The area around Milan’s former city gate, Porta Ticinese, offers a varied choice of breakfast and brunch places. From traditional cafes to high-class restaurants that serve elaborate Sunday brunches, here are the best spots in Porta Ticinese.
California Bakery
Bakery, Restaurant, American, Italian, Fast Food, Vegetarian, Pastries, Dessert
California Bakery is a family business that started more than 20 years ago with the aim of promoting high-quality American food culture in Italy. Every item on the bakery’s diverse menu is prepared fresh by hand, using mostly organic products and following old family recipes. The club sandwiches, bagels and egg specialties create a little corner of America in central Milan. California Bakery also offers weekly cooking classes. Each of these classes is dedicated to a specific cake or other specialty, such as a two-hour session on how to bake the perfect apple pie or the original New York cheesecake with topping.
The Bagel Company
The Bagel Company specializes in America’s favorite breakfast classic. The natural, hand-rolled and vegan-friendly bagels and choice of different spreads mean every guest can customize their breakfast themselves. Bagels range from chocolate chip and cinnamon raison on the sweet end to garlic, multigrain and sun-dried tomatoes on the savory side. This choice can be complemented by parma ham, roast beef and pastrami for meat-lovers, or fetta di formaggio (cheese) and humus di melanzane (hummus) for the vegetarian costumers. Courtesy of The Bagel Factory
Panino Guisto
Restaurant, Sandwich Shop, Fast Food, Italian, Vegetarian
Panino Guisto, on Piazza Maggio, was first opened in Milan in 1979 to promote the Panino Italiano, which gave the restaurant its name. Today, the panini Milanesi, made up of lightly smoked Prague ham and a choice of cheese and sauces, and the panino guisto parma ham, which is aged for 24 months in Langhirano, are the restaurant’s flagship dishes. The menu is complemented by a range of fresh salads, delicious burgers and other succulent meat specialties. In typical Italian tradition, guests will also not miss out on dessert with treats like the New York cheesecake or the tiramisú panino giusto.
On weekdays, Zerodue offers typical Italian cuisine with a modern touch right on Corso di Porta Ticinese. This makes it the ideal spot to stop by for a quick lunch. The restaurant is stylish and exhibits paintings of local aspiring artists. Every Sunday, Zerodue serves an amazing Sunday brunch with delicacies from all over the world. English brunch, Italian brunch and American brunch, French brunch and Norwegian brunch are all combined in an incredibly diverse, high-quality brunch buffet. No guest will leave disappointed.
Anadima is a bistro in the heart of Porta Ticinese that offers Italian, French as well as international cuisine for breakfast and lunch. The galettes, which are a savory kind of French crêpe, come in many shapes and forms and are the bistro’s main specialty. On Saturdays and Sundays Anadima Bistrot proposes a rich brunch buffet with classic American breakfast items, including pancakes, muffins, croissants, bagels, cheesecakes and apple pies. For the healthier guests, there is also a range of yogurts, cereals and fruit to accompany the sweet and savory American delights.
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The Exploit Café, lounge bar and restaurant is located just in front of the San Lorenzo Columns, which represents one of the few surviving relics of imperial Milan. Exploit serves Italian coffee at its best and a light lunch on both weekdays and weekends, including a range of sandwiches, focaccias, fresh salads and homemade desserts. Apart from being a prime brunch location, Exploit is also the place to be for a typically Milanese aperitivo and for a fantastic dinner – Exploit does it all.
Mag Café
Bar, Cafe, Cocktail Bar, Italian
Mag Café, located right on Ripa di Porta Ticinese, opens its doors at seven in the morning, every day. This makes it the perfect breakfast spot for early risers, who like to enjoy their coffee and pastry in a relaxed atmosphere in a very central location. Mag Café also serves club sandwiches and toasts to complement a typically Milanese breakfast. Due to its prime location, Mag Café is also a great place for a casual drink in the afternoon, as the cafe also offers a wide variety of freshly prepared cocktails and other drinks. Courtesy of Mag Café
With an academic background in intercultural communication and modern languages, Sophia has always been fascinated by the uniqueness of cultures worldwide. She is particularly interested in cultural history and has a passion for classic and contemporary literature, art and photography. Sophia loves to travel and meet people with different cultural backgrounds to get a broader view of the world and become a true cosmopolitan.
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Courtesy of Mag Café
