Weekend in Forte dei Marmi: a taste of the sea and champagne 
The secret garden of Casa di Gaia 
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Doubting where to eat and instead aimlessly wandering in the shadow of the Madonnina, has happened – at least once – to everyone; at a glance, the surroundings of the Duomo might seem overflowing with tourist traps, illustrated menus and a total absence of quality. But is it really so? As in any respectable tourist city, around the great attractions, the Duomo in our case, the quality food and wine offer is lacking; Instead, tourist restaurants abound where dishes – rigorously accompanied by steaming cappuccinos – are served at all hours.
But here we are, taking this common place apart, and showing you that in the Duomo you don’t just go to fill up on art and history, or a shopping trip: for those who know where to go, you can also combine a quality lunch or dinner, staying close to the beloved spiers. Here are 10 best restaurants near the Duomo area that will allow you to appreciate Milan!
Giacomo Arengario
Via Guglielmo Marconi, 1
From the top of his terrace inside the Palazzo del Novecento, Giacomo Arengario wins the title of best location in Milan. The restaurant is a tribute to Art Deco expressed with aristocratic design maneuvers on the furniture at the entrance lacquered in black and mirrors, as well as on the wooden walls and coffered ceilings, and finally on the wonderful terrace overlooking the sharp spires of the Duomo. The menu harmoniously combines excellent fish dishes, such as the ceviche tacos and a great selection of raw fish, with timeless servings of the local tradition such as risotto and Milanese cutlet. To round out the taste of each dish and enhance it to the maximum, sommeliers will advise you about the best wine match out of 500 labels.
Niko Romito Space
Piazza del Duomo
From the top floor of the Mercato del Duomo you can enjoy an exceptional view of the spiers, but this is a known thing. It should be equally known that Spazio, the restaurant of the multi-starred chef Niko Romito, is the right place to enjoy a lunch or dinner in front of the Duomo. Suspended between the best Italian culinary traditions and a taste for experimentation so dear to Milan, from Spazio creativity takes the upper hand, with delectable meat dishes from both the sea and land, in addition to a very rich dessert menu. Once you sit down, you will never want to get up. And let’s not just talk about the view!
Ristorante Cracco
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
In the heart of Milan, under the magnificent arcades of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Cracco Restaurant is a golden guardian of the Milanese flavors, a creative cusine intimately linked to the territory with a taste for what’s contemporary . Hand-painted and mosaic walls, details in Levanto marble and wood painted in gold bring the guest to the gallant and aristocratic atmosphere of the ’20s, that makes its way from the entrance to the centerpiece in the form of lamps with soft light. The paper speaks with an accent dipped in francesismi as it is the Milanese, and pays homage to the product king of the Lombardy countryside, rice, with two options where you can feel all the flavors of the Milanese plain: saffron, turnips, gorgonzola, chives and pith, unmistakable and nostalgic darts in the heart of all Milanese. Elegant, refined and famous restaurant in Milan, Cracco promises a sublime food and wine experience.
Al Mercante
Via Cesare Cantù, 7
Elegant milanese restaurant, Al Mercante is out of the caos of tourists but very close to the Duomo. It’s one of our favorite palces to enjoy italian tradition and quality food with a touch of experimental cousine. Just a few steps from the Cathedral, in front of the corner of the majestic Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Al Mercante is a refined and modern space, a must try for a business lunch or a romantic dinner, a pleasant break to taste the specialties of italian seas and lands, daily selected by the kitchen brigade, depending on the market and on the season. You can taste spring season in the lemon and thyme snapper ravioli, while spaghetti with sea urchins presages the arrival of summer. Spaghetti alla Carbonara here is one of the best in town, if it’s not on the menu, just ask. What a better place to live the seasons than this corner of elegance?
Top Missori
Via Giuseppe Missori, 3
Top Missori spreads quality and food and wine fun in the city center. A few steps from the Duomo, the restaurant has earned its fame as a fine dining destination thanks to the experimental and daring cuisine of Nicola Bucarini, a young chef from the Marche region with an experience in the kitchens of Paolo Teverini. Irreverent as a dusting of coffee on the untouchable cacio e pepe, Bucarini’s proposal takes his customers by the throat and sense of humor, proposing innovative and unpredictable combinations. You can also try their immense selection of wines, with 500 labels, studied with criterion and foresight and supported by the use of coravin technique, which allows you to pour even a single glass of wine or fine champagne. Shall we bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised?
Slow Sud
Via delle Asole, 4
Mediterranean cuisine, where southern specialties excel, and a warm and informal environment, like a house in the South, where there is always room (and even a swing!). If you find yourself in that melting pot of streets surrounding the Duomo, mark this address: you can embark on a journey through the best flavors and traditions of the South, enjoying a plate of fusilli alla Norma, one of their fish-based main courses or street food. The common thread is Sicily, but the other regions are also well represented. Southern colors and scents can be found less than 500 meters from the Duomo!
Yamamoto Gastronomy
Via Amedei, 5
Japanese is not only synonymous with sushi, and at Gastronomia Yamamoto they know this well. This is precisely the innovation of the Japanese restaurant in via Amedei: they have distinguished themself for their use of traditional vegetables, unknown to most, sandwiches stuffed in an unusual way, and a riot of seaweed: the beauty of Gastronomia Yamamoto is being able to discover condiments and vegetables you never knew of before!
Trattoria Da Pino
Via Cerva, 14
A trattoria like few remain, which blends Milanese and tradition, where time seems to stand still. And it is absolutely recommended to stop for lunch, especially when you are looking for a warm and familiar environment: between a risotto or their famous boiled meat, cooked following the traditional recipe, perhaps accompanied by a glass of wine, you will have a taste of the Milanese cuisine in its best form. To make your experience even more pleasant, there are the brothers Marco and Mauro, the heirs of Pino: with their sympathy and hospitality, they will charm you!
The Arabesque Cult Store & Cafè
Largo Augusto, 10
A 1950s corner, where it is possible for a few hours to let time expand, forgetting commitments and daily worries. A few steps from the Duomo and at the same time away from the chaos, Arabesque Cafè is a concept store that has the appearance of a living room, and is the ideal place to meet a friend, or to carve out time between the reading corner and a lunch which favors zero km. On the menu are meat and fish dishes, which are suitable for even the most demanding palates. A creative place to get lost in the furniture and the carefully selected pieces on display, for those with a vintage soul and very high needs.
Basara Rinascente
Piazza del Duomo
On the top floor of the most famous luxury superstore in Milan, La Rinascente, there is Basara, a small corner of intimacy in the bustle that crowds the array of restaurants and cocktail bars on the rooftop of the huge building in Piazza del Duomo. Sit at the high stools facing the counter of this sushi shop and enjoy the show offered by the expert sushimen of Basara, who prepare at the moment all the dishes that slide on the innovative magnetic kaiten. For a few seconds, it will seem that the tourists, the confusion, the shelves of the most varied delicacies for sale have disappeared to make way for a small wooden bridge and a cherry blossom on a Kyoto background.
