Where To Find The Best Street Food In Milan
In the Lombardy region of Italy, Milan is the global capital of design and fashion as well as the financial hub of Italian restaurants and retailers. From the Gothic Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano cathedral) to the Holy Mary of Grace (Santa Maria Delle Grazie) convent with Leonardo da Vinci’s, The Last Supper, the ancient city is full of culture as well as some of the finest street food. Were they eating street food in da Vinci's painting? That depends on who you ask.
Traditional Italian food can be found all over Milan from the hidden corner cafes to the lavish restaurants in sophisticated establishments. But some say the best food in Milan can be found on the street, which makes a lot of sense if you think about it. The local food trucks can be found serving pizza, gourmet kebabs, fried fish, and roast chicken as well as traditional Italian dishes. That is where you will find real street foods.
You will find food trucks all over the city of Milan serving the best street foods of all kinds whether you want American burgers and a side dish of fries or a pizza made with homemade pizza dough and tomato sauce. Some street food consists of crusted bread baked with olive oil, cold cuts with cheese, and chicken marsala, all found on the streets of Milan.
You do not have to eat from a food truck though. The street food in Milan is also found in the local hotels and lavish restaurants where you can get homemade pizza dough stuffed with meats and covered in tomato sauce, potato croquettes, parma ham, and top-quality vegetables and cheese dishes you will love. It is truly street food at its finest.
San Marco Morso Burger in San Marco is not just offering delicious and nutritious food to eat, but they also offer you fitness advice and sporting events all year long to keep the locals active. You can join in on that fun as well. First, drop off your bags at a Milan luggage storage facility for safekeeping to explore, eat, and see the sights!
The best street food vendors in Milan
El Caminante
Just outside Giovanni Park on Viale Gian Galeazzo, El Caminante is a favorite in Milan for Venezuelan food. Many people head to the city of Milan just for their delicious handmade arepas made with gluten-free white corn. Whether you come for lunch or dinner, this is always a better choice than burgers.
It is the bread that makes these taste so special. Try the Nuoro filled with lamb shoulder and artichokes and Sardinian pecorino. The Caracas with avocado, chicken, and honey mustard sauce is the best in the world. They even have sweet apple arepas filled with cinnamon apples for dessert.
El Panchito
Just because you are in Italy, does not mean you have to eat Italian. If you want something Peruvian, El Panchito is where to go in Milan, Italy. You may have to find them on Facebook to see where they are because they move around a lot. Their crispy pork belly sandwich with fried sweet potatoes is a great lunch prepared while you wait.
Their bread is made fresh daily and filled with the best ingredients in Italy. It just looks like a sandwich until you taste it. Then you will want to order more to take with you for later. Don't miss the sauteed beef with oyster sauce, spiced pork slices, and grilled egg with fried plantain. They even have a veggie sandwich with sweet potato, tomato, and Panchito sauce.
Don Restaurant
Chinatown is full of street food eateries from Asian to Italian cuisines. Don Street Food Restaurant on Via Paolo Sarpi is the best place to get Chinese food in the city. Their DonQuinzi with a chicken leg, onion, eggs, and rice is a favorite but the DonXia with shrimp tempura is also popular.
They have a big menu with a lot to offer for a small place. The fish menu has squid, prawns, crab, and sea bass as well as croaker and moray eel. You can also get Kung Pao chicken, baked lamb or beef skewers, and high-quality salads and ribs prepared fresh.
Ravioleria Sarpi
Whether you want a Chinese crepe stuffed with meat or Chinese dumplings, you can get them at Ravioleria Sarpi right next to Don Restaurant on Via Paolo Sarpi in Chinatown. They offer pork and cabbage or beef and leek, but they are both delicious.
Watch them roll the dough, mix the stuffing, and fill the dumplings. Your mouth will be watering before they get it out to you. No matter which one you get, the taste will blow you away. And try the fried savory donut for dessert.
Luini Panzerotti
In Milan, you can only get the authentic Luini Panzerotti at Luini on Santa Radegonda. In the middle of town by the Leonardi da Vinci statue, they are mostly sold as small turnovers stuffed with meat and cheese but you can also get a sweet panzerotti for dessert.
What started in Southern Italy around Puglia, the panzerotti is a form of calzone. In 1949, Giuseppina Luini came to Milan from Puglia to bake bread. Her secret recipe has only been shared with family so this is the only place you will find Italian bread like this. Whether you want it baked, fried, savory, or sweet, you have to go to Milan, Italy to get it.
Mariu Kebab
Mediterranean food on a stick may just be the best street food in Italy. Whether you are looking for an Italian dish or Mexican, Mariu Kebab can make your kebab taste however you want it by blending the best food products in Italy with their own spices and recipes.
They also have sandwiches and other dishes. One of the favorites in Milan is the Calabrian pork and chili base with puccia salentina or piadina bread. They also have fish, pasta, and beef cooked while you wait. This could be the best street food dinner in the world, or at least in Milan.
Ham Holy
The owners of this place took the burger and remade it with their own special ingredients to make it fast, healthy, and delicious. The artisanal bread is made by them every day and topped with Piedmont Fassona beef and whatever toppings you like, fresh from local produce suppliers.
You can trust that each ingredient served here is gourmet and you can taste the difference. Homemade sauces and relish on top of your burger make it even better. The best in Italy for sure. This is an Italian burger at its finest. They will let you decide whether it is the best in the world.
Where to find the best Milan street food spots
Piazza XXIV Maggio
The Piazza XXIV Maggio is bursting with delicious Italian food with the taste of authentic Italian dishes. Prepared and cooked while you wait, you will be amazed how delicious the food here is whether you are eating chicken, beef, fish, or pork. Everything tastes better with some port wine so don't forget to get a glass or two.
Chef Niko Romito, who has earned three Michelin stars, recently opened a spot in the Piazza to sell his Bomba. This fried and leavened ball of dough can be sweet or savory as in the Abruzzo tradition. Conchetta is another trendy place selling authentic Milanese food from pasta to salads and everything in between. Get your fill of tasty Italian food and then take a hike in the Milan area.
Porta Romana
Porta Romana is a classy area known for its top-notch food and fashion as well as cocktail bars and the Piazzale Libia. In fact, you can get a delicious meal as you visit the area looking for high-end fashion finds. Looking for sushi, Kaze, Eimi, and Acero all compete for your business on Viale Monte Nero.
During your visit, be sure to get some Italian rotisserie. Giannasi dal 1967 started selling roast chicken and vegetable pies many years ago and is still one of the favorite places to get a meal in Milan. Located on Piazza Buozzi, this is where to get anything meaty for your meal.
Sciatt à Porter
No matter whether you are out for a shopping spree or sightseeing, street food has never tasted like this before. Try the sciatt first. These buckwheat fritters stuffed with casera cheese in a paper cone are the perfect snack on the go. Just grab a cone and be on your way to wherever you want to go.
Near the Corso Como District, Sciatt à Porter also brings you mountain specialties like pasta doused in butter and the finest bread in the city. The menu is full of traditional dishes from the Valtellina Alps of Italy like pizzoccheri and bresaola della Valtellina. All of this goes great with a glass of Italian wine.
Street food festivals in Milan
GNAM! Street Food Festival
This European street food festival in the middle of May is four days of delicious food. You will find stalls and food trucks offering pasticciotti, panzerotti, cuoppi, and bombettes. You may even find some lampredotto, olive ascolane, and sfogliatella. But it is not just Italian eats. You can also get dishes from Japan, Hungary, Mexico, and Spain.
Carroponte Street Food Festival
Also in May, the Carroponte street food festival is held at the old Breda train factory. The festival lasts for four whole days and features Italian delicacies as well as barbecue ribs, pizzas of all flavors, kebabs, and burgers. You can also get craft beers and desserts. Whether it comes from a truck, caravan, or tuk-tuk, it will be delicious.
Saint Ambrogio Festival
The city's protector and beloved Saint Ambrogio is celebrated on December 7th in Milan at the Saint Ambrogio Basilica in the Saint Ambrogio Plaza. It is a public holiday so the entire city enjoys a day off work to browse through the arts and crafts as well as the food. There are typically dozens of food trucks and kiosks with pizza, fritters, chestnuts, and sandwiches.
Milan Sushi Festival
On June 19th, the Sushi Festival in Piazza Citta di Lombardia will be packed with people looking for different kinds of sushi and sushi rolls. There will also be live music and a DJ as well as beer, cocktails, and other traditional Japanese dishes and drinks. It only lasts for one day from noon to midnight so come hungry.
The Best Street Food
But this is not a new concept. People have been eating from food trucks for years. In fact, the earliest food truck was the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, which has been around since 1936. Or you can go even further back to Charlie Goodnight's Chuck Wagon in 1866. He used an old Studebaker wagon to sell his meat, vegetables, and other menu items.
Whether you want to eat a tasty lunch of Chinese dumplings in Milan's Chinatown, a dish of risotto alla Milanese, or a deep-fried filet of cod doused with the best olive oil, if you can spot a food truck, you can get what you want. Milanese street food features everything from a quick snack of meat and cheese to a sweet version of deep-fried panzerotti. Luini is the top spot to indulge in Milan's deep-fried pastries popularly known as panzerotti dolce on Santa Radegonda in Duomo Plaza. As soon as you leave Malpensa Airport, head to the city for terrific street food!
