10 design restaurants in Milan
To impress your guests and treat yourself to a true wow factor, here are 10 design restaurants to know in Milan
The annual appointment with the Salone del Mobile, along with its countless sprawling fringe events, is just around the corner. We at Flawless have rounded up what we consider the 10 most exciting design restaurants in town right now, well worth visiting all year round to feast your eyes and your palate. But what does “design restaurant” actually mean? The answer could fill pages, but to save precious time for the hurried Milanese inside all of us, we simply mean spaces with striking architecture, refined aesthetics, and a confident, contemporary style.
Casa el Carnicero
Everyone already knows the quality of the El Carnicero format, but this latest venture from the group—its third in Milan and fourth including Ibiza—boasts a truly unique, high-impact architectural concept. On Viale Bianca Maria, one of the city’s most elegant boulevards, a four-storey early 20th-century palazzo has become Casa el Carnicero: a premium steakhouse that also serves fish and shellfish, wrapped in thoughtful design and an elegant, contemporary atmosphere. Artfully distressed plaster, weathered walls, vintage-inspired flooring, Art Nouveau details and antique mirrors sit alongside ultra-modern design pieces, velvet sofas, neon lights and black-and-white art photography in an inspired and playful stylistic mix. The highlights? The wine cellar, featuring a private table where you can dine among prestigious bottles under exposed brick vaults, and the fourth-floor terrace, complete with a giant screen projecting clips of cult films onto the wall.
Moebius
Via Alfredo Cappellini, 25
Set in an atmospheric former textile warehouse between Via Vittor Pisani and Corso Buenos Aires, reimagined with a post-industrial aesthetic across 700 square metres and 12-metre-high ceilings, Moebius is a multifaceted destination. The main hall is anchored by a large wooden sharing table that encourages conviviality, flanked by an eclectic mix of chairs, sofas and low tables forming the intimate lounge corners of Tapa Bistrot. There is also a vinyl record shop and a bar area featuring an imposing concrete counter with over 300 spirits and liqueurs, serving as a standout stage for international bartenders and mixologists. Suspended four metres off the ground, Moebius Sperimentale is a Michelin-starred restaurant that defies gravity: reached via an exposed black steel staircase, it offers diners the thrill of dining suspended in mid-air while savouring the inventive creations of chef Enrico Croatti.
Enrico Bartolini | Mudec
Via Tortona, 56, Milano
This restaurant is housed inside a striking building home to the museum of cultures, right in Milan’s definitive design quarter: Zona Tortona. That alone would earn it a place among the city’s top design restaurants. To top it off, Enrico Bartolini – Mudec holds three Michelin stars. The dining room on the museum’s top floor is intimate, uncluttered and serene, minimalist without ever feeling austere, built around warm, natural tones. Dark walls, parquet floors, crisp white linen and contemporary artwork—including paintings, photography, installations and bespoke design pieces—complete the setting. It all harmonises with the chef’s culinary philosophy, which delivers genuine masterpieces for the palate rooted in research and creative experimentation.
Horto
Via S. Protaso, 5
On the top floor of The Medelan, a central building dating from 1902, Horto is a restaurant with a green soul and aesthetic. Awarded a Michelin star and steered by multi-starred chef Norbert Niederkofler, a pioneer of ethical, sustainable food philosophy, the space reflects these values through organic, enveloping design in earthy shades of wood and clay, with soft shapes and huge floor-to-ceiling windows. The crowning glory is the rooftop overlooking the spires of the Duomo. On this roof garden high above central Milan, surrounded by wild herbs planted to foster biodiversity that evolve through the seasons, guests can linger for lunch, aperitivo or dinner, in an atmosphere that becomes truly magical as sunset colours flood the sky.
Torre
Via Lorenzini, 14
How could Torre ever be missing from a roundup of Milan’s finest design restaurants? Its setting inside Fondazione Prada alone cements this rooftop bar and restaurant as an essential architectural and visual landmark. Unveiled in 2018 and designed by starchitect Rem Koolhaas, the 60-metre-high tower houses an exhibition space alongside the bar and restaurant. The venue is worth the visit for the sweeping panorama alone, stretching across the developing neighbourhood around the foundation to take in the entire Milanese skyline. Both areas feature a striking contrast between expansive glass walls and the warm tones of parquet, wooden panelling and hemp-covered walls. At the bar, complete with a dramatic suspended bottle display, designer furnishings and masterpieces by Lucio Fontana, you can enjoy cocktails or a light dinner. The restaurant showcases original furnishings from New York’s 1958 Four Seasons Restaurant, an installation by Carsten Höller and paintings by William N. Copley, Jeff Koons and John Wesley.
Linfa da Visionnaire
Piazza Cavour, 3
A short walk from the Quadrilatero, within the former Cinema Cavour, now the Visionnaire Design Gallery, the visual impact is immediate: travertine surfaces, sculpted glass, mirrors and subtle light effects create an immersive environment, where contemporary lines and dramatic furnishings guide you to the table. In this setting sits Linfa da Visionnaire, a 100% vegan and gluten-free plant-based project, featuring dishes like cashew cacio e pepe, shiitake ragù and vegetable sushi, crafted for a refined, wholesome break even in the middle of Design Week’s bustle.
Da Vittorio Café Louis Vuitton
Via Montenapoleone, 2
In the courtyard of Palazzo Taverna, on Via Montenapoleone, Da Vittorio Café Louis Vuitton sits inside the French maison’s boutique. The thoughtfully designed space is inspired by a winter garden, filled with natural light, greenery and materials that nod to Lombard craftsmanship, with light seating and pale tones blending seamlessly with the surroundings. Here, the Da Vittorio family’s gourmet cooking follows an all-day formula, featuring dishes such as toast ai tre pomodori, club sandwich ‘Pont Neuf’, spaghetti con gamberi viola and desserts like the hazelnut entremets or Tiramisù.
Cucina Triennale
Triennale Milan | Viale Alemagna, 6
Rather than just showcasing design, Cucina Triennale sits right inside it. Inside Triennale Milan, on the park level overlooking the garden, the space follows the original structure designed by Giovanni Muzio, with three rooms in sequence, tables and chairs inspired by 1930s Triennale design, industrial timber floors and large windows opening onto the greenery, the portico and the fountain by Giorgio de Chirico. In this setting sits the menu created by T’a Milan, designed for any time of day from breakfast to dinner, featuring traditional dishes such as risotti, pappa col pomodoro and vitello tonnato alongside vegetarian and vegan options, plus an extensive wine list of Italian and French bottles.
UFO
Via Orobia, 26
Newly opened, UFO (Unconventional Form of Opportunities) is a hybrid space of over 1,500 sq m at Via Orobia 26, near Fondazione Prada, where the architecture defines the experience: exposed concrete, warm parquet and large round portholes running through the rooms, with accents of red, fuchsia and blue marking transitions while keeping everything open and interconnected. At its heart lies UFO Bistrot, open from aperitivo until late evening, designed as an informal meeting point where food and social life come together, with sharing dishes including polpette di pane, cavolfiori fritti, casoncelli, risotto and baccalà mantecato, alongside a lounge bar, music and a boules court that encourage socialising seamlessly.
Sushi Matsu Omakase
Via Alvise Cadamosto, 7
In the Porta Venezia area, Sushi Matsu Omakase presents a pared-back, measured space with cherry-blossom pink walls, light timber, rice-paper ceilings and diffused light, centred around the wooden counter as the focal point. The aesthetic reflects Japanese discipline and matches the precision of the kitchen, free of superfluous details. Here, the team led by Taka Matsu serves an unscripted omakase that changes nightly according to the catch and the season, featuring nigiri and small bites prepared on the spot and served one at a time, highlighting technical precision and quality ingredients.
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