Out-of-home trends

Restaurant meat never goes out of fashion, between new openings and historic venues

Faced with stable household consumption and the growth of flexitarian lifestyles, customers are looking for innovative and quality proposals

by Camilla Rocca

6 June 2025

6' min read

Key points

The restaurateur now knows how to tell about meat
New restaurant openings for carnivores...
... and the historic venues that don't fade away

6' min read

Open grilling, counters reminiscent of the old neighbourhood butcher's shops, but also more elegant and sophisticated settings, evocative names: this is the triumph of meat. In large Italian cities, but also in provincial towns, more and more restaurants are opening dedicated exclusively to barbecued meat, to smoked pastrami, to brisket cooked at low temperature for hours, from tartare to tomahawk, from fiorentina steak to picanha. Not just burgers or American-style steakhouses, then, but places where meat culture becomes the protagonist, in all its declinations.

The restaurateur now knows how to tell about meat

A new trend, or at least the discovery of a different way of approaching meat, in a context of calls to reduce its consumption, both for health reasons (such as flexitarian diets) and environmental reasons. Even if per capita meat consumption in Italy has remained stable over the last five years - around 78-80 kilos per year, of which 18-20 are beef - interest in the quality product is growing.

"Today, the customer is looking for an experience," explains Giuseppe Rocchi, sales director of Tönnies Fleisch Italia srl, the Italian branch of the German meat giant. Even at the restaurant the customer wants to know where the meat comes from, how the animal was raised, what kind of maturation it underwent. The quality of meat, in fact, depends on numerous factors. One of the most decisive is the breeding: feeding and freedom of movement of the animal can significantly influence the sensory perception of the finished product. A bovine fed on maize, for example, develops softer musculature and a sweeter flavour. But the next stage is also crucial: cutting, storage and cooking have a profound effect on colour, tenderness, aroma and juiciness. In this context, the role of the restaurateur is almost that of a sommelier: telling the story of the meat, guiding the tasting, enhancing its nuances'.

Meanwhile, between a dry-aged rib-eye steak and a selection of Wagyu breeds served with a gourmet side dish, meat-themed restaurants continue to multiply. A sign that, even in pasta country, meat is back in the limelight. But this time, more than a trend, it seems to be a conscious return: less quantity, more quality..

New restaurant openings for carnivores...

Anticipation is high for the opening of Salt Bae in Milan's Casa Brera: the Turkish butcher who became famous for his salting of meat brings Nusr-Et to Milan, after a global empire with more than 30 restaurants in New York, Dubai and London. The menu is synonymous with luxury, with iconic dishes such as the Gold-covered Tomahawk. Will Milan like the hand (or rather the touch) of Nusret Gökçe?

Salt Bae aprirà a Milano il suo Nusr-Et

In Milan, a few steps from Porta Garibaldi, Carnissage has opened, the first restaurant of the group of the same name founded by Martino Uzzauto. A gastronomic experience that celebrates high-end meat, selected by the historic Meat Premium, the family business, a national reference in the distribution of high-end meats. The objective is high, if not very high: "to redefine the codes of carnivorous dining, writing a new page of fine dining in Milan". In the kitchen, chef Gabriele Zanini leads a brigade that focuses on technique and respect for raw materials, with fine cuts from controlled supply chains. The project, supported by partners such as LMDV Capital and Bros Investments, is already looking beyond: two new openings are planned by 2025.

Una sala di Carnissage, nuova apertura milanese in zona Garibaldi, che unisce design e carne in vista

"At the moment, the market rewards excellence, with an increasing focus on the product itself," emphasises Martino Uzzauto. The difference is made by our breeders. From Italy with breeds such as the Marchigiana, to Spain with the Rubia Gallega, of which we are the main importers, to Australia with the Australian Wagyu. This allows us to bring the best raw material to our restaurants, offering our customers a unique product in a luxurious setting, where marble enhances the colours of the meat,' says Uzzato, born in 1987, with experience in EY and BIP and now a lecturer at Cattolica University, who brings to Carnissage a mix of entrepreneurial vision and gastronomic culture.

Sixteen cuts, twelve breeds and an international vocation: it has only recently opened in Via Lodovico Settala 2, Milan, but Viro Steakhouse has already established itself as a reference point for meat lovers. Its strength? The city's largest selection of bone-in cuts, with meat from twelve countries and matured on site using dry and wet aging techniques. From Japanese wagyu to Galician rubia, from Chianina to limousine, the menu is a journey through breeds and traditions. T-bone, tomahawk, entraña and cowboy steak are on the menu, as well as gourmet burgers and tartare such as the 'Primordiale', served on the bone. Already present in Gallarate and Legnano, Viro's third opening tells the story of meat in all its nuances, from breeding methods to cooking on a grill with rest.

In the heart of Via Piero della Francesca, also in Milan, Carniforo revolutionises the grill with infrared technology that reaches 850°C. Radiant heat cooks meat as if on live coals, reducing time and maximising flavour, tenderness and juiciness. A true experience for lovers of quality meat, enhanced by a system that recreates the most authentic cooking in a high-tech version.

Losko - Cucina di Brace, a 30-cover restaurant that makes fire its central element, has just opened in Milan, on Via Lecco. A proposal based exclusively on charcoal: meat, fish, vegetables and even fruit, all cooked over the fire to enhance flavours and textures, but where the meat is the real protagonist. On the menu, wines from independent vintners, cocktails and a selection of champagnes, perfect to accompany a dinner with character.

... and the historic venues that do not fade

Don Juan celebrates 25 years in business confirming itself as a reference point for Milanese lovers of Argentinian cuisine. Every day of the week is an opportunity to discover traditional dishes, with grilled meat as the protagonist, an address that combines slow-cooked asado with a refined selection of wines: Italian wineries are the protagonists of special evenings with tastings and pairing. On the May wine list, for example, the restaurant invited guests to discover the proposals of the Marches wine cellar Maria Pia Castelli, which offers red wines with a strong character, suitable for red meats, as well as a unique white wine such as Stella Flora, from 'a blend' of four grape varieties (pecorino, malvasia, passerina and trebbiano). The Don Juan, among the first with an open kitchen in Milan, also offers a private cellar room for more private dinners.

Marlene Gomes De Oliveria (Don Juan), Alessandro Bartoletti (Maria Pia Castelli), Maria Pia Castelli

At the Sheraton San Siro, El Patio del Gaucho brings the authentic flavours of Argentina to Milan, with meat that becomes a passion: it is the first restaurant project of the former Nerazzurri captain Javier Zanetti inside a hotel, and celebrates his homeland with a proposal centred on grilled meat, according to the asado tradition. Warm atmosphere, dark woods and intense aromas frame a menu that provides a typical South American 'parrillas' experience. A gastronomic journey that recounts the roots of Zanetti, today also an attentive entrepreneur, capable of combining international elegance and Argentinian authenticity.

Casa El Carnicero lands on Viale Bianca Maria amidst Art Nouveau facades and flowering trees, the third opening in the city (the fourth including the Ibiza location). Here in the kingdom of meataesthetics count, and a lot: four floors plus terrace and cellar with private rooms, furnished with a well-calibrated mix of vintage elements and contemporary design - walls in intense colours, deliberately lived-in surfaces, chandelier chandeliers, neon and precious materials. On the terrace, a giant screen plays looped clips of iconic films, adding a cinematic touch to the experience. In the kitchen, the great meat classics - from the Argentinian Lomo to the Australian Tomahawk, but the dish not to be missed is the Toast El Carnicero, with tartare, foie gras and caviar, to be paired with a few international reds from the well-stocked wine list.

At Via Anfiteatro 9, in the heart of Brera, at Nero 9 meat is the absolute star. Selections from the best Italian breeders, fine cuts and a focus on meat on the bone, such as Fiorentina, Costata and Tomahawk, exclusive cooking over natural coals, certainly make Nero 9 the meat address of the area.

Meat-themed restaurant openings are not, therefore, mere marketing operations: they reflect an authentic, almost cultural interest in a food that has accompanied mankind since its origins and that today is asking to be rediscovered with new eyes, without renouncing sustainability and respect for the supply chain.