The places in Milan to take your friends Not only brunches and appetizers but also brunches and appetizers
Your best friend comes to visit you in Milan and you don't know where to take her. You feel like you're leading an interesting and full life, but when you have to explain it or show it to the people you care about, you seem to forget what you do and where you're going. That's why we're here. Here for you a list of things you can do with your friends in the most discussed (and expensive) city in Italy.
Where to take your friends to Milan: brunch, aperitif, dinner and ideas for 2026
If you want something exclusive after dinner: the Portofino Dry Gin Yacht Club at Aethos Milan
Portofino Dry Gin has inaugurated its first physical and permanent space. The Portofino Dry Gin Yacht Club was born, a place where the brand's universe takes shape, turning into an experience to live. It is located inside The Doping cocktail bar of the 5-star Hotel Aethos Milan, and is a place designed to bring the authenticity of the Ligurian Riviera to life through hospitality, mixology and the pleasure of conviviality. You drink well, there is the feeling of doing something special and exclusive, and the environment is very very cozy. Practically a gem.
If you don't like the wee hours: brunch at The Doping
For a weekend cuddle, and once we have discovered Aethos Milan, we propose brunch at The Doping, the bar that is located inside the hotel on the Navigli but which is open to everyone. Every Sunday, from 12 to 15, the Doping Brunch brings the kitchen, led by executive chef Luca Nania, to the center of the cocktail bar experience. More than a traditional brunch, the event is designed for those looking for a different way to live Sunday: not just a moment dedicated to food, but an experience in which table, sociality and mixology coexist naturally.
If you love music: Mogo Hi-fi Bar & Dining
Did you understand the topic? The theme is: very Milanese things. Combining brunch and listening bar is for real professionals than city trips, and there's no better place to do it than Mogo. The gastronomic offer is a contemporary twist of different cultures: authenticity, quality and creativity come together to offer fine dishes, accessible to everyone. In addition to the evening menu, Mogo offers Sunday brunch, ensuring an excellent dining experience suitable for any time of the day.
If you love matcha: breakfast at PAN Deli (and there's also the book club)
Matcha is increasingly popular and widespread. Its Italian stronghold, however, remains Milan, the city where news and trends arrive (a little) earlier. To drink a good matcha, of the very green ones, there are many alternatives. Our favorite, however, is Pan Deli, the new opening in the Gioia area. There, you can enjoy different variations of matcha latte together. As if that were not enough, the PAN Deli book club has also just opened, for a literary debate between one sip of Japanese green tea and another.
The dinner at home where you make your worlds meet
There are friends from work, those from university and those from home. Combining them and bringing them all together, perhaps during an aperitif or dinner at your home, is one of life's pleasures. Here, advice is wasted. You can organize an aperitif and fill all the surfaces of your kitchen with plates and delicacies, you can make a drink station where guests can mix what they want (at their own risk). The extra tip? A Mexican-themed dinner, with palomas and margaritas made with Altos tequila.
The screaming little shop in Porta Venezia that has just opened and that no one knows yet
Honestly? You are spoiled for choice. In the East Milan area there are many ideas for shopping, gifts and experiences. For fans of niche perfumes, in fact, there is Liquid. For jewelry lovers, however, a small paradise has just opened. This is Ramispera, a timeless jewelry brand inspired by the Milanese architecture of the early 1900s and which, of course, found its home in the Lombard capital. It is located in the Risorgimento area, and promises sparks. Literally.
Miscellanea: bookstores, tea rooms and small concerts
In Milan there is (almost) everything. If you want an adorable hidden bookstore in the Porta Romana area that also organizes small shows and concerts, there is MaMu, or Magazzino Musica. If you're feeling cold, there are plenty of tea rooms to take refuge in. Continuing on the cultural trend: at the PAC, always in Porta Venezia, there is always something interesting. Finally, for a short but intense exhibition, we recommend that you take a look at the program of the Prada Foundation Observatory, in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, or the exhibition space of 10 Corso Como, in the Garibaldi area. A snack on the fly? Mark the two new openings of LONGEVEATS in Via Vespucci 11 and Corso di Porta Romana 85 on your agenda.
