Enjoy some southern cuisine: a few ideas for eating southern-style food in Milan

Milan – the cosmopolitan city of Milan – is also a city of regional cuisines. From long-established establishments to more recent openings, there are a number of places that bring the recipes, produce and culinary traditions of Southern Italy to the city. This is partly because so many workers from the South have moved to the city and want to rediscover the flavours of home, and partly because, let’s face it, everyone simply loves southern cuisine. The presence of ‘southern Italian restaurants’ in Milan therefore also reflects a shift in the way regional cuisine is perceived. Whilst in the past, a trattoria specialising in Apulian, Campanian or Sicilian cuisine might have been primarily a place for the community of origin, today these restaurants appeal to a much wider audience.

Regional cuisine has become part of the city’s everyday culinary offering. This transformation has also had an impact on the standard of the cuisine on offer. Alongside popular eateries and trattorias, restaurants have sprung up that bring southern Italian cuisine into the contemporary dining scene, maintaining a connection with the region whilst refining techniques, service, the wine list and presentation. After all, Milan doesn’t need to go to Bari, Naples or Palermo to experience these cuisines. You simply need to wander through some of its neighbourhoods to find orecchiette, broad beans and chicory, pasta alla Norma and recipes that tell stories of migration and family businesses. Here is a small selection from the many places where you can rediscover the flavours of Puglia, Campania, Sicily and Calabria.

A restaurant that celebrates Apulian tradition through cuisine centred on local produce and a gourmet approach: this is the restaurant run by two chefs Antonella Ricci and Vinod Sookar, renowned for having run the Michelin-starred restaurant Al forno da Ricci in Ceglie Messapica for many years, as well as for being familiar faces on television. A bistro celebrating local recipes has opened in Milan. The menu ranges from traditional southern Italian dishes to contemporary interpretations, whilst maintaining a strong connection to Puglia.

A decidedly down-to-earth Apulian cuisine, based on traditional dishes and the region’s typical produce. The menu features dishes inspired by home cooking in Apulia, as well as cheeses, cured meats and regional specialities. The aim is to bring a simple and recognisable Apulian culinary experience to Milan. The kitchen is run by Riccardo Gentile, originally from Galatina, and the menu is centred on a very recognisable Apulian cuisine, with a strong Salento influence.

A restaurant specialising in Apulian cuisine, with a strong focus on the famous pasta all’assassina, offering a menu that draws on traditional regional recipes and ingredients. The menu features Apulian specialities centred on pasta, vegetables, baked goods, and meat and fish dishes, taking diners on a culinary journey through different parts of the region.