Ratanà

"Dine al fresco for a contemporary take on traditional Milanese cuisine. I also love Ratanà which is in the Porta Nuova, a newly developed district. Milan excels at beautifully repurposed restaurants. Case in point: Ratanà, which occupies an old Art Nouveau railway warehouse in the fast-changing neighborhood around the Porto Garibaldi train station. The setting is matched by the food, and the menu is full of artfully plated seasonal dishes that might include white asparagus served with a breaded poached egg and fresh thyme or trout with blood orange and fennel. In warm weather, ask for a table outside, so you can enjoy the whole meal next to a vegetable garden. If you're in town for the famous risotto Milanese – swirled with parmesan, saffron, wine, and butter – this converted cinema is the place to try it, with some bone marrow on the side. Chef Cesare Battisti is a master of the Lombardy classics; the business lunch is very popular with locals. Reservations recommended. The setting is suggestive, a faded white Art Nouveau building that used to be a train depot on the background of Porta Nuova's futuristic skyscraper jungle. Ratanà is one of the city's most beautiful restaurants, with high ceilings, industrial furniture, and a retro bar. Chef Cesare Battisti's locally-driven menu is inspired by traditional Milan and Lombardy cuisine and includes a menu of rubitt, the Milanese term for tapas."

"Just below the two residential towers called Bosco Verticale in the Isola area - one of the most dinamic in the whole of Milan, transformed over the past ten years into a “little Town inside The Big City” - sits Ratanà a modern 🐌 Slow Food restaurant surrounded by a beautiful park, with artisan laboratories and cultural activities all around. Ratanà's chef Cesare Battisti has contributed a lot to the rebirth of this area, reinterpreting plates of traditional Lombard cuisine in a contemporary form: Bone marrow 🌾 risotto - many say among the best in the city - glazed pork belly, artichokes filled with anchovies, Mondeghili (traditional Lombard meatballs, made from the leftovers of the broth meat, sausage and liver mortadella) are some of his signature; so good they are addicting. Young, smiley staff and produce coming from the farms around the city are some of Ratanà additional points, like the 20€ business lunch called “Schisce’ta” and a rivisited Milanese aperitivo before dinner every day. Note: cyclists, 🎏 fly fishermen, dads on paternity leave get a discount... how cool!!!"

"When you arrive at Ratana it doesn't look like it quite belongs in the middle of an urban park but that won't matter once you step inside. Visited by Stanley Tucci during his CNN Searching for Italy show, Ratana serves up Modern Milanese fare in a contemporary but cozy wine bar style atmosphere. There is also and outdoor patio so you can dine within the breezy park and admire Milan's infamous urban green spaces around you. The food is great but the wine list is impressive, as well as the amari list, if you are a fan. "