A chef’s guide to the best restaurants in Milan

Trippa is first on Chef Guida’s list, and one he visits at least once a month. It’s a bistro run by chef Diego Rossi – an alumnus of a number of Italy's most illustrious restaurants, including Trento's Locanda Margon and Delle Antiche Contrade in Cuneo – who “decided to take a step back and reconnect with the roots of Italian cuisine: the simple, homemade, traditional flavour”, Chef Guida explains. “He has produced a really high-level bistro offering simple choices served well.” He continues, “The tagliatelle al ragù is one of the most traditional Italian dishes, but one of the best I have ever had, thanks to the great ingredients and Diego’s technique.”

“Spaghetti with green onions,” says Chef Guida of the plate to try at his next favourite, “It’s a dish that made the history of Italian cuisine, since 1965, when it was created by Aimo Moroni, founder and former chef of the restaurant Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, and where it’s still served”. Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia is something of a pillar of the Milanese foodie scene. Its young chefs Fabio Pisani and Alessandro Negrini are continuing the restaurant’s traditions, offering updated but still respectful twists on classic local food. “It is a symbol of the Italian gastronomic tradition, proud of its origins, simple but elegant,” says Chef Guida.

Beyond the new kids on the block, there are the traditional favourites, and none better than the Trattoria del Nuovo Macello, insists Chef Guida – it’s a 15-minute cab ride from the centre of town but “well worth it”. It’s a traditional family restaurant, but with a young and talented chef. “If people come to me and ask where they can get the best ‘cotoletta alla Milanese’ (veal Milanese), I send them here, it’s the perfect blend between prime ingredients, traditional recipe and masterful technique,” says Chef Guida. The restaurant also does Milanese classics such as risotto and cassoeula – a pork dish with savoy cabbage. “Very often, when I go there, I find other chefs are there, too – and they know what’s good!”

Although Chef Guida is far too humble to mention it on the list, he explains a bit more about his own restaurant. “Seta is by now (and thanks to our amazing guests) one of the unmissable stops in Milan. We try to make it a blend of classical Italian cuisine reinvented with prime ingredients and culinary techniques inspired by French high cuisine.” He adds, “As far as I know, it’s also one of the few gourmet restaurants where you can dine alfresco, with views of our busy kitchen. Or, even better, dine in the kitchen itself, a few metres from the stove, on the Chef’s Table. It’s my favourite spot and the one I sit at most of the time to taste new dishes or just relax with a coffee or a glass of wine after the service.”