Guide
Aperitivo in Milan: how it actually works
In Milan aperitivo is not a drink before dinner: often it is dinner. Here is how the slot between 6 and 9pm is organised.
Where it comes from
The Milanese aperitivo begins with Campari, made in the city since 1860, and with Camparino in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, opened in 1915 and still there.
The idea is simple: a light bitter before dinner to open the stomach. In Milan that habit became a piece of the city's identity.
What apericena is
Since the 2000s many bars serve a buffet included in the price of the drink: cold pasta, focaccia, rice, olives, sometimes cured meats. You pay 10 to 12 euros for the cocktail and eat as much as you like.
That is apericena, a word coined right here. It works for a quick, cheap meal; for food quality, go to the places that bring a small, careful plate to the table.
Where to go
- Navigli and the Darsena: the most intense area, tables on the water, plenty of classic apericena.
- Brera: smarter and pricier, with tables in the pedestrian streets around via Fiori Chiari.
- Porta Venezia and Isola: the younger scene, serious cocktail bars and more interesting food.
- Porta Romana and the Tortona area: neighbourhood aperitivo, less touristy.
The two Milanese cocktails
The Americano (Campari, red vermouth, soda) was born in the late 1800s at Caffè Camparino. The Negroni comes from it, with gin in place of the soda.
The Negroni Sbagliato, made with brut sparkling wine instead of gin, was invented at Bar Basso on via Plinio in the 1960s, by mistake. It is now an international classic: Bar Basso still serves it in the giant glass.
Times and prices
Aperitivo runs from about 6 to 9pm. A cocktail costs 8 to 10 euros in the outer districts, 12 to 16 in the centre and Brera. With apericena included, a full meal is around 12 to 15 euros.
You rarely book: you turn up, take a spot, order at the bar or the table. On a Saturday in the centre after 7pm a free table is hard to find.
Aperitivo and the market
Many neighbourhood bars shop that same morning at the local market: olives, cheese, vegetables for the buffet. To do it at home, the same stalls sell everything for a sharing board for a few euros.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an aperitivo cost in Milan?
A cocktail runs from 8 to 10 euros in the outer districts to 12 to 16 in the centre and Brera, usually with snacks included. Where there is an apericena buffet, 12 to 15 euros buys a full meal.
What is apericena?
It is the Milanese format where the price of the drink (10 to 12 euros) includes a free buffet: cold pasta, focaccia, rice, olives, sometimes cured meats. It started in Milan in the 2000s and often replaces dinner.
What time is aperitivo in Milan?
Between 6 and 9pm. The busiest stretch is 7 to 8; on a Saturday evening in the centre it pays to arrive early to get a seat.