Eighteen "lifesaver" Chinese trattorias in Milan

The neighborhood Chinese restaurant is the primary level of metropolitan dining, a pasta with tuna that has made it. It's the meal for those away from home who want to socialize, a popular cuisine founded on monosodium glutamate, low prices, and the significant detail that in a city where opening hours are punitive and reservations are a trap, in a respected Chinese restaurant, no one will ever kick you out, and a table for you will always be found, at any time (or almost). In short, the Chinese, as we mean it here, plays a fundamental role as a social cushion, and never mind if when you go to China, you discover that this cuisine is just an Italianized version of the Dragon's. But what the heck: spring rolls and Cantonese rice have fed at least a couple of generations of students, unemployed, underemployed, large families, good eaters, especially in a gastronomically lavish city like Milan, where as soon as you sit down, the meter starts running with the hateful cover/service charge. But since "popular" doesn't necessarily mean poor quality, here are our favorite "lifesaver" Chinese restaurants in Lombardy's capital.

Wang Jiao's four locations

Let's start with Wang Jiao, four locations, one at via Felice Casati 7, the others at viale Col di Lana 14, via Lomazzo 16, via Padova 3, to make everyone happy, no matter where you live. Spartan venues, simple menus, traditional dishes of Sino-Italian cuisine but with good ingredients, the main attraction being the fearsome "fire bowl" kept warm through a small burner lit directly on the table. Crowded but that's the case for almost all the places we're talking about.

Chinatown/1

Then, let's make a long stop in Chinatown, a neighborhood delegated to represent Asian cuisine in Milan and, despite gentrification, still offers some popular and low-cost establishments. Let's start with Hua Cheng, at via Giordano Bruno 13, a restaurant with paper lanterns and pop calendars as its only showcase, always packed – no reservations, but sooner or later, you'll get a seat, maybe to share, but we won't fuss about that in this article, will we? – offering simple dishes with basic plating, all substance and little form. But the sweet and sour pork, fresh pasta, and sautéed vegetables are genuinely good.

Chinatown/2

Let's stay in the area at Jin Yong, via Paolo Sarpi 2, a restaurant serving simple but substantial Cantonese cuisine – noteworthy are the meatballs and all the soups – and places a strong emphasis on the friendliness of the staff. Who said that the Chinese are reserved? Furthermore, at via Paolo Sarpi 25, there's Bokok, a slightly more elegant Chinese restaurant compared to the ones we've mentioned, known for tasty, well-prepared dumplings.

And speaking of dumplings and Chinatown, the iconic Ravioleria Sarpi is by now in via Paolo Sarpi 27, the first example of a fusion between Chinese tradition and Italian ingredients. A place that needs no introduction: a small spot with a counter, you queue, choose, collect, and perch on a stool or if you're lucky, a bench – beef, pork, or vegetarian dumplings with an unbeatable, chewy pasta made by a sort of Chinese "pasta maker." Still in Chinatown: on via Lomazzo, at number 14, there's Houjue, specializing in Rui'an street cuisine, in the Zhejiang province: try the various types of skewers, some made from offal, or the dumplings cooked on a hot plate and the clay pots, dishes served in typical Hong Kong terracotta. Finally, at via Rosmini 1, a classic place where an Italian might hesitate to enter but which offers magnificently basic yet authentic dishes, from skewers to fondue, shrimp croquettes to pork ribs.

NoLo

Another multicultural area in Milan is via Padova, the dark side of NoLo. Here, you'll find numerous decidedly "raw" places, like Baiwei, at number 90, a place so frequented by Chinese that an Italian feels proudly uncomfortable, especially when someone starts smoking inside at a certain hour. But the cuisine is genuinely authentic Chinese, even featuring some rather extreme ingredients. No time-wasters. Also, on via Padova, at number 84, there's Zaoyidian, offering typical cuisine with a creative touch that's quite pleasing. Here, you can also try the typical Chinese breakfast, a succession of small savory dishes, which are also the specialty of Mare d'Oro at via Morazzone, number 10 (and we're back in Chinatown), where Italian is hardly spoken, and we're talking about the language.

Piazzale Loreto

From NoLo to Piazzale Loreto is a moment, and here, you'll find classic, popular Chinese restaurants, which we include in this list with some hesitation because they became a bit too trendy at a certain point in their lives. We're talking about Mao Hunan, at via Porpora 5, with its comic-communist aesthetic and colorful and often very spicy dishes from the southern region of China. Its spin-off is Maoji, in the nearby Piazza Aspromonte at number 43, with its decor resembling a dodgy alley in Beijing (or Shanghai, who knows); here, the specialties are street dishes like buns, dumplings, and meatballs. A bit hipster, but you can turn a blind eye and open your mouth. And then, just behind there, on viale Monza, there's Le Nove Scodelle, perhaps slightly above average, but with clean aesthetics and colorful, spicy dishes from Sichuan, like the magnificent Gongbao Chicken and perhaps Milan's best handmade Chinese noodles.

The rest of the city/1

Then there are excellent Chinese trattorias scattered throughout Milan. Like Lon Fon on via Lazzaretto 10, perhaps the most classic "Chinese" in Milan, familiar and with an extensive menu, specializing in Cantonese cuisine, the heartthrob of non-adventurers. Then, in Dergano, at via Pellegrino Rossi 28, there's the adorable Jin Yun Fang, a restaurant with the television always on and with a delightful lady self-named Anna, who speaks chaotic and creative Italian but is irresistibly charming. The cuisine here is Szechuan; my must-try dishes are the Xiao Mian with pork, the Long Chao Shou, and the braised eggplants. Then we move to via Ravizza, De Angeli area: here, you'll find Yu Zhou, a neighborhood classic: dishes with fresh ingredients (always choose from the constantly changing seasonal menu), great courtesy, and the characteristic of always being open, at all hours and every day. Truly a lifesaver in a somewhat bourgeois neighborhood.

The rest of the city/2

Finally, a mention for Impressione Chongqing at via Sammartini 19, offering hardcore dishes like boiled pig's ear in spicy sauce and sautéed intestines (or kidneys). For Ta Hua, at via Gustavo Fara 15, between Repubblica and Centrale, which serves Hong Kong cuisine, specializing in dim sum but also in crusty Turbot with vegetables. Finally, for my latest discovery (my fault), Lu Pechino's dumplings at viale Brianza 15: an extremely Spartan place, concise menu, several varieties of dumplings – veal, pork, vegetable – prepared on display at the entrance and take a bit of time to be served in case of crowds (which happens often), but this, as we know, is a guarantee of quality.

By Andrea Cuomo