10 of Milan’s Best Aperitivo Spots

Aside from Milan’s endless shopping & beautiful architecture comes one of its most typical experience: food and drinks before dinner time at low cost

5 min readMay 22, 2017

Originated in Milan, this array of savory snacks & refreshing cocktails has kept the city happy for years. From Navigli to the Duomo, the city is lined with restaurants awaiting your hungry arrival.

In Navigli, one of Milan’s hot spots is home to a plentiful of lively aperitivos lining the canal. Start at the top of the canal and you will stumble upon “Spritz” which also reigns as Italy’s favorite “happy hour” drink. Here you can find outdoor seating as well as a larger buffet style aperitivo. The aperitivo costs 11 euro with your choice of fruity cocktails, classic wines, or beer. The Spritz buffet has a gracious choice of food such as pasta, salad, meats, & dessert. Stroll down the canal a few more minutes & you’ll stumble upon another hot spot “Manhattan”. Here you can have your pick of buffet style food and aesthetically pleasing drinks. Along the same street is another buffet style aperitivo in Navigli called Vintage. Vintage is smaller than most so most of the seating is outside where you can catch the sunset while sipping on a mojito. Aperitivo at Vintage is smaller than others, but still holds a good selection of food, what you are really going for is their book of cocktails. The menu is divided by “strong, stronger, strongest” in order for customers to find their perfect drink. Depending how hungry one is, another fabulous spot for aperitivo ‘buffet style’ is La Ringhiera which is also conveniently located in Navigli. La Ringhiera has one of the largest aperitivos providing plenty of options for even the pickiest eaters. There is a large area for outside seating if the weather attends to it. Once finished eating your first (or fourth) plate, you can grab a board game inside from their collection to spice up the night.

Although aperitivo was originally created to be a pre-dinner meal in Italy, students and young adults have turned it into a cheap way to eat dinner and drink at the same time. If you’re looking to stay along the traditional route, you can head over to Mag Cafe in Navigli as well. The vibe of this restaurant comes together with their chic decor and suburb drinks. Aperitivo at Mag consists of cheese and meat plates. Their aperitivo is more about the drink and social hour than it is about scarfing back as many slices of pizza as possible. Considering that traditional Italian meals include a primo and secondo. it is not unusual to only want a small appetizer before your meal to start up your appetite. At Smooth Bar you can do just that. This hip spot will satisfy all your pre-dinner wants including ordering appetizers with your drink! This is a great place to head if you’re not in the mood to eat a full meal before dinner. The drinks at Smooth Bar are dressed and garnished with fruit to make them not only appealing to the stomach but to the eye as well.

Another popular spot to grab aperitivo with a view is by the Arco Della Pace. With a stunning view of the arch in the background the street is overflowing with lively restaurants holding aperitivo.. Start at the top of the street and you’ll stumble upon Bhangra Bar. This large aperitivo has outside and inside seating as well as two different rooms of which you can grab aperitivo from. Here you can find more dinner meats such as fresh chicken, pasta, bruschetta, and of course dessert. For a more intimate experience, Amami is another restaurant just a couple blocks up from Bhangra Bar. Here the vibe is more sophisticated with romantic lighting and complex drinks. If you’re looking to enjoy your social hour with a larger group Amami is the perfect place for the seating can accommodate larger parties.

Being that the Duomo is Milan’s most popular attraction, the surrounding area has a wealth of aperitivos as well. If you can’t get enough of the beauty head over to Terrazza Aperol where you can enjoy the view with a cocktail in hand. Terrazza Aperol is more pricey than most with no buffet included, but throwing a few extra euro for the outlook and upper shelf alcohol just might be worth it. If you’re fascinated by the idea of aperitivo, Campari, located inside the Galleria is Milan’s original aperirtif spot. The history and future of aperitivo began in this very restaurant. Here you can enjoy a classic cocktail with potato chips and olives with the glorious view of the Galleria.