs, globe lamps and…
Lake Maggiore
If you like fresh lake fish then this is the place to come. Set right on the lake and surrounded by greenery, this hotel-restaurant serves up a mix of…
Lake Iseo
On the southern shore of the island, this perfectly located spot serves a mouthwatering plate of mixed grilled lake fish as well as trout ravioli with…
Milan
Those hankering for home-cooking by a real Italian nonna need look no further. In a rustic farmhouse in the gritty Corvetto area, Signora Isa cooks up…
Como
When the (acclaimed) specialities of the house all involve truffles, you know you're onto a good thing. They're all over the menu here, including truffles…
Brescia
Near the Piazza della Loggia, La Vineria serves up delectable regional cuisine at al fresco tables under a portico or in a classy dining room with vaulted…
Milan
Il Baretto's cosy, clubby atmosphere and top-notch, no-nonsense Milanese menu keep its wood-panelled dining rooms packed with silver-haired foxes and…
Orta San Giulio
Cross the threshold from the sunny street to the dark stone and wood interior of this suitably lived-in old cantina where a bar the size of a residential…
Lake Como
Set along a narrow pedestrian lane in the upper part of Varenna, Il Cavatappi is an intimate spot with just seven tables set amid arched ceilings and…
Cremona
Behind the dilapidated facade lurks a diamond in the rough. Some of the vaulted rooms come with ceiling frescoes, dark timber tables come with ancient…
Bergamo
In the upper town, tucked close to the Venetian walls, La Tana remains exceptionally popular for painstakingly prepared Bergamesque dishes served in a sun…
Milan
Service in La Veranda’s lovely but formal dining room within the Four Seasons hotel is disarmingly warm. The menu sings with smart, modern Mediterranean…
Milan
This Slow Food osteria (tavern) with its Liberty-style ballroom is a piece of Milanese history, built as a club for railway workers at the nearby Stazione…
Milan
The king of Neapolitan pizza has taken Milan by storm with his organic, slow-levitation dough and divinely simple toppings of tomato, mozzarella, basil,…
Milan
Navigli’s osterie (restaurants/bars) can often disappoint on the food front, but Al Pont de Ferr lifts the game. Its casual charm can make you wonder if…
The Italian Lakes
Located a few kilometres from Santa Maria della Versa is the 18th century home and restaurant of Elena Grigoroi and chef Giorgio Lutrini. It serves two…
Como
Set outside Como's pedestrianised core, Enoteca 84 is a snug local restaurant carrying a well-curated list of local wines. It serves a handful of…
Como
Although it's a bit of a trek (4km southeast of Como's centre), the delectable Slow Food cooking at this characterful crotto ('grotto') makes it well…
Pavia
Located in the Borgo Ticino, the menu at this rustic osteria (think gauze curtains, a terracotta tiled floor and pink silky napkins) is well-rooted in the…
Bergamo
Run by two accredited wine sommeliers who have worked for Gualtiero Marchesi in Erbusco, this is a great place to sample regional wine by the glass. The…
Como
Come the weekend and you’ll be hard-pressed to squeeze into the grotto-style dining room of this burger joint where young comaschi come to down Baladin…
Milan
This award-winning gelateria focuses on organic ingredients such as yoghurt from the alpine region of Valtellina, Bronte pistachios from Sicily and IGP…
Cremona
Il Violino is Cremona's timeless classy option. Smooth service is key to this elegant spot, where you can peruse a menu filled with intriguing names such…
