Where to Eat in Brera, Milan: The Best Restaurants Brera is historically the neighborhood of artists and intellectuals. In the ’50s and ’60s, between the Jamaica bar and the Pinacoteca, figures like Emilio Tadini, Luciano Bianciardi, Eugenio Montale, Lucio Fontana, and Piero Manzoni used to walk and create there. Today, it has become a neighborhood crowded with bars and various venues, very trendy and mostly frequented by tourists, making it challenging to have quality dining experiences. Here, we offer an overview of the best places, ranging from the heart of Via Fiori Chiari to the areas of Via Solferino, San Marco, and Moscova.
Where to Eat in Brera, Milan, the Best Restaurants
Brera – Solferino e San Marco
Eggs
A restaurant with Roman roots, as evidenced by the ten variations of carbonara on the menu, but with a strong personal touch given by the concept—entirely based on eggs—and the creativity of chef Barbara Agosti, a guest on Masterchef and experienced from years of success at the Trastevere location in Rome. The menu features carbonara (€15), cacio e pepe, but also tartare and caviar, guinea fowl, and cod. Among the most requested and celebrated dishes, apart from the splendid carbonara, are “Gioco dell’Ovo,” a tasting spoon dish, the Abruzzese recipe “Cacio e Ova” (€12), and “Ovo Sodo” (€9), a dessert with white chocolate and mango filling on a cocoa crumble. The wine list is very original, featuring independent labels (a rarity in the area). International atmosphere.
- Address: Via Solferino 35
- Phone: 02 0997 2435
- Hours: Open daily, lunch and dinner
Quadri Bistrot
More than a bistro, it’s a fine dining restaurant with a ground-floor dining room and a large room downstairs. Formerly Pisacco, it is now led by Riccardo Quadri, a chef trained under Cracco, who offers gourmet cuisine. Menus are priced at €90, €130, and €160.
- Address: Via Solferino 48
- Phone: 02 4775 5505
- Hours: Closed Sunday and Monday
Dry – Pizza e cocktail
A fun place combining high-quality pizza with cocktails. Very popular with young people, it is right next to Eggs and is a great spot to have a drink and enjoy one of their excellent focaccias. International atmosphere.
- Address: Via Solferino 33
- Phone: 02 6379 3414
- Hours: Open for dinner only, closed Monday
Max Mariola Ristorante
The social media star chef has opened his new venue on Via San Marco, highly sought after by enthusiasts, offering Roman cuisine. A glamorous place where appearance often matters more than the food. Mariola prepares carbonara at the table when he is present. Prices are high, with carbonara costing €28.
- Address: Via San Marco 26
- Phone: 02 4936 6145
- Hours: Closed Monday. Open for lunch only on weekends
Brera – Garibaldi
Rovello 18
It is a highly regarded historic restaurant that, after being located in Foro Bonaparte for several years, has moved to Corso Garibaldi, where the Trottoir with its Pinketts room used to be. The atmosphere is classic, elegant but not ostentatious, reflecting a sober Milanese elegance. The restaurant spans two floors and offers very good Italian cuisine, ranging from Cacio e Pepe (€15) to Tagliatelle with Bra Ragù (€18), from Vitello Tonnato (€24) to Milanese Cutlet (€35). The wine list is beautiful and extensive, featuring both conventional and natural wines. Prices are reasonable.
- Address: Via Tivoli 2
- Phone: 02 7209 3709
- Hours: Open every day
Asvn, Associazione salumi e vini naturali
A very pleasant wine bar with a beautiful courtyard. It offers a nice selection of natural wines, charcuterie boards, and a few dishes.
- Address: Corso Garibaldi 41
- Phone: 02 3652 1391
Brera – Fiori Chiari e Formentini
Coraje – Glamour
This is the restaurant of Agustina Gandolfo, wife of footballer Lautaro Martinez. This should already give an idea of what to expect: luxury, glamorous splendor, and Mediterranean and South American cuisine with some health-conscious touches. Sunday brunch is available. Main courses range from €22-24, such as linguine with prawns and risotto with beetroot extracts.
- Address: Via Marco Formentini
- Phone: 02 8454 2968
Gloria Osteria – Glamour
Here we’re beyond glamour. Opened in 2024, not to be confused with the (excellent) trattoria della Gloria by Tommaso Melilli in the Navigli area, Gloria is French-owned (Big Mamma) and offers a truly sparkling (and a bit flashy) ambiance. The wine markups are excessive. The cuisine is a potpourri of Italian dishes without a clear direction, from spaghetti with tomato sauce (€15) to seafood risotto (€25), from filet with green pepper (€39) to Mediterranean-style turbot. It’s for foreign visitors who want to try Italian cuisine but might not know it’s a French-owned restaurant.
- Address: Via Tivoli 3
- Phone: 344 073 9345
Seta by Antonio Guida – Fine dining
Here we’re at a high level, as evidenced by the two Michelin Stars. Located inside the Mandarin Hotel: elegant atmosphere, haute cuisine. Prices are accordingly high, with tasting menus costing €230, €240, and €300.
- Address: Via Monte di Pietà 18
- Phone: 02 8731 8897
U Barba focaccia genovese
A pleasant spot, especially for lunch: trofie (€13), testaroli (€13), Genoese focaccia (€5-8), and farinata (€7). It’s a shop, an offshoot of the U Barba with a bocce court on Via Decembrio.
- Address: Via Pontaccio 5
- Phone: 02 4940 6749