The best pizzerias in Milan on our list sit mostly in Isola, Porta Venezia, Porta Romana, Brera and the Cinque Vie. Confine makes contemporary Neapolitan pies. Marghe works with long-fermented dough, and Crosta is a bakery that turns pizzaiolo at night. Dry Milano serves pizzette with cocktails, Piz has its cheerful queue, and Pizza Stella sells New York slices with natural wine.
The short list
6 places, in the order they appear below.
- 01ConfineSeasonal pies and fritti, booked aheadStyle: Contemporary NeapolitanIsola
- 02MargheA weeknight Margherita or seasonal pieStyle: Long-fermented doughPorta Romana
- 03CrostaEvening pizza plus a loaf to take homeStyle: Bakery and pizzeriaPorta Venezia
- 04Dry MilanoPizzette and a drink at the barStyle: Pizza with cocktailsBrera
- 05Pizza StellaLate slices with natural wineStyle: New York slicesVia Cadore
- 06PizA cheerful queue with proseccoStyle: Short Margherita menuCinque Vie
Where to eat contemporary Neapolitan pizza in Milan
For Neapolitan-style pizza made with care, we go to Confine in Isola. The dough rises slowly and the toppings come from named producers. Pies arrive at the table puffed and lightly charred. It’s a tiny room and a popular one, so book before you go.
Order the fritti while the pizza is in the oven, especially the frittatina. The kitchen takes its ingredients seriously.
Confine
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Fri 19:00–23:00 · Sat–Sun 12:00–15:00, 19:00–23:00
Address: Piazza Cardinal Massaia, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
Which Milan pizzerias are best for long-fermented dough
Marghe in Porta Romana and Crosta in Porta Venezia both treat the dough as the main event. Marghe made its name on long fermentation and good flour, and its bright, informal room fills with a young local crowd most nights. Crosta started with an obsession with bread: naturally leavened loaves during the day, long-risen, blistered pizza in the evening.
The Margherita at Marghe is the benchmark. Even so, order the pizza with fiordilatte and a seasonal vegetable instead of the classic. Go on a weeknight to avoid the wait.
Marghe
Hours: Mon–Thu 12:30–15:00, 19:30–23:30 · Fri–Sun 12:30–15:00, 19:30–00:00
Address: Via Plinio, 6, 20129 Milano MI, Italy
Crosta only serves pizza in the evening, and the small room fills quickly with people from the neighbourhood. Come early and you can pick up a loaf on the way out, before the bread sells through.
Crosta
Hours: Mon–Thu 08:00–23:00 · Fri–Sat 08:00–23:30 · Sun 08:00–23:00
Address: Via Felice Bellotti, 13, 20129 Milano MI, Italy
Where to eat pizza late at night in Milan
Dry Milano in Brera and Pizza Stella are the two places on our list built for later in the evening. Dry serves thin, well-risen pizza with cocktails from a proper bar team, and a Brera crowd keeps it busy late. Pizza Stella sells wide New York slices and natural wine by the glass. People tend to end their night there, not start it.
When Dry opened, serious drinks with pizza felt new in Milan. The idea still holds up. Regulars sit at the bar and order a cocktail with a couple of the small pizzette instead of a full pie. The pizze are simple and precise.
Dry Milano
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Sun 18:00–02:00
Address: Via Solferino, 33, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Pizza Stella does New York pizza in the literal sense. Thin rounds are sold by the slice on greased paper, folded in half and eaten standing once the tables are taken. Maurizio Tentella and Saro Pomo run it, and the wine comes from a bar they also own. There are no bookings and the place is full from the moment the shutter goes up, so come later, after the dinner rush. Regulars order the salamino.
Pizza Stella
Hours: Mon–Sun 12:00–15:00, 18:00–00:00
Address: Via Cadore, 48, 20135 Milano MI, Italy
Where to go for an easy-going pizza in Milan
Piz, in the Cinque Vie near Via Torino, runs on good humour. The room is cramped and cheerful. The menu is short, built around the Margherita, and the pizza is generous. There’s nearly always a queue outside, but the staff pour a free welcome glass of prosecco while you wait, often with a slice too. The line ends up as part of the evening.
Piz
Hours: Mon–Tue 12:00–15:00, 19:00–23:00 · Wed–Sun 12:00–23:00
Address: Via Torino, 34, 20123 Milano MI, Italy
How do Milan’s best pizzerias compare
Each of these pizzerias does one thing well, so pick according to the evening you have in mind. Crosta is for anyone who cares about bread. Dry Milano and Pizza Stella belong to the later hours, and Piz is the relaxed option. The table below sums it up.
Most of these places are at their best in the evening, so plan on one pizzeria a night instead of comparing several in a row. Confine needs a booking and Pizza Stella takes none. At Piz and Marghe, it pays to wait or to come on a weeknight. Check the card for opening days before you set out.
