The Milanese take a Campari standing at the counter of Camparino in the Galleria and carry their glass onto the pavement outside Cantine Isola in Chinatown. They fill the courtyard at Deus Café in Isola and queue for Nottingham Forest in Porta Venezia. Below are the ten bars we send friends to when the working day ends.
The short list
10 places, in the order they appear below.
- 1Camparino in GalleriaA Campari at the historic counterDuomo
- 2N'Ombra de VinWine by the glass in a vaulted cellarBrera
- 3Enoteca CottiTasting, then buying the bottleGaribaldi
- 4Cantine IsolaA standing glass on the pavementChinatown
- 5Renen WineBao with a Pinot NoirPorta Venezia
- 6Bar NormaleA michetta with salame and a glassNoLo
- 7RitaAperitivo plates that replace dinnerNavigli
- 8LacerbaA plated aperitivo in a Futurist roomPorta Romana
- 9Nottingham ForestTheatrical cocktailsPorta Venezia
- 10Deus CaféCourtyard drinks in warm weatherIsola
Where to have a classic aperitivo near the Duomo and Brera
For the historic version, go to Camparino in Galleria. It has served drinks under the mosaics of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele since 1915 and has been tied to Campari from the start. In Brera, N’Ombra de Vin fills the vaulted cellar of a former refectory with wine. Over in Garibaldi, Enoteca Cotti keeps its century-old shop front and a small tasting bar.
At Camparino, order a Campari standing at the ground floor counter, as people here always have.
Camparino in Galleria
Hours: Mon–Fri 09:30–00:00 · Sat 10:00–00:00 · Sun 09:30–21:00
Address: P.za del Duomo, 21, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
At N’Ombra de Vin, bottles line the old stone of a former Augustinian refectory. Head for the cellar below street level. The staff pour well beyond the printed by-the-glass list, so tell them what you like and let them open something. A few small plates will carry the evening.
N'Ombra de Vin
Hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–00:30 · Thu–Sat 10:00–01:30 · Sun 18:00–00:30
Address: Via S. Marco, 2, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Enoteca Cotti is a wine merchant first and a bar second, so you can taste a glass at the counter and leave with the bottle. The staff know the Italian regions in detail and will point you to small growers you won’t see in supermarkets.
Enoteca Cotti
Hours: Mon–Fri 10:00–01:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–02:00
Address: Via Solferino, 42, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Where do the Milanese drink wine after work?
The range runs from nineteenth century counters to rooms that opened within the last year. Cantine Isola, in the Sarpi quarter, has poured by the glass since 1896. Near Porta Venezia, Renen Wine fills with wine people as the evening begins. Bar Normale in NoLo keeps it simple: a glass and a filled michetta.
At Cantine Isola the walls are stacked to the ceiling with bottles and there is barely room to sit, so regulars take their glass out to the pavement. The usual order is a Franciacorta or a Barbera by the glass with a plate of cheese.
Cantine Isola
Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–22:00
Address: Via Paolo Sarpi, 30, 20154 Milano MI, Italy
Jessica trained as a sommelier for ten years before opening Renen in December 2025 on a quiet pedestrian largo. The cellar holds more than 300 labels, including a short Chinese selection. She built the room around one pairing: braised pork bao, steamed in house, with a Pinot Noir. Before eight on a weeknight, the tables on the square are usually free.
Renen Wine
Hours: Mon–Thu 17:00–23:00 · Fri–Sat 17:00–00:00 · Sun closed
Address: Largo Fra Paolo Bellintani, 2, 20124 Milano MI, Italy
Roberta Viale and Vincenzo Todaro opened this small wine room with an open kitchen in the summer of 2026. The list leans on small Italian and European growers. Everyone orders a michetta from Panificio Danelli, filled with salame Milano, mortadella or coppa. Come on a weeknight if you want to hear the person across the table.
Bar Normale
Hours: Mon 18:00–00:00 · Tue closed · Wed–Sun 18:00–00:00
Address: Via Giulio e Corrado Venini, 71, 20127 Milano MI, Italy
Which aperitivo bars serve enough food to skip dinner?
A few bars put out enough food that regulars treat aperitivo as their evening meal. Rita, on the Navigli, sends taglieri and tapas out of its kitchen. Lacerba in Porta Romana brings a proper plate with your drink and has a full menu ready if the evening runs on.
Rita helped raise the standard of drinking along the Navigli. Today it is a neighbourhood fixture with a loyal early evening crowd.
Rita
Hours: Mon–Thu 17:30–01:00 · Fri–Sat 17:30–02:00 · Sun closed
Address: Via Angelo Fumagalli, 1, 20143 Milano MI, Italy
Period Futurist art covers Lacerba’s walls, and the menu nods to the movement’s taste for provocation. The aperitivo comes plated, not as a buffet.
Lacerba
Hours: Mon 18:00–00:30 · Tue–Thu 12:00–14:30, 18:00–00:30 · Fri 12:00–14:30, 18:00–01:30 · Sat 18:00–01:30 · Sun closed
Address: Via Orti, 4, 20122 Milano MI, Italy
Where to go for cocktails in Porta Venezia and Isola
For cocktails we send friends to two places: Nottingham Forest in Porta Venezia and Deus Café in Isola. Nottingham Forest has a cult following for theatrical drinks, served with smoke, foams and elaborate garnishes. Deus Café draws its aperitivo crowd in among hanging motorcycles and surfboards.
Dario Comini’s small bar has around a hundred drinks on the menu and takes no reservations, so the queue outside is part of the evening. Arrive when the doors open. Rather than working through the list, let the bartender choose for you.
Nottingham Forest
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sat 18:30–02:00 · Sun 18:00–01:00
Address: Viale Piave, 1, 20129 Milano MI, Italy
The café belongs to Deus ex Machina, the motorcycle and surf brand, and moves from coffee to cocktails as the day goes on. In warm weather the courtyard fills from early evening. Some evenings bring live music or events, so check the programme first.
Deus Café
Hours: Mon 17:00–01:00 · Tue–Thu 15:00–01:00 · Fri 15:00–02:00 · Sat 09:30–02:00 · Sun 09:30–01:00
Address: V. Genova Thaon di Revel, 3, 20159 Milano MI, Italy
Which aperitivo bar suits which evening?
Pick by mood, not distance. History and a standing Campari mean Camparino, in the centre. If you want a glass of wine and conversation, try the enoteche in Chinatown, NoLo, Brera and near Porta Venezia. When the food needs to become dinner, go to the Navigli or Porta Romana. Porta Venezia and Isola are where to head for a showier cocktail.
Plan one or two bars in the same part of town rather than a crawl across the city. Check each card for opening days before you set out: some close on Sundays, others on Mondays or Tuesdays.
