A few years back, I penned this piece for Here about Michelin-starred chefs, both from Milan and elsewhere, who opened less-formal bistros in my adopted city. So, since the latest edition of the Italian Michelin guide dropped last week (with Lombardy receiving the most stars!), I thought I’d round up four new Michelinesque restaurants in Milan from three-star Michelin-rated chefs that opened recently enough—three are restaurants, and one is a boutique. One opened in 2021 (and was awarded its first Michelin star last week), two opened over the last few months, and the fourth opens on Thursday, November 17, 2022.
1. Anima by Enrico Bartolini
Bartolini’s namesake restaurant at MUDEC in Milan is one of Italy’s 12 three-star restaurants. In 2021, he opened Anima, which just received its first Michelin star and in doing so, upheld Bartolini’s title as Italy’s most-starred chef (he has 12 stars). Anima, his seventh restaurant, sits inside the Milano Verticale hotel near Corso Como and flaunts a decor inspired by that of a local architectural legend, Gio Ponti. Bartolini has entrusted the kitchen to chef Michele Cobuzzi, who oversees not only the eight-table restaurant but also the garden bar and contemporary osteria. Dishes include eel lacquered with anchovy cauliflower and bronze-cut spaghetti with smoked herring, burnt lemon, dill, and caviar. Carlo de Cristoforis, 6; +39 02 6227 8500; Monday – Saturday 19:30 – 23:30; closed Sunday; website
2. DaV by Da Vittorio
The Cerea brothers (Chicco and Bobo) are the forces behind the kitchen and dining room respectively of the epic Da Vittorio in Brusoporto, Bergamo. In September, the brothers opened the second outpost of DaV by Da Vittorio, their less-formal concept, in Milan (the first is in Portofino). It’s in the City Life/Tre Torre (Three Towers) neck of the woods, on the first floor (though it seems much higher!) of the Allianz Tower. The menu includes Da Vittorio signatures like the delicious paccheri ai tre pomodori. Fun Fact: you can see what looks like the Ferragnez’s balcony from the spacious terrace, which happens to make a cozy backdrop for an aperitivo (the terrace that is, not the potential Ferragnez sighting). Allianz Tower, Piazza Tre Torri, c/o, 3 · +39 02 3672 3830; Monday – Saturday 18:30 – 12:30; Saturday and Sunday 12:30 – 15:30; website
3. Horto at the Medalan Complex
Chef Norbert Niederkofler of St. Hubertus at Hotel Rosa Alpina in Cortina (the Dolomites) is the head of strategic and organizational direction of the kitchen at Horto, which opened this fall on the sixth floor of the Medelan Complex. The rooftop restaurant is outfitted with a terrace boasting a sweeping panorama of the city that encompasses the Madonnina (the 4.16 meter/13.6-foot bronze statue of the Blessed Mother that tops the Duomo). At Horto, Niederkofler entrusts his “Cook the Mountain” philosophy to chefs Stefano Ferraro and Alberto Toè. Ferraro was the head of pastry at Noma in Copenaghen while Toè’s CV includes stints with Andreas Caminada (three-starred Hotel Ristorante Schloss Schauenstein in Fürstenau in Switzerland), Pietro Leemann (Joia in Milan-the first vegetarian restaurant in Europe to earn Michelin star) and at Niederkofler’s St. Hubertus. As Niedekofler also has a green Michelin star, it’s not surprising that sustainability stands front and center at Horto, both in the food and the design. The decor, realized by architect Luisa Collina and entrusted to GLA (Genius Loci Architettura), comprises recycled materials. Via S. Protaso, 5, Monday – Saturday, 12:30 – 14; 19:30 – 21:30 closed Sunday; website
4. Il Laboratorio di Niko Romito
On November 17, 2022, chef Niko Romito of Casa Reale in Abruzzo inaugurates the first flagship of Laboratorio concept, which specializes in leavened products, in Milan. It’s more of a boutique shop than a proper sit-down restaurant, but that doesn’t make it any less special. Expect various riffs on panettone, bread, pandolce, brioches, and pound cakes (which Italians call plum cake) along with chocolate cream, jams, fruit nectars, and savory snacks like almond and hazelnuts. This isn’t the chef’s first foray into the Lombard capital: his restaurant Spazio by Niko Romito, run by the students of his Formazione, lies on the fourth floor of the Galleria, and he also has an eponymous restaurant at the Bulgari hotel. The boutique also offers a large selection of vegan and gluten-free goods. Via Solferino 12; Open seven days, 10 – 19.30; website
Note: opening day hours are from 15.30 to 19.30
Cover photo: Mattia Parodi_Creative Direction Motel
