Best-of list · City Guide
The best bars in Milan right now — from Bar Basso's original Negroni Sbagliato to the cocktail bars of Navigli. Our editors have the definitive guide.
Milan operates on different drinking rules to the rest of Italy. The best bars in Milan are not piazza-facing terraces where you linger over a single Aperol — they are precision cocktail bars in Navigli and Brera, aperitivo institutions in Isola, and hotel lounges in the fashion district that take the ritual of the evening drink as seriously as the clothes. We covered 24 venues across four days. These 10 represent Milan drinking at its most compelling.
How we picked
Milan is one of the great drinking cities in Italy, which is not something most people say until they have actually spent an evening in Navigli or Brera after the aperitivo hour. The cocktail bars here are as good as Rome's, the aperitivo culture is better than anywhere, and the date-night options are among the most elegant in Europe. Give the city two proper evenings and spend both of them across multiple venues.
Priya covers Southern European and Mediterranean bar scenes with a focus on Italy, Spain, and Greece. She visits Milan four times a year and considers the aperitivo hour the most civilised drinking tradition in Europe.
Last reviewed 2026-05-05 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.