The ‘cotoletta alla milanese’ and ‘ossobuco’ are local specialities (pan-fried, breaded veal and stewed veal shank respectively), and Milanese cuisine tends to differ from the rest of Italy in that rice is more traditionally served with dishes than pasta. Tomatoes are also not as evident as in many other regional cuisines of Italy.
Main Drinking Areas
A great deal of the nightlife is found around the Navigli quarter, which are the man-made canals in central Milan (see below), near Piazza XXIV Maggio, and also in the Brera quarter.
Cafés and bars are liberally dotted around the city, though, so you're never far from getting a pint.
The Milanese have a tradition of ‘apperitivo’, which roughly equates to ‘happy hour’. The locals will head out in the early evening, typically between 7 and 9, to have a quick cocktail before heading out to dinner, or heading on for the rest of the night’s drinking. Many bars will offer special deals at this time, and also lay on free buffet food – it’s a great time to fill yourself up cheaply!
Irish & English Pubs
Pogue Mahone’s Irish Pub (if you’ll forgive the rather rude Gaelic) is found on Via Salmini, near to Porta Romana station on MM3. Serving up Guinness and Murphy’s, along with a couple of lagers, it has the ubiquitous English-style pub grub too. Their website is here.
Alternatively Matricola on Viale Romagna is touted as the first ‘official’ Irish pub in Italy. Does decent food and a reasonable pint of Guinness – head to Piola on MM2.
If you're looking for a Sports Bar, you could do a lot worse than Four Four Two, on Via Procaccini. Check out their website for more information.
Fast Food Outlets
The usual fast food restaurants (McDonalds, etc) are represented in Milan. You should be in no danger of finding something familiarly calorific.
