Milan’s design scene doesn’t stop at the Salone gates. The city itself is a design object — constantly being refined, reinterpreted, and renewed. Here’s where we’ll be eating, drinking, and discovering between exhibitions.
Eat
Langosteria Café — The Navigli outpost of Milan’s finest seafood restaurant. Book the courtyard table. The crudo is non-negotiable, and the setting — a converted canal-side warehouse — is the kind of space that makes you rethink the relationship between food and architecture.
Contraste — Two Michelin stars and a dining room that feels like a contemporary art gallery. Chef Matías Perdomo’s tasting menu is a design exercise in itself — every plate is composed with the precision of a typography grid. Reserve weeks in advance during Design Week.
Pavé — For breakfast and the best cornetti in the city. The Porta Venezia location has the charm; the newer Isola bakery has the space. Either way, arrive before 9am or resign yourself to a queue.
Al Garghet — A trattoria in the middle of a garden nursery near Naviglio Pavese. Risotto alla Milanese in a greenhouse. It sounds contrived; it’s genuinely wonderful. This is the Milan that tourists don’t find.
Taglio — In the heart of Tortona district, making it the ideal Design Week lunch spot. The deli counter is excellent, the interior is beautiful (designed by Vincenzo De Cotiis), and you’ll inevitably sit next to a table of architects discussing their latest project.
Drink
Ceresio 7 — The rooftop pool bar at the former Enel headquarters, now home to Dsquared2. The design is by Storage Associati and it remains one of the most beautiful bar terraces in Europe. Arrive at golden hour.
Botanical Club — Craft cocktails in a Brera basement that manages to feel both speakeasy and entirely contemporary. The drink list is seasonal and they take the botanical theme seriously — expect herbs, flowers, and unexpected infusions.
Bar Basso — A Design Week institution. This is where Negroni Sbagliato was invented, and during Salone it becomes the unofficial meeting point for the international design community. Go at least once. Stand at the bar. Have the Sbagliato. It’s a ritual.
Fonderie Milanesi — Set in a former foundry in Isola, the space is as much the attraction as the drinks. Exposed brick, original industrial fixtures, and a cocktail menu that references the building’s metalworking past. During Design Week, they host DJ sets that run until the small hours.
See (Beyond the Fair)
Fondazione Prada — Rem Koolhaas’ permanent cultural complex in Largo Isarco. Always worth visiting, and during Design Week they typically programme supplementary exhibitions and events.
Triennale di Milano — The beating heart of Italian design culture. The permanent collection alone justifies a visit, but the temporary exhibitions during Design Week are often the most intellectually ambitious presentations in the city.
ADI Design Museum — Dedicated to the Compasso d’Oro award, this museum in Piazza Compasso d’Oro 1 houses the most comprehensive collection of Italian industrial design in the world. Essential context for everything you’ll see during the week.
Restaurants and reservations are current as of April 2026. During Design Week, book everything possible in advance.