In Milan, there’s no sea, but there is the best fish in Italy.** This saying holds true, thanks to the quality of the seafood available at the Mercato Ittico di via Lombroso (Lombroso Street Fish Market), the largest in the country for volume and sales. Consequently, there are numerous places to enjoy memorable meals of both raw and cooked fish, catering to all tastes: from sophisticated spots loved by celebrities to casual taverns, street food from various regional traditions to classic, often Sardinian, establishments, and even the increasingly popular fish shop with kitchen format. Here are some well-known and lesser-known addresses to consider for a seafood lunch, dinner, or snack in Milan.
Where to eat fish in Milan
Baja Sardinia
It’s not an intimate or particularly sophisticated place, but the substance—quality and cooking—doesn’t disappoint even the most demanding. As the name suggests, the menu has an island theme. Expect macarrones de Busa with swordfish, bottarga and cherry tomatoes, fregula with seafood, spaghetti with bottarga or clams, alongside classic offerings from raw seafood, tartare, and carpaccio to sea bass in salt and lobster Catalan style. The menu often changes, with a wide range of prices.
Baja Sardinia - via Tagliamento 11, (ang. via Don Bosco) - 02 5695314 - Facebook
Delfino
Located in the Città Studi area, this is a reliable spot with comfortable and functional spaces, also suitable for business lunches. The classic menu is straightforward: fresh fish in many variations, without flights of fancy but with solid preparation. Among the many starters are octopus and potatoes, seafood salad, and mussel soup. Followed by Delfino paccheri, spaghetti with seafood, and mixed grill. To finish, seada. Wines that complement the offering.
Delfino - v.le Gran Sasso, 26 - 02 2665427 - ristoranteildelfinomilano.it
Forte Restaurant
Located inside the Avani Palazzo Moscova Milan, it follows the successful Forte dei Marmi in Miami. The venue is very "precious," perhaps a bit dark but meticulously detailed: a fresh fish counter, large cases for the cocktail bar, walls with hand-painted scenic art, ship's wheels and fishing nets, soft lighting, and plenty of wood. The menu is straightforward, almost entirely seafood, with many specials based on the fish counter (just like in the ’70s) and correctly prepared dishes. Extensive (and very classic) wine list.
Forte Restaurant - v.le Monte Grappa, 12b - 02 94767782 - forterestaurants.com
Langosteria
An exemplary business story before being one of the most talked-about seafood restaurants in the city. For years, Enrico Buonocore, patron of a chain with other branches in St. Moritz, Paris, and Paraggi in Liguria, besides two semi-twins in Milan, knows how to pamper customers from start to finish. It boasts a secure cuisine that relies on the best fish on the market. The pride lies in the shellfish and raw fish in general, but the offering is broad, including vegetarian options and delicious cooked dishes like the Chateaubriand of fish with mashed potatoes. Extensive and vibrant wine cellar, excellent by the glass selection, plenty of Champagnes, and spirits. Private evenings and bespoke dinners in delivery are possible.
Forte Restaurant - v.le Monte Grappa, 12b - 02 94767782 - forterestaurants.com
Levino Milano
The Levino family brought Abruzzese seafood cuisine to Milan: no arrosticini, no meat in general. Success was not long in coming. Alongside tartare, the catch of the day, and mixed fried fish, more elaborate dishes stand out, such as fava bean velouté, steamed squid julienne, salted ricotta, and aromatic crumble, and linguine with clams and asparagus with a hint of lemon. The environment is elegant, and the wine list is up to the task.
Levino Milano - via P. Custodi, 4 - 02 49448281 - Facebook
Mieru Mieru
The Valentini family, true Tarantines, prepare a menu of typical Apulian dishes according to availability, where raw fish has a significant role (in perfect harmony with their southern traditions). Located on the Navigli, the place has outdoor tables, and the offering, with a minimal dose of research, ranges from cozz’arracanate, chitarrine alla tarantina with three tomato sauce and shelled mussels, to purpu alla pignata with croutons or on fava bean puree. For dessert, among others, the rfizzula, a frisella with bitter cocoa and walnuts. Also available in half portions.
Mieru Mieru - via Magolfa, 14 - 02 89406320 - mierumieru.it
Pescaria
This place, a format born in Polignano a Mare in Puglia and now widespread in several locations across Italy, deserves its success. The creator of all the sandwiches, Lucio Mele, has returned to Manfredonia, but the idea of putting the sea in a sandwich—ranked second among the best in the world by Time Out—proved immediately successful, thanks to the quality and goodness of the offering. The menu is varied and intriguing. Another location is at Via Andrea Solari 12.
Pescaria - via N. Bonnet, 5 - 02 6599322 -pescaria.it
Bistrot Pedol
The name comes from the historic fish shop, in operation for over ninety years and now evolved thanks to entrepreneur Ugo Cosentino and the collaboration with chef Franck Businelli. Products come from the parent company, so there’s no debate on freshness and quality. Here at the Mercato Centrale, there's a curated space with a well-stocked counter, where fish is displayed—according to availability and season—to be prepared as desired, from gastronomic dishes to raw. For eating on-site, takeaway, or delivery. Frequent themed evenings.
Bistrot Pedol - Mercato Centrale Milano - via G. B. Sammartini, 2 ang. p.zza IV Novembre - 389 6453426 - mercatocentrale.it
Polpo
The new opening last year by the duo Viviana Varese (now at Passalacqua on Lake Como and in Milan at the "rebel" Faak) and Ritu Dalmia was conceived as "a lively bar-trattoria, open for both aperitivo and dinner." Fish dominates the rich menu (about fifty items, including vegetarian ones), simple and tasty, Mediterranean, with a large section of raw dishes. There’s also a tapas menu to accompany the good wine list instead of dinner. The atmosphere is very pleasant, characterized by an '80s blue in the dining room and outdoor area.
Polpo - via Melzo, 9 - 02 84572974 - polpopesce.it
A' Riccione
The Abruzzese brothers Beppe and Dante Di Paolo saved a "fish restaurant" from the '60s and '70s, creating a bistro and setting up the top two floors of the Brian & Barry Building into a chic terrace. The menu remains faithful through the years, in the name of simplicity and great raw material: raw seafood and oysters, homemade pasta with seafood sauces, excellent fried dishes, and sizeable fish in classic recipes. Now, besides the flagship, the Bistrot with fish market in Via Procaccini, and the terrace mentioned above, there’s the first seaside branch in Santa Margherita Ligure for the 2024 season.
A' Riccione - via T. Taramelli, 70 - 02 683807 - ariccionemilano.it
La Risacca 6
In vogue for over forty years and loved by a loyal clientele, as well as business and jet set personalities, it owes its deserved fame to an elegant environment and a classic, valid seafood offering: raw, grilled, and fried dishes, adapted to the season and availability of raw material. Don’t miss the carpaccio and tartare, as well as the delicious octopus and potatoes. Suitable wines.
La Risacca 6 - via Marcona, 6 - 02 55181658 - osterialarisacca6.it
Premiata Pescheria Spadari
With 90 years of activity, Spadari is a historic address in the center. It may be long-lived, but it keeps pace with customer demands, offering top-level dining alongside being a fish market, thanks to always fresh and top-quality raw material. For dinner, there’s a respectable menu with the house’s signature dishes, daily specials, and a nice wine selection. Very convenient home delivery.
La Risacca 6 - via Marcona, 6 - 02 55181658 - osterialarisacca6.it
Tunas Milano
Fish shop, bistro, gastronomy: a great project focused on sustainability and zero waste (unsold products are donated to charity) born from the idea of three friends with a deep passion for the sea. You can buy fresh seafood, order prepared dishes for home delivery, and eat on-site: mussel soup, seafood salad, fisherman’s tagliatelle, gluten-free fried fish, and of course, platters of raw seafood, tartare, and carpaccio. Suitable wines.
Tunas Milano - via G. Fiamma, 6 - 02 23183769/324 7432165 - tunasmilano.it
Osteria da Zio Nini
Close tables, noisy atmosphere, painted walls, hanging fishing nets, and a fish counter at the entrance. Nini is a tavern/fish fry shop with a cardboard menu and paper placemats, ideal if you’re not concerned with formality but aim for substance. Among the raw seafood are sea urchins, scampi, prawns, mussels, oysters, fasolari, scallops, then orecchiette with turnip tops, mussels and clams, chitarra alla fantasia dello zio, mixed fried fish, all in very generous portions and at popular prices.
Cover Photo: Premiata Pescheria Spadari
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