Best Italian Restaurants in Milan: Five Trattorias

By The Travel Fieldbook September 27, 2026 October 7, 2026

Risotto alla milanese, the saffron-coloured rice dish associated with Milan. (Number55 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited)

For a seated Milanese meal, the choice is less about finding one definitive Italian restaurant than choosing the dish and part of the city that fit your evening. Trattoria Milanese puts saffron risotto near the historic centre, while the other four tables take you towards Garibaldi, the Navigli and the residential districts to the east. These are places for a proper lunch or dinner, not a quick counter stop.

Where to eat traditional Milanese food

Trattoria	Area	Dish to look for	Typical meal per person	Closed
Trattoria Milanese	Cordusio	Risotto alla Milanese	Around €35–55	Sunday
Al Matarel	Garibaldi	Cotoletta alla Milanese	Around €40–60	Tuesday; Wednesday lunch
Trattoria Madonnina	Navigli	Ossobuco with risotto	Around €35–55	Sunday; Monday–Tuesday dinner
Trattoria Masuelli San Marco	Viale Umbria	Risotto alla Milanese	Around €40–65	Sunday; Monday lunch
Trattoria del Nuovo Macello	Via Cesare Lombroso	Busecca (tripe)	Around €40–65	Sunday; Saturday lunch

Indicative meal ranges include a seated meal; courses and drinks change the bill.

For a central Milanese meal, choose Trattoria Milanese. For a cutlet near Garibaldi, try Al Matarel. Madonnina suits the Navigli, while the long-running Masuelli and Nuovo Macello kitchens make eastern neighbourhood destinations. These five reflect traditional dishes, kitchen history and location, not star ratings or every Italian regional cuisine.

Arrange a table for dinner, especially if travelling away from the centre. For a quicker, cheaper counter stop, see cheap savoury lunches in Milan. For kitchens addressing gluten and cross-contact, use gluten-free restaurant choices in Milan instead.

Trattoria Milanese

Trattoria Milanese is the central choice for risotto alla Milanese, saffron risotto, near Cordusio. Its long-running dining room lets you make the meal part of a day in the historic centre rather than travelling out for dinner. The trattoria began operating in 1918, giving this address a history that extends beyond its name’s reference to 1933.

The traditional setting makes sense if you want to sit down over a full Milanese meal after exploring the centre. Order additional courses if you want a longer meal rather than a quick plate of risotto. Sunday is its closing day, so if that is your only day in the centre, choose a different table.

Name: Trattoria Milanese
Location: Near Cordusio, central Milan Maps
Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–14:30, 19:00–22:30; Sun Closed
Price range: €€€

The entrance is on Via Santa Marta, a smaller street away from the broad streets around Cordusio. Look for the frontage as you turn off the main route through the centre.

Google Street View, 2020-09.

Al Matarel

Al Matarel is the place here to seek out cotoletta alla Milanese, a breaded veal cutlet listed on its menu. At Via Laura Solera Mantegazza near the Garibaldi district, it offers a neighbourhood table without taking you as far from the centre as the two eastern trattorias. Al Matarel opened in 1962, so its traditional cooking has a documented history rather than simply an old-fashioned presentation.

A cutlet makes a particularly clear choice if you have already eaten saffron risotto elsewhere in Milan. Tuesday is the weekly closing day, and Wednesday is a dinner rather than a lunchtime option. If you are spending the evening around Garibaldi, this keeps the meal in that district instead of sending you back towards Cordusio. The cutlet anchors a seated dinner rather than a quick bite between stops.

Name: Trattoria Al Matarel
Location: Corso Garibaldi, Milan Maps
Site: almatarel.it
Hours: Mon 12:30–14:00, 19:30–22:00; Tue Closed; Wed 19:30–22:00; Show 2 more
Thu 12:30–14:00, 19:30–22:00Fri–Sun 12:30–14:00, 19:30–22:30
Price range: €€€

Cotoletta alla milanese served on a plate. — Cotoletta alla milanese, photographed in Milan.
*Vaselineeeeeeee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited*

Trattoria Madonnina

Trattoria Madonnina gives you a seated Milanese meal south of the centre, near the Navigli rather than in the busiest stretch of waterside bars. On Via Gentilino, the dish to look for is ossobuco, braised veal shank, with risotto. The pairing makes this a different choice from ordering risotto on its own: the meat is the centre of the plate.

Lunch runs Monday to Saturday, 12:00–14:30, while dinner is Wednesday to Saturday, 20:00–22:30. The restaurant is closed on Sundays, so a Monday or Tuesday visit to this part of town calls for lunch rather than dinner. Its Via Gentilino address keeps you near the Navigli without making the waterside bars your dining destination. Make the meal the reason to head south instead of treating it as a quick stop beside the canals.

Name: Trattoria Madonnina
Location: Near the Navigli, Milan Maps
Hours: Mon–Sat 12:00–15:00, 19:00–00:00; Sun 12:00–15:00
Price range: €€€

Ossobuco served with risotto alla milanese. — Ossobuco with risotto alla milanese, a classic Milanese pairing.
*pier · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited*

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco is worth the trip east for a family kitchen with a long history. On Viale Umbria outside the historic centre, it dates from 1921. Max Masuelli, the third generation, continues the family’s work in the kitchen. Look for risotto alla Milanese here. Eating it at the family’s own table gives the journey a purpose beyond finding another plate of saffron risotto near the sights.

This is a meal to arrange in advance rather than a place to rely on while passing through the centre. Sunday and Monday lunchtime are not options, so plan the visit for another service when choosing which day to travel out to Viale Umbria. You come here for a neighbourhood restaurant and its continuing family tradition, not for a central sightseeing stop.

Name: Trattoria Masuelli San Marco
Location: Viale Umbria, Milan Maps
Site: masuellitrattoria.com
Hours: Mon–Tue 19:00–22:00; Wed–Fri 12:30–14:30, 19:00–22:00; Sat 12:00–14:30, 19:00–22:00; Show 1 more
Sun 12:00–14:30
Price range: €€€

Viale Umbria is a substantial city thoroughfare rather than a historic-centre lane. Plan this as a trip into the eastern neighbourhood, not a meal you will stumble upon while seeing the central sights.

A view along Viale Umbria in Milan. — Viale Umbria, a street in Milan.
*Franco Dal Molin from Milano, Italia · CC BY 2.0 · Edited*

Trattoria del Nuovo Macello

Trattoria del Nuovo Macello takes you beyond cutlet and risotto to busecca, Milanese tripe. On Via Cesare Lombroso east of the centre, it suits a traveller keen to try a more traditional, less universally familiar dish. The trattoria began operating in 1928, while the family’s history at this address began in November 1959 and continues today. That continuity is a reason to make the neighbourhood meal a deliberate outing.

Saturday is dinner only and Sunday is closed. For a weekend lunch at this address, Saturday will not work, so plan a weekday lunch or choose another table.

Name: Trattoria del Nuovo Macello
Location: Via Cesare Lombroso, Milan Maps
Site: trattoriadelnuovomacello.it
Hours: Mon–Fri 12:30–14:00, 20:00–22:00; Sat 20:00–22:00; Sun Closed
Price range: €€€

Busecca is traditionally a slow-cooked tripe dish with beans, rather than another way of preparing veal cutlet. Choose it if you want to try a less familiar part of Milanese cooking and are comfortable with offal.

A serving of trippa alla milanese. — Trippa alla milanese, also known locally as busecca.
*LukeWiller · CC BY 3.0 · Edited*

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: closures, key figures, and opening hours.