Come when you are hungry but stay for the service. We made friends with the young man that first…read moresaid hello to us and then we were served by two other amazing gentlemen. The food was excellent, very large portions and prices were super reasonable. Outdoor seating was great. Like an old Italian restaurant should be with beautiful atmosphere. And they bagged up my tiramisu to go because I was too full to eat it then but I wanted to have some of their house made dessert. I highly recommend.

Simply the best! Food is incredible. We had the papardelle, the carbonara, the lamb chops, the…read morefettucine and the sea bass. Very busy but the staff do an incredible job under pressure.

I could come here every day if I was in Milan for that long. Why? Prices are really cheap and food…read moreis not bad. If you're on a budget, definitely come here to get a taste of traditional Milan staples. We got two dishes (Milanese veal cutlet and tripe), a dessert (sbrisolona), and lunch for the next day (Osso Bucco), all for under 50 euros. The Milanese veal cutlet tastes like your typical fried meat cutlets but man is it a long piece of meat. The tripe was good and mixed in a tomato-like soup base. I would be cautious with that one if you don't like organ meats although my wife enjoyed it and she isn't a big fan of organ meats. Sbrisolona reminds me of a flaky almond cookie. Our waiter was very pleasant, fast, and accommodating towards us. Inside looks like a small diner. Would love to come here again just because they made me feel at home as I was eating.

Stopped in for lunch today and glad I did. Started off with a mixed salad that featured several…read morekinds of greens tossed together w/ tomatoes, which proved surprisingly bland, much like the "cardboard" kind sold in supermarkets in the US. But, that was fixed by the excellent tomato-ground beef sauce atop the tagliatelle, which was perfectly cooked al dente and came in a decent-sized portion. That, bread, and a bottle of mineral water came to E14, which was money well spent in the company of a fine staff who were friendly and talkative w/o being intrusive.

When I stumbled across this place, I thought to myself "just another Italian spot." That was until…read morethe sweet doors and classic Italian music welcomed our dear friend Willy. What a fantastic host. He's the Italian Santa Claus that brings the best goddamn pasta I have ever put inside my mouth. Every slurp, every tomato, every bite exploded flavor into my feeding hole. The food danced in my cheeks to the sweet music surrounding us. Some say give the chef my love, some say give him a kiss, I would give this man my first born child. This is the best Italian spot in all of Italy. There are 3 certainties in this little thing we call life: Death, Taxes and me stuffing my little foreign cheeks with Penne until I suffocate. 10/10

This restaurant had an Italian family feel to it. I really liked how the front had a ton of outdoor…read moreseating that was pretty cute. The inside looked like what I picture all Italian restaurants look like in Italy (it's my first one in this country so I'm sure I'll find out if this decor is common). I was seated at the table and ordered a carbonara. It was extremely chewy (it felt like the pasta wasn't cooked). The sauce was a bit too salty. I mean maybe this is how Italian food is supposed to taste when not in America but it seemed kind of plain. They gave a bag full of fresh/garlic bread. I really liked how the pieces were bit sized. It tasted delicious. I am pretty sure the sign outside said 10 euros but I ended up paying 18 euros for my meal. I won't say I got ripped off because I still haven't done my research on if this country has tax or tip but seemed very odd.

One of the best meals I had in all of Italy. Authentic delicious Milanese cuisine with very…read morefriendly service. Veal Ossobuco with Milanese Risotto (€32) - On the pricey side, but so good. The veal was so incredibly tender and the risotto was in a delicious creamy sauce which I had never had with risotto before. Tagliolini con Porcini (€18) - Very solid quality pasta with truffle and mushrooms. Cannoli (€8) - A very interesting deconstructed cannoli. Unique presentation with yummy ingredients. Panna Cotta (€8) - A tasty classic. The staff were all super friendly and attentive. The restaurant has a pretty big seating area and while it was empty when we arrived around 7:15pm, it definitely filled up later in the night. Overall, highly recommend La Vecchia Lira to anyone looking for top notch Milanese food in Milan.

Good food. Terrible, arrogant waiter!! And poor service and attention. Had to ask for plates,…read moreoil. Not once but multiple times.

The service was terrible. We waited over 2 hours for our food. We watched other tables being served…read morebefore us. It was hot upstairs and there wasn't much room between tables. Overall horrible experience service wise. If you are a tourist, don't come here.

Amazing atmosphere. Surrounded by rare collections of wines from Italy. Impeccably decorated. If…read moreyou've ever been to Sage in Las Vegas , the vibe is the same. The menu is completely italian, so brush up on your italian basics and appreciate the menu for all it's worth. There's not a dress code, but this isn't the place for flip flops. Dress appropriate, Americans. Gentlemen should wear pants. The hostess seated us upstairs overlooking the first floor of the restaurant. Comfortable, quiet, and relaxing. Our waiter was extremely helpful and spoke English pretty well. We started with burrata and tomato. Tender ball of burrata cheese surrounded by the freshest most flavorful Roma tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and some basil. A real standout! The zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese, veg, and a hint of anchovies and deep fried in a light batter. Incredible. Single most memorable dish for me in Milan. Carbonara. Tender al dente pasta paired with rich flavorful egg yolk, parmesan, garlic, olive oil, and thick cuts of pancetta that were crisped yet tender. Excellent flavors and not over sauced. Portion was sized in a way that didn't overwhelm. Taglione. Tender sliced beef medium rare with essence of rosemary, garlic. Seasoned simply with salt & pepper and drizzled with olive oil. Accompanied by tender crisp potatoes. Outstanding. So simple and uncomplicated. Excellent wine offerings. They offer half bottles of Amarone and Syrah and full bottles of an extensive wine list. I know I will return to Milan in the future and this place will be the first and last place in dine.

This place is criminally underrated imo because this was by far our favorite meal in all of Italy…read moreacross Rome, Florence, and Milan. We wandered over to this spot as an easy walk from our hotel without a reservation and were lucky to snag table. The back patio is gorgeous and the ambience is incredible. Cozy, green, bright, inviting. Foodwise we did a shared cheese plate, my husband had the osso bucco, and I had the eggplant gnocchi. The cheese plate was SO GOOD. Like each bite was delicious and we literally fought over the last few cheeses left on the plate. My husband demolished his osso bucco and I adored the eggplant gnocchi. So so so tasty and I would absolutely get it again. Service was friendly and drinks were delicious; the desserts definitely did not pale in comparison either. I had the chocolate cake which was delectable. I would put this on your "must try, must eat at" list and definitely swing by if you are in Milan. This will be our go to, never skip spot from here on out and we are absolutely planning on grabbing a reservation next time to make sure we can dine here.

I made our dinner reservation (a must!) at the recommendation by 2 different friends and I was so…read morehappy that I did. First of all, the waitstaff were very professional and courteous. They served us a basket of bread with pate. Then they served us from the chef a couple of slices of mortadella. My husband and I shared some salad. He then have a veal cutlet and I had osso buco with risotto Milanese. Both dishes were so delicious. While my husband then had ice cream with berries, they gave me a plate of assorted cookies with my coffee. What an experience!

Love this place! Feels like a locals tavern. Amazing gnocchi and the goulash was heavenly! The…read morefamily that runs it seems amazing even though my Italian is poor. Save space for the killer tiramisu!

Osteria della Lanterna in Milan is a charming restaurant with delicious Italian cuisine. The cozy…read moreatmosphere and friendly staff make for a wonderful dining experience. Dont miss their homemade pasta dishes! Grazie mille!

On a mission to find the perfect traditional Milanese trattoria, we decided to try La Pesa, one of…read morethe most sought after places for risotto con ossobuco and cotoletta. The menu is actually not strictly Milanese, they have items that belong to other regional traditions like sciatt or polenta taragna, fried cheese balls and cheese polenta from Valtellina. We didn't complain about this discrepancy, we actually enjoyed both dishes even if not traditional from Milan. Then we got risotto alla milanese con ossobuco, the symbol of Milanese cuisine, and it was really really good. The risotto was creamy, buttery and delicious, the ossobuco "melt in your mouth" tender and with a lot of delicious bone marrow in the bone. Fantastic. Risotto ai funghi porcini freschi was very good too. The tagliatelle al ragù di cinghiale (boar) were very good, but the tagliatelle were a bit too tough, which is very strange for fresh pasta. It felt like the fresh pasta was left to dry out and then it was not cooked enough to rehydrate it. Whatever, the ragù was delicious. Finally the mondeghili, typical Milanese fried meat balls, although delicious, were not authentic, at least according to the expert in the group. Anyway, we enjoyed the food, the cute ambiance and the service. Recommended.