To get the obvious stereotype out of the way – yes, fashion editors eat, and especially when in Milan. The packed fashion show schedule that brings them here at least twice a year may not leave much room for proper meals, but there’s always time to squeeze in a speedy bowl of pasta or a quick apertivo bite. While every season brings somewhere new to try, these are the places the fashion press returns to time and again.
Cantina della Vetra
Image: Mauro Parma
This classic trattoria is a safe bet for dependable northern Italian cooking, but it’s the gnocco fritto that it’s properly famous for. These puffed-up squares of deep-fried dough are best enjoyed at aperitivo hour with a pile of thinly sliced truffle mortadella and a spritz. If you’re in town on a Sunday the buffet lunch spread is also worth a look.
Cantina della Vetra
Via Pio IV, 3
Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone
Image: Salumaio di Montenapoleone
Dining at Il Salumaio really feels like something special, and not just because you’re likely to be surrounded by Italian celebs, models or major fashion industry players. Milan’s most atmospheric restaurant is arranged throughout the lower rooms and courtyard of the beautiful Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, just off the luxury shopping street of Via Montenapoleone, and the food is equally elegant. Show it some respect by dressing up.
Il Salumaio di Montenapoleone
Via Santo Spirito, 10
Peck
Make a beeline for this historic deli near the Duomo di Milano to stock up on edible souvenirs, whether proper olive oils and balsamic vinegars, northern Italian cheeses or dried pasta. There’s also a small restaurant that does a moreish, traditional version of Milan’s hero dish, osso buco.
Peck
Via Spadari, 9
Grom
Apparently the creaminess of Grom’s gelato is thanks to the silver trays it’s kept in, but it might also have something to do with the absence of artificial flavours, colourings, preservatives and emulsifiers. Whatever the secret, it’s a rare editor who can pass a Grom between shows without ducking in for a pistachio gelato on the go.
Grom
Various locations
10 Corso Como
Image: courtesy 10 Corso Como
Come for the shopping – a cornucopia of design books, art and avant-garde fashion – and stay for tea or an aperitivo in the verdant courtyard cafe. Milan’s cult boutique is an essential pit-stop for every editor, but it’s more for shopping, drinking and being seen than for food.
10 Corso Como
Via Enrico Tazzoli, 3
Panzerotti Luini
This hole-in-the-wall near the Duomo (look for the queue) is the fashion pack’s pick for panzerotti – they’re like a mini calzone but fried instead of baked. In Milan, you eat carbs.
Panzerotti Luini
Via Santa Radegonda, 16
Nobu
Image: courtesy of Nobu press office
Milan is hardly known for Japanese food, but if you build a Nobu, the fashion editors (and models) will come. Designed by Armani and located in the heart of the shopping district, Nobu Milan is perfectly pitched for people who can never be more than a few minutes away from sushi. The menu has all the usual staples, including black cod with miso, and they’re also on Deliveroo for late-night hotel room suppers.
Nobu
Via Gastone Pisoni, 1
Giacomo Arengario
This bar and restaurant with swoon-worthy, art deco styling has one of the best vantage points in Milan – directly overlooking the Piazza Duomo. Nab a table on the balcony for prime preening and people watching.
Giacomo Arengario
Via Guglielmo Marconi, 1
Bar Luce and Ristorante Torre, Fondazione Prada
Bar Luce, Designed by Wes Anderson Fondazione Prada Milano, 2015 / Image: Photo Attilio Maranzano, Courtesy Fondazione Prada
Prada’s Bar Luce became an instant hit when it opened in 2016, not least for its looks. The pale green and speckled pink palette was not #accidentallywesanderson either, because the man himself designed it. Ristorante Torre arrived two years later, also boasting a big name designer – Rem Koolhaas. Go in the evenings to make the most of the twinkling skyline views from its sixth-floor perch.
Bar Luce and Ristorante Torre, Fondazione Prada
Via Giovanni Lorenzini, 14
Al Cuoco di Bordo
One editor called the lobster salad here “life changing”. We can’t guarantee your life will be changed, but we’re pretty confident you’ll never forget the enormous seafood platter, mixed crudo or pasta vongole at this famously good fish restaurant. Yes, we know the rule about not eating seafood unless you’re by the sea, but make an exception for the exceptional Al Cuoco di Bordo.
Al Cuoco di Bordo
Via Cristoforo Gluck, 11