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Eating in Milano can be expensive: it is after all the fashion capital of the world and sometimes you end up paying for the location more than for the quality of the meal itself.

On top of that, since the introduction of the Euro in 2002, prices have doubled –pretty much overnight- leaving fewer and fewer options for the gourmand on a budget. If you don’t know your way around the maze of restaurants, eateries, bars and cafes, finding a good deal on food can be extremely tricky.

The first thing to remember, when looking for some cheap but good fare, is that what might be true in big cities in the U.S. –avoiding overpriced downtown bars, beer is always cheaper than wine, and when desperate for an inexpensive meal find the closest McDonald's- usually does not apply to Milano.

Italians don’t like fast food. But this national dislike for McDonald's and the likes has little to do with food snobbery: What Italians don’t like about fast food is not the burger itself, but it’s the concept of eating a “fast” meal. The idea of chewing on a burger while walking, or worse driving, down the street does not appeal to people that see meals as the highlight of their day.

In Italy, McDonald's is a curiosity not a staple, and its prices are usually double those you find in the U.S.

So, where does one find good, cheap food in Milano? Enter a very Milanese institution: the aperitivo.



Once upon a time an aperitivo was a quick drink before dinner, usually served with complimentary stale chips and a few green olives to keep the customer halfway sober.

No one really knows who was the mind behind the new kind of aperitivo that revolutionized everyone’s lifestyle in Milano, but in the second half of the '90s fancy bars in the downtown area started serving a different kind of fare to go with your before-dinner drink. The stale chips disappeared, and slowly pizza squares, focaccia and canapés made their way to the bar counter.

That was just the beginning. In a few months big and small bars alike were trying to one-up one each other and offer the best aperitivo in town. The result was amazing, especially for the customers: by buying one drink (usually 6 Euros regardless of what you order) you get to eat whatever they bring out of the kitchen for free. Pasta and rice salads, potato salad, pizza, focaccia, tartines, cold cuts, smoked salmon… you name it.

Shortly the aperitivo became not only a way to catch up with your friends on the latest news, it became a way of eating out and socialize for less than 10 Euros a head. It's how broke college students survive in an expensive city. They know which bars offer the best food, who serves both cold and warm snacks, where the happy hour lasts the longest.

The Bar Magenta in Corso Magenta and the Exploit at the Colonne di San Lorenzo are two of the best places in town to feast on free food. Unfortunately, they are extremely popular, always packed and more challenging for beginners. Reaching the bar counter where the food is can be difficult at times. For a quieter experience the options are endless: the Bhangra Bar in Piazza Sempione offers amazing ethnic food and a great view of the Peace Arch and the park (oh, yes, and killer Mojitos as well!), while the Swami in Viale Montenero serves a more traditional aperitivo fare and a great selection of draft beers.

The list of places to try is endless. In many years of living in Milano I probably haven’t even been to half the bars that offer this very special happy hour. But if you ever find yourself thirsty and hungry after a long day of sightseeing or shopping in Milano, head to whatever bar you like the best. Between 6 and 9 p.m. you’ll see the magic unravel in front of you: Tray after tray of food will begin to appear on the counter and for three blissful hours all you’ll have to do is try a little bit of this and a little bit of that, washing it down with your favorite drink.