Restaurants to try in Milan in January
Gourmet favourites and new openings for a delicious start to the year
January means a new year. The resolutions are written and we have toasted the exciting news on the way, so 2026 is ready to surprise us: for true gourmands that means Italian traditions alongside a Grand Tour of faraway places, from Asian flavours to creative cooking. It is a month of coming back and starting again. Icy air drifts between the towers of the Milan skyline and through streets that are still half asleep, as the city slowly picks up its daily rush to the rattle of the trams.
Shake off the post-holiday blues and follow your instinct as an urban explorer: Milan has new finds to taste, from tradition to the avant-garde, as the latest food trends arrive on the city’s restaurant scene. Open your 2026 diary with the FLAWLESS pick of 10 restaurants to try in Milan in January: which will be your new place to eat?
Contraste
Via Giuseppe Meda, 2
Ph: Matteo Bellomo-Stefania Zanetti
Just off the Navigli, Contraste is well worth a gourmet stop. This Michelin-starred restaurant builds its identity on a dialogue between opposites, starting with the interiors, where antique and contemporary pieces share a restrained minimalism and an atmosphere that feels suspended, almost theatrical. The same idea runs through the menu, made up of playful, unexpected tasting menus, in which nothing is quite what it seems. The cooking is distinctive and personal, served in a space that feels more like a private home than a traditional restaurant.
Potafiori
Via Salasco, 17
Just the thing to brighten up a grey January, Potafiori is a one-of-a-kind bistro and flower shop near Bocconi, where good company, music and food come together in a warm, poetic atmosphere. The brainchild of Rosalba Piccinni, the well-known ‘singing florist’, it is a restaurant, a florist and… a stage! Every Tuesday and Friday it hosts ‘Potacantatu’: à la carte dinners with live music, polished performances and guided karaoke that gets everyone involved, whether or not they can hold a tune. With sharing plates, flowers and songs that warm the soul, Potafiori is the place to find a lighter mood, a smile and the urge to sing, even in the depths of winter.
Giannino dal 1899
Via Vittor Pisani, 6
Giannino has been an icon of Milan’s restaurant scene since 1899. Near Repubblica, it welcomes guests to a refined, timeless dining room of wood panelling and warm lighting, with a convivial mood that invites you to slow down. The kitchen celebrates the great Italian tradition with generous, carefully made dishes, where well-chosen ingredients and classic recipes meet a few modern touches. With meat and fish on the menu (don’t miss the Vitello Tonnato and the Mondeghili), reassuring flavours and faultless service, Giannino is the place for comfort, good food and good company in the heart of the Milanese winter.
ByIT
Via Fiori Chiari, 32
Many people know BYIT for its signature cocktails, but it also serves a menu of tasty bites designed to go with the drinks. In the heart of the artists’ quarter, with a contemporary feel and a carefully chosen soundtrack, the food is built on modern doughs and advanced fermentation, with quality ingredients and toppings made for sharing. On the menu: thin focaccia, buns, tacos and light, crisp pizzas, such as the Nerano, with fior di latte, baby courgettes and courgette flowers. A lively, informal format, perfect for brightening up January evenings in style, without leaving anyone hungry.
Iter
Via Mario Fusetti, 1
Tucked away on a quiet side street close to the Naviglio Grande, Iter is a welcoming bistro where time slows down and the pleasure of the table takes centre stage. The mood is relaxed but polished, so you feel at home from lunch to after dinner, while the kitchen follows its From Italy to the World concept, pairing Italian traditions with international ones, always with quality and sharing in mind. To drink, there are natural wines and cocktails by Farmily. ‘I Tre da Iter’ continues in 2026 too: every month, three different guests (one for the food, one for the wine and one for the cocktails) team up on a one-off dinner that will never be repeated.
Osteria Pugliese Gatto Bianco
Via Friuli, 75
Ready for the real flavours of Puglia? At Osteria Pugliese Gatto Bianco, close to Porta Romana, southern tradition meets Milanese elegance. Two large dining rooms, one with a dramatic wine cellar, are done out in black and gold, and the open kitchen lets you watch the chefs at work. Menu highlights include the now iconic Spaghetti all’Assassina, the Bombette and the classic Riso, patate e cozze: signature dishes that bring the flavour and character of Puglia to Milan.
Altatto
Via Bonaventura Zumbini, 39
After 10 years in the Greco area, Altatto has recently moved, to Barona. Cinzia De Lauri and Sara Nicolosi’s restaurant stays true to itself, only more self-assured: plant-based cooking that never skimps on flavour, creativity or a Nordic touch reinterpreted with a Mediterranean sensibility. There are two menus: a short one of four courses and a fuller one of nine, with alcoholic or alcohol-free pairings, plus the à la carte. Open in the evening only, Monday to Friday, Altatto is a perfect fit for Veganuary, the campaign that invites you to eat vegan throughout January, with more sustainable, mindful choices.
El Brellin
Vicolo Privato Lavandai
With January bringing back the city’s usual pace, a welcoming place to sit down for a meal makes all the difference. El Brellin, on the Navigli, offers a warm, snug retreat in a charming 18th-century building: open fires, coffered ceilings and an intimate atmosphere, perfect for winter evenings. On milder days (they will come back sooner or later) the garden overlooking Vicolo dei Lavandai is a treat too. In the kitchen, Lombard tradition leads the way with hearty, comforting dishes such as risotto with ossobuco and cotoletta, ideal for getting through January with good food and no excess.
Café Onitsuka Tiger
P.za XXV Aprile, 9
Perfect for warming up and brightening the winter, Café Onitsuka Tiger is a new city hideaway tucked into the courtyard of the Onitsuka Tiger flagship in Piazza XXV Aprile. Here Milanese industrial design meets Japanese minimalism, in a space dominated by the iconic yellow of the Mexico 66, bold and bright even on the greyest days. The menu, created exclusively by PAN, from the prolific Yoji Tokuyoshi and Alice Yamada, offers reworked cookies, savoury toasties, hot chocolate with mini marshmallows and variations on matcha. A discreet, well-kept spot for a casual break between shopping and design, with comfort food and Japanese vibes.
Momenteeria
Via G.Carducci, 38
Near Sant’Ambrogio, Momenteeria is a new tea room, contemporary, cosy and bright, designed for slowing down. At its heart are more than 60 teas, from Chinese selections to original blends with Italian botanicals, served with a simple ritual and great attention to detail. Alongside the tea there are breakfasts and light, balanced lunches, designed for everyday wellbeing by a nutritional biologist and a psychotherapist who specialises in mindful eating, with a focus on cooking in glass jars. Finally, there are plenty of pastries, vegan ones included, made by a professional cake designer. A quiet space where understated design and an unhurried pace make every break feel more considered.
