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    Bar Luce

    4.1 (36 reviews)
    ModerateCafes
    Open 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Bar Luce Photos

    BAR LUCE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Hipster
    Trendy
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Bar Luce

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    inside decpr
    Michelle Z.

    One of my favorite meals & places in Milan! The ambiance and vibes here are unmatched -- incredible retro decor, very on point colors, and some of the best service I've experienced so far in Italy. Our waiter David was so kind and funny. We ordered two sandwiches, and both were phenomenal. The bread they use here is so crispy yet chewy and pairs perfectly with the ingredients inside. Definitely try a sandwich with pink sauce!! The desserts here were also so beautiful and delicious. We got a strawberry tart and some cannolo which were filled generously with a custard. They were perfect in every way -- highly recommend. The tart was not too sweet at all so perfect if you prefer your desserts on the lighter side. The prices here are also super affordable -- around 10 euros for a sandwich and even cheaper for the cafe drinks, though the cocktails are more expensive. Such a hidden gem cafe and a must visit! Wish I could go back already :')

    Cappuccino shakerato. Decaf. Mixed Berry tart.
    Maria F.

    It's a quaintly decorated and brings back nostalgia for yesteryear. However, it is also crowded and difficult to find a seat. You have to swoop down as soon as you find someone that looks like they're about to finish. Perhaps they need more seating or some other arrangement to control the crowd. We enjoyed our coffees and the tart. Despite other reviews to the contrary, we found the staff helpful. Note that we visited on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe a weekday visit will be less crowded. Good luck and enjoy!

    Cocktail bar area
    Tiffany C.

    This bar designed by Wes Anderson oozes aesthetic. Inspired by the 1950s style, this bar takes an old Milanese cafe look and feels a bit like you're walking into a movie set. The employees have a certain finesse with every movement and creates a warm, inviting atmosphere in each interaction. I had the Luce sandwich which was hearty but not heavy. It was filling especially for a late lunch with a St Germaine spritz on the porch facing Fondazione Prada. Ambience - classic 1950s accompanied with pinball machines and teal fountain looks that are inviting

    Interior
    Gerry S.

    BAR LUCE was designed by American film director Wes Anderson in 2015, Bar Luce recreates the atmosphere of a typical Milanese cafè. As explained by Anderson, "the approach I used to design this bar is exactly the opposite I usually use for the set designs of my movies. I tried to make it a bar you'd like to go to five times a week. When I was really young I wanted to be an architect, and this chance I've been given to pretend to be a real one is a childhood fantasy come true!". Bar Luce was conceived by the film director as "a space for real life with numerous good spots for eating, drinking, talking, reading, etc. While I do think it would make a pretty good movie set, I think it would be an even better place to write a movie. I tried to make it a bar I would want to spend my own non-fictional afternoons in." The café is located at the entrance building of Fondazione Prada. The range of colors, the formica furniture, the seats, the floor, and the wood wall panels are reminiscent of Italian popular culture and aesthetics from the 1950s and 1960s, echoing artistic decisions Anderson made for his short film Castello Cavalcanti (2013). The arched ceiling and the patterned decoration for the top half of the bar's walls, recreate a 'miniature' version of the vaulted glass roof and the decorations of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, one of Milan's symbolic buildings. Other iconographic sources have been equally inspirational, notably two masterpieces of Italian Neorealism, both set in Milan: Miracolo a Milano, 1951 (Miracle in Milan) by Vittorio De Sica and Rocco e i suoi fratelli, 1960 (Rocco and His Brothers) by Luchino Visconti. The bar, accessible from the internal spaces of Fondazione Prada and from Via Orobia, has become one of the new highlights of the city of Milan.

    Colleen O.

    We loved this place. We read a ton about it prior to visiting (Wes Anderson's cool design and delicious sandwiches.). It was a little off the beaten path as we walk everywhere when we are on vacation - but we loved walking there and seeing so many new areas in Milan. We loved all the restaurant's details - the vintage furniture, the fun bowtie server outfits, the pinball machines. The vegano sandwich was UNREAL. It was so delicious. We purchased five sandwiches and our bill was 35 euro... we thought that was incredibly reasonable and a very welcomed surprise.

    Why don't they sell these logo espresso cups? I would've bought an entire set! The sugar packets will have to do as a souvenir.
    Louisa M.

    I am a major -- MAJOR -- movie nerd and lover of all things Wes Anderson. When I read that he had designed a cafe at the Prada museum in Milan, it was a no-brainer that I had to book a plane ticket and jet off to Italy. Mere months after I first learned of Bar Luce, my butt was on a plane across the pond! Bar Luce is literally like stepping onto the set of one of his movies. If you've never heard of Wes Anderson and you're heading to this cafe, I advise you to rent a few of his films ("Moonrise Kingdom" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" are my two faves) and watch them. If you already are a Wes fan, you will be in heaven. My visit here was truly one of the happiest days of my life (my photos say it all). I oohed and aahhed and squealed with glee at every little detail in the joint, from the vintage inspired ice cream cart to the meticulously organized candy display case and liquor bar. The bowtie-clad servers (who were friendly across the board) seemed to really get a kick out of my enthusiasm and the Wes Anderson themed t-shirt that I was wearing. I saw a couple of Japanese girls dressed in Suzy Bishop / Margot Tenenbaum style vintage clothing and they were just as excited as I was, language barrier be damned! We ordered quite a few snacks since we spent the whole day at a corner table here. First up was a beautiful plate of finger foods and a huge assortment of tasty nuts and olives that came gratis with our order of two glasses of bubbly prosecco. Budget travelers, this is a great deal: order sparkling wine and you get all sorts of tasty noms at no additional charge! Even the miniature pastries looked as if they belonged in one of Wes' movies. There was even a tiny little pig in a blanket! Next up was a gorgeous black torte cake (I had to order one in homage to Agatha and Mendl's bakery from "The Grand Budapest Hotel") with an outstanding espresso and a cappuccino. Man, Italians know their coffee and there's no better coffee in the world than in their country, and the coffee at Bar Luce is first rate as expected. The cake was decadent, moist, rich and so chocolatey that I could only finish half. While my plane ticket to Milan was one of the best $1,400 I've ever spent, not everything was peachy: First, there are absolutely no items for sale with the logo of the place on it. I guess that's maybe an "ugly American" thing to want a souvenir, but I would've snapped up anything with the retro Bar Luce design (totally wish they had their adorable logo espresso cups for sale, my husband offered to pay a lot for one but no dice)! The sugar packets and the thin paper napkins are the only souvenirs that you can feasibly take, but let's get real: what the heck are you going to do with those at home? A ceramic cup or notepad or bar towel would be useful and practical. I was also SUPER bummed because the custom designed Zissou themed pinball machine only takes old Italian lire coins that you can usually get for free at the counter. Unfortunately, they were completely out of lire coins on the day I visited and since it was a Sunday, the guy who could empty out the machine's compartment wasn't coming by! I think they should just have the thing set for free play because this was a HUGE disappointment. I still posed for a photo as if I had been able to play. Luckily the gorgeous pink (PINK!!) jukebox was in working order; I had a blast selecting oldies and watching the mechanics as the 45s tumbled and whirred before blasting epic tunes. It's truly a work of art so don't miss it! Also make sure you go downstairs to the restrooms and bring your camera as you'll want a shot of the black and white hallway. One last tip: there's another custom pinball machine based on Anderson's short film "Castello Cavalcanti," a movie he made with Jason Schwartzman for the opening of the new Prada museum. Look it up on YouTube, it's worth a watch before visiting. I planned only one day in Milan on this European adventure, but I spent a total of 6 hours just sitting at this cafe and I'll admit it: I got all teary eyed when it was time to leave. I can't wait to return! A MUST VISIT FOR ALL WES ANDERSON FANS AND MOVIE NERDS.

    Gin & grapefruit basked drink & complimentary snacks.
    MiMi M.

    2 stars for design & decor & fantastic cocktails. That's the highlight of our experience because anything related to good customer service or Covid rules that make any sense, is non existent here. The employees, from the host to the servers, act like they own a Prada store & that their customers are all Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. They were condescending from the moment we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, telling us there was no available seating inside, although only 2 tables were occupied. They sighted Covid rules which they grossly exaggerated seemingly to be able to tell customers they were too full (all 2 inside tables). The 3 outside tables were offered instead in the dead heat under the burning sun with an awning which they had retracted ensuring the tables were extra uncomfortable. We asked them to let us know when an inside table became available considering it was hotter than Hades outside. They agreed but proceeded to sit 2 other parties inside the air conditioned dining room while we looked on from what seemed like the depths of the earth's crust. At least for a few moments, the sun gifted us a few inches of shade. Outside, we had to constantly call the server whenever we wanted to order, you know, to spend more money. Would've also been nice to get napkins with our hors d'oeuvres & desserts. After ordering the second round, we were never acknowledged after that. In fact, our order never came either. Every time we interacted with the waiters, they seemed bothered. We couldn't leave fast enough. Drinks & snacks were delicious but too bad we won't be returning to enjoy them again. At least we got a nice tan though.

    Coffee at Bar Luce
    Natalie K.

    Bar Luce totally nails it. Hot baristas? Check. Kooky pinball machines? On it. Total commitment to a theme? Perfect execution. From the pink script to the mint green retro trash bins, the cafe at Fondazione Prada is pure design bliss. And the caffe macchiato? One of the best I have ever had for just 1 euro. The bar is the perfect place to recoup after exploring the contemporary art museum and the icing on the cake for a trip to Milan's 'burbs.

    Fondazione Prada - Home of Bar Luce
    Jeff H.

    It's fun to go to Bar Luce in Milano. You see you enter the world of the famed whimsical film director Wes Anderson who designed this cool spot. Bar Luce is located in the striking contemporary art museum called the Fondazione Prada. Soon the Fondazione Prada will score another Wes Anderson coup as it will host next spring the first curated art exhibition by Wes Anderson which he created this autumn at Vienna's illustrious Kunsthistorisches Museum. In fact Milan will be the only other venue outside Vienna for this Wes Anderson show. But back to the café. You can certainly see elements from the film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' here. I really like the chill seating pods he designed - both cool and effective. The bar area is also an eyeful of candy. However I did think that there was too much open space and given the popularity of this bar a couple more seating pods or tables could have been fit in. It also would have added to the effect to have less open space. Service was a bit slow, however, especially as my friend and I only ordered Cynars which you can pour right from the bottle. Oh well, maybe they were on Wes Anderson time ... whatever time that is!

    Miranda H.

    Wes Anderson doesn't disappoint!! It's got a similar vibe as The Grand Budapest Hotel. Very instagrammable.

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    Crazy Cat Café - This is the tea and the chocolate mousse.  The mousse was excellent.

    Crazy Cat Café

    4.0(50 reviews)
    4.1 kmStazione Centrale
    €€

    What I've noticed is that I need my dose of cats/dogs when I'm travelling and it led to a fun…read moreexperience of a cat cafe in Milan. Crazy Cat Cafe is located in a quiet part of Milan even though it is surprisingly close to the Milan Centrale Station. They recommend pressing the doorbell when you are ready to enter as to not let the cats out. They were serving lunch only when we arrived and start serving coffee at 2:30 pm. There is a 1.5 euro charge per person for visiting the cats and require a 3.5 euro per person additional consumption minimum. We ordered the buffalo and spinach ravioloni, pappardelle with tuna ragout, octopus and shrimp soup, and the set menu (gnocchi). The gnocchi and soup were great, the ravioloni was decent, and we didn't finish the pappardelle. The lavendar lemonade was refereshing. The cats were mostly asleep when we arrived. Freddie Mercury loves the staff and mainly wanted to cuddle up with them. Mina was chilling and got the most pets out of us. Blondie was trapped in the bathroom but seemed like he/she wanted to stay there and also was screaming for pets. It was interesting to see Joey (the three-legged black cat) climb and run around. I would definitely love to come back when they serve coffee and just relax.

    One meal and one drink minimum per person. That's mandatory…read more I get why they have the mandatory meal and drink purchase. Otherwise people would just go to pet the cats and then leave. lol The cats were great. I mean they weren't very friendly. You could tell they were tired of people lol But it was fun to see them laying around or even playing with each other. We ordered the spooky lemonade and hot chocolate. I wouldn't recommend the hot chocolate though. Not my favorite. The lemonade was fire! So good! I got the skull dessert and it was so cute! Plus it tasted good. And my husband ordered the fried mushrooms. He didn't care for that too much. Overall, a great stop to visit some cute cats! :)

    Photos
    Crazy Cat Café - Inside

    Inside

    Crazy Cat Café - Skull dessert!

    Skull dessert!

    Crazy Cat Café - Front

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    Front

    Bar Luce - cafes - Updated May 2026

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