The restaurants to try in November in Milan
Dusk falls at five, mist drifts back over the Navigli, and the appeal of a warm, welcoming table grows with every evening.
In November, Milan shifts its rhythm: the sun dips just after 5pm, terraces pack away their cushions and city life moves indoors, gathered round a table with coats draped over chairbacks. November brings dinners that start early and linger late, tables booked on Tuesday for Friday, and dishes that call for an extra crust of bread. We have rounded up the restaurants to try in November in Milan: ten addresses, spanning fresh openings, historic names and an announced farewell, to fill your diary until the December lights go on.
Horto
Via San Protaso 5
On the sixth floor of The Medelan, overlooking piazza Cordusio, Horto heads into autumn with a date circled in red: Norbert Niederkofler, Head of Culinary Strategy, leaves the project on 31 December. November is therefore one of the last two months under his signature. The kitchen, led by resident chef Alessandro Pinton, follows the L’Ora Etica philosophy, sourcing produce within roughly an hour’s travel, and serves Fettucce, lepre, porcini e timo on the tasting menu of the same name—bringing woodland and game together in a single mouthful. With the terrace closed until May, dinner is in the dining room against the floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the Duomo. Looking for an excuse? Here it is.
Terrazza Palestro
Via Palestro 2
Terrazza Palestro, marking 50 years in 2025, sits on the fourth floor of the Centro Svizzero, with the Giardini Indro Montanelli below the windows, a covered terrace and traditional Italian cooking overseen by consultant Stefano Mocellin, chef of Al Padovanino in Padua. The four-course Signature Menu (€70, for the whole table) features ‘Pasta in bianco’, pappardelle ai 40 tuorli with a white vermouth reduction, Occelli butter and 36-month Parmigiano, ideal for an early dark evening. Ordering the tortelloni di ricotta di capra, the charity dish on the menu, donates €2 to Azione contro la Fame. Take note of two dates, the evenings of 2 and 11 November: the restaurant is closed for private events.
Il Christina
Corso Garibaldi 104
Il Christina opened on 17 September along corso Garibaldi, in the Moscova district. Inspired by Christina O, Aristotle Onassis’s yacht, set designer Edoardo Di Iorio has translated the theme into portholes on the walls, murals detailing the vessel’s story, rich woodwork and low lighting. Entrepreneur Pina Troiano is the owner, Giada Bianchi heads the kitchen, and the menu revolves almost entirely around seafood, both raw and cooked. For a November evening, go for the tagliolini freschi con astice, datterini tomatoes and basil, bringing a touch of summer back to the table when it is freezing outside. Dinner runs from 6pm to midnight, and downstairs La Stiva is on the way, a dedicated cocktail lounge that will offer another good reason to return.
Indochine Milano
Via dei Giardini 2
In via dei Giardini, on the first floor with a dedicated entrance, Indochine Milano is the first Italian outpost of the venue opened in New York in 1984 on Lafayette Street, launched here in September in partnership with Armani. It serves French-Vietnamese cooking, for dinner only. On the walls are banana leaves, with plenty of flowers in the dining room, and in November all this greenery almost makes you forget the grey skies of Brera. When the chill sets in, order the Amok cambogiano, with sea bass and coconut milk, cabbage and kaffir lime leaves, a comforting bowl for foggy evenings. To finish, the five-spice rum cake with roasted pineapple and cinnamon ice cream already hints at December.
Casa El Carnicero
Viale Bianca Maria 8
On viale Bianca Maria, towards piazza Cinque Giornate, the grill at Casa El Carnicero caters to garden produce too: the menu lists Zapallo y Batata en Josper, pumpkin and sweet potato roasted in the Josper oven, a side dish worthy of centre stage in November, perhaps alongside the 45-day dry-aged Rubia Gallega. This is the third Milan address from the El Carnicero group, founded in 2013 with Argentine-inspired meat cookery, occupying an early 20th-century Liberty townhouse across four storeys down to a private dining cellar. Right by the entrance, a fish counter offers alternatives for diners wanting variety. Dinner is served from Tuesday to Sunday, from 7pm to 1am: among the restaurants to try in November, it is the top choice for late nights with friends.
Circolo Canottieri Milano
Alzaia Naviglio Grande 160
Along the Alzaia Naviglio Grande, inside the Società Canottieri Milano founded in 1890 (home to the 50-metre Olympic swimming pool), sits a restaurant and cocktail bar open to non-members. In the main room, wooden canoes hang from the ceiling, while colder days call for a move into the glass-enclosed winter garden. The menu includes pizza, well suited to a business lunch and a great reason to leave the desk and head down to the towpath even on short winter days. When mist gathers over the canal and reflections on the opposite bank soften, the table by the glass is the one to request.
IZU
Corso Lodi 27
Between Porta Romana and piazzale Lodi, at corso Lodi 27, the Hu family has been at work since 1993, starting out as a takeaway deli; today Jin Yue Hu, second-generation owner and chef, leads IZU, named after the Japanese Izu Peninsula and serving contemporary Japanese dishes featured in the Michelin Guide selection. The dining room blends natural American wood, white Carrara marble and a ceiling studded with 1,250 points of light. In these weeks, try the new Omakase ‘secondo Jin’ (€120), showcasing courses such as Fungo e Amaebi: seared red prawn, king oyster mushrooms and potato foam, a dish that captures the autumn season.
Wicky’s
Corso Italia 6
Born in Sri Lanka and trained in Japan, Wicky Priyan is chef and founder of Wicky’s Innovative Japanese Cuisine on corso Italia, near Missori, where Japanese tradition meets Mediterranean ingredients, featured in the Michelin Guide selection. Those who enjoy watching culinary craft up close should ask for a seat at the sushi counter, beside the open kitchen, while the second dining room looks out onto corso Italia. The signature dish to note is Carpaccio 5 Continenti, dressed with the chef’s sauce created through Ayurvedic techniques using citrus, herbs and spices; in November, as citrus fruits return to market stalls, the timing is spot on. Choose between tasting menus of six to 11 courses or dine à la carte.
Il Mosto Selvatico
Via Cesare da Sesto 13
On via Cesare da Sesto, between Sant’Agostino and Porta Genova, Il Mosto Selvatico traces its roots back to a trattoria opened in 1967 and today sees Apulian chef-patron Nicola Colella in the kitchen. The menu focuses mainly on seafood, highlighting Colella’s Apulian origins alongside ingredients sourced from Slow Food Presidia. There are four rooms—Sala Grande, Sala Cucina, Sala Vini and Sala Cavalli—and changing rooms from one visit to the next is reason enough to return. The dish to order is an enduring classic that warms November evenings: spaghetti alle vongole veraci with bottarga di Orbetello, bringing coastal flavours to anyone already missing August.
Ta Hua
Via Gustavo Fara 15
We conclude between Stazione Centrale and Gioia on via Gustavo Fara, where since 1979 Ta Hua, meaning ‘Great China’, has served Hong Kong-style cuisine: founded by Mr Shou and his wife Sucin, both from Hong Kong, it is run today by their children. The dim sum are handmade daily, filled with meat, fish, shellfish and vegetables, alongside gamberi con zenzero e asparagi, placed in the centre of the table for chopsticks to cross. A gluten-free menu is also available, and the doors are open every day for lunch and dinner, Sundays included: nearly 50 years of Cantonese cuisine to round off the restaurants to try in November with food made for sharing.
