Coffee shops and cafés in Milan that are masters of their craft

Milan’s coffee scene has two distinct settings. The first is old and deeply rooted: historic torrefazioni (roasteries) that have been blending their own beans for generations, alongside old-school coffee houses and bakeries.

In contrast, a new wave of contemporary roasters and modern cafes has taken root in recent years, challenging the $1 espresso with careful sourcing and a slower rhythm, quietly rewiring how Milanese people think about coffee.

In both instances, coffee in Milan remains a ritual of precision and brevity. You drink it al banco, at the counter, in minutes: a quick shot on the way to the office, another after lunch. And often, someone offers a round.

On weekends, the pace softens. Andare fuori a fare colazione (going out for breakfast), stretches the moment. You order a coffee with your brioche, then order another once the pastry is gone.

These are our favourite coffee shops in Milan, selected in collaboration with Modbar, the sleek under-counter espresso system from La Marzocco.

Coffee shops in east Milan

Coffee Studio 7Gr

Best for: An education in coffee
Address: Corso di Porta Venezia 31, 20121 Milano

Founded in 2009 by four sisters, Sevengrams has established itself as one of Italy’s most respected specialty roasteries, focused on sourcing, education and consultancy rather than the cafe circuit. This second Coffee Studio in Porta Venezia marks the first with a proper counter. The 22-square-metre space, no food, no kitchen, is devoted entirely to coffee, with espresso served from gleaming Modbar taps, alongside filter, pour-over and cold brew. With a retail wall stocking more than 20 origins, come here to understand what’s in your cup.

Orsonero

Best for: A defining force in Milan’s specialty coffee scene
Address: Via Giuseppe Broggi, 15, 20129 Milano

Orsonero is widely credited as one of the first places in Milan to take specialty coffee seriously. Canadian-born Brent Jopson arrived with a quiet determination to challenge the city’s deep-rooted espresso orthodoxy, and has been doing so ever since. He works with carefully chosen roasters, Italian benchmark Rubens Gardelli chief among them, alongside names like The Coffee Collective, and rotates blends with a collector’s eye. The space is spare and focused; a natural stop before or after a walk through Giardini Indro Montanelli, and well-placed for a detour to Bar Basso for aperitivo afterwards.

Eris

Best for: A multifaceted space for coffee, wine and emerging design
Address: Via Bartolomeo Eustachi, 8, 20129 Milano

Eris is the project of Studio Pesca, a Milanese creative studio. Modular walls create a versatile space, which regularly hosts exhibitions and product displays from emerging brands. The coffee is by Nudo Artisan Coffee, a micro-roastery with serious pedigree, ranging from classic espresso through to pour-over and cold brew. Natural wine is there too, alongside cheese boards and pastries.

Serra di quartiere

Best for: Artisan coffee on one of Milan’s most characterful streets
Address: Via Melzo, 3, 20129 Milano MI

Warm wood and mocha tones define this intimate space, with a counter showcasing handmade pastries. Specialty blends by Caffè Carnera are complemented by a thoughtful lunch menu, ranging from burrata and figues in September to polenta and pecorino in February. Before you leave, walk around the corner to Frab’s Magazine shop: over 900 independent titles from around the world.

Loste Cafe

Best for: Double espresso and standout Danish pastries
Address: Via Francesco Guicciardini, 3, 20129 Milano

Stefano Ferraro spent time as head pastry chef at Noma in Copenhagen before returning to Italy to open Loste with Lorenzo Cioli, who previously worked as a sommelier at Restaurant 108. It was while working here that a chance encounter with coffee legend Tim Wendelboe inspired a career change. Together they’ve built a buzzing cafe, where specialty coffee is met by an international pastry selection and a focused lunch menu. Espresso is served strictly double and don’t ask for sugar.

A second location has opened in the emerging Certosa district, with outdoor seating well-suited to a long brunch in the sun.

Pasticceria Sissi

Best for: Senegalese standing espresso with a scoop of ice cream
Address: Piazza Risorgimento, 6, 20129 Milano

Few places in Milan embody the morning coffee ritual quite like Sissi. People of all ages stop by for a swift espresso, or settle into the back patio. Drinks are served by Zyig, unmistakable in his yellow shirt and purple glasses, or one of his children who work alongside him and his wife, after whom the cafe is named. Zyig is from Senegal, and the house signature reflects it: a rich, intense coffee served with a scoop of ice cream and cream. Pair with croissants filled with fresh cream, or golden cheese and ham toasties.

Onest

Best for: A neighbourhood gem with a hidden garden patio
Address: Via Gerolamo Turroni, 2, 20129 Milano MI

Tucked into the vibrant eastern edge of the city, Onest has a charming patio and a warm, cheerful atmosphere; a nest, as the name suggests. Challenging the Milanese tradition of the €1 espresso, education sits at the core of what Onest does: the team takes time to explain what you’re drinking and why it tastes the way it does. Beans come from Gearbox and Clandestino, the latter a sister project that selects and roasts its own. Methods span espresso through to pour-over, cold brew and filter of the day. Come evening, or lunchtime, the space shifts into a wine bar and restaurant, reason enough to stay longer than planned. Don’t skip the back courtyard.

Coffee shops in south Milan

Signor Lievito

Best for: Slow mornings and sourdough
Address: Via Maestri Campionesi, 26, 20135 Milano

Natalija Nikitina started baking bread at home for her children, then began delivering loaves by bicycle to neighbours across the city. In 2022, she swapped her bike for bricks and mortar, opening Signor Lievito. Designed by Hannes Peer, the small artisanal lab combines terracotta tiles, birch wood and soft light. Bread and pastries carry Nikitina’s Latvian roots alongside Italian and global influences. The coffee offer has grown to match the ambition of the baking, making this a place worth lingering any day.

Le Polveri

Best for: A bakery with excellent coffee
Address: Via Vespri Siciliani 16, Milan

Le Polveri sits well off the tourist path, in a quiet residential neighbourhood. The leavened goods and sourdough are the draw, but the coffee programme is equally considered, sourced exclusively from Italian micro-roasteries. Bread and coffee is taken seriously, without making a show of it. From here, Mudec, Milan’s museum of world cultures, is an easy walk, with the Navigli canals just beyond.

Coffee shops in west Milan

Bugan Coffee Lab

Best for: For the genuinely curious coffee drinker
Address: Via Vigevano, 15, 20144 Milano

Bugan Coffee Lab was born in Bergamo before opening in Milan. The counter, clad in carbonised wood, is the centrepiece, accented by Modbar taps. Beans are sourced through direct auction and a dedicated coffee hunter, spanning Kenya, Ethiopia, Guatemala and beyond. Tasting sessions and workshops run regularly. This is not a place for espresso al banco, it’s a short but serious journey.

Atelier Prato

Best for: Brunch, bouquets and Italian specialty coffee
Address: Via San Nicolao, 4, 20123 Milano

Atelier Prato is is both a cafe and a flower shop. The founders, two Argentine-Italian sisters who travelled widely before landing in Milan, chose the city for its openness to new ideas, and built a space that reflects their own: unhurried, beautiful, and quietly international. Coffee is by Nudo Artisan Coffee, with a deliberate focus on South American origins, Brazilian and Peruvian blends that nod to their Argentine roots. Come evening, wine, drinks and small plates take over. A natural stop before or after visiting the Cenacolo, Leonardo’s Last Supper is a few minutes’ walk away.

SISU

Best for: Brunch and all-day pastries in a plant-lined space
Address: Via Gaudenzio Ferrari, 1, 20123 Milano

Sisu sits on a street that feels resolutely, unapologetically Milanese. The interior is clean and natural, and the pace is unhurried. Choose from a wide selection of pastries, complemented by a seasonal specialty coffee menu, served across multiple methods, espresso included. Before or after, walk a few steps to Scarazzini, open since 1882, first as a knife shop and today one of the finest places in the city to buy toiletries and grooming goods of quietly exceptional quality.

Torrefazione Vercelli

Best for: Old-school Milanese standing coffee
Address: Via Francesco Cherubini, 2, 20145 Milano

Torrefazione Vercelli opened in the 1950s and remains largely unchanged. It once roasted in-shop; today the work happens in an internal lab. The offer is solid and varied, with heaps of old-school character. Come for a glimpse of a Milan that still exists, where the sciure, the city’s elegantly dressed older ladies, stop for their morning espresso at the counter as they always have.

Coffee shops in north Milan

Torrefazione Moka Hodeidah

Best for: An institution for coffee traditionalists
Address: Via Piero della Francesca, 8, 20154 Milano

The name references Hodeidah, the Yemeni port from which merchant ships once carried coffee to the world, and that heritage still shapes what happens here. Open since 1946, this Milanese institution offers over 70 varieties, with the freedom to choose both blend and grind: Neapolitan, paper filter, French press, or stovetop moka. A serious chocolate selection sits alongside.