New restaurants in Milan in May 2024, from Faak to Roppongi, from Ultra to My Umi

New restaurants in Milan in May 2024, the new openings of bistros, pizzerias, and wine bars. This month, we're highlighting the closure of Tomoyoshi Endo, Milan's oldest Japanese restaurant, which is closing not because it's struggling but because its owners have reached retirement age. However, the Japanese restaurant scene is more vibrant than ever, and not a month goes by without a new restaurant opening (see Roppongi). But since Milan is a cosmopolitan city, embracing all cultures, there's the interesting African shop-restaurant My Umi. And then there's Creda, which fits into the new-old trend of delicatessens, which seem to have replaced dairies in the hipster imagination. For us, however, the opening of the month is Viviana Varese, who has finally opened her Faak. It certainly doesn't disappoint.

Faak – Food and Wine with Natural Rebellion – Farini

We'll talk more about it here, so we'll just tell you that Viviana Varese, the badass Michelin-starred chef who's the pride of Milan, previously at Viva at Eataly and then at Polpo, and again at Passalacqua in Moltrasio, has opened a truly amazing place: it's called Faak – Cibo e vino a ribellione natural (Food and Wine in Natural Rebellion). A place that wants to be everything and more, yet doesn't seem to be guilty of confusing its identity and image: it's a pizzeria, pastry shop, bakery, grill, bar, shop, restaurant, and workshop. Too much? Not at all. And anyway, Varese has been working on this place for almost three years, and now here we are. Why is it called Faak? Precisely for that reason, as a liberating word to say that Viviana Varese can't stand any more stars and wants to do what she wants, starting with grill and pizza.

Often, via Arnaldo da Brescia 5, tel 340 135 2676.

Roppongi – Japanese – Porta Nuova

It's an izakaya serving contemporary Japanese cuisine. But what's most striking is the setting: it feels like you're stepping into a Japanese city, with its narrow streets, subway signs, lanterns, and Japanese writing. Indeed, Roppongi is a neighborhood in Tokyo. They serve fresh sashimi, grilled meat, grilled eel, and much more. It's owned by the same company as Mao Hunan. Initial comments on social media suggest the portions are small, but we'll be trying it soon. Roppongi Izakaya, Via Vespucci 5, 0236737473

Ricchia Orecchiette Bistro – San Marco

If you're looking for "revisited tradition," an unbearable mantra of the last decade, you won't find it here. You'll find only tradition, and specifically, Apulian tradition. And alas, at least according to Repubblica's presentation, the legendary grandmother's cooking is also present here (though you never know whose). Perhaps it's Jacopo Dossena's grandmother, the creator of Ricchia, which, of course, stands for orecchiette. It's located right next to Max Mariola's restaurant and replaces Sushi Art. The first course is strictly orecchiette (from €11 to €14), which hail from Ceglie Messapica. Variations include those with eight-hour-cooked ragù, one with creamed fava beans, ricotta, and crusty bread, and, of course, one with turnip tops. But there's also frisella (€9), the legendary bombette (€14, meat rolls), scurdijata salad, and burrata (€10). In the kitchen, Apulian chef Salvatore Riontino. The slogan is: "Saint Nicholas, protect us from empty orecchiette."

Ricchia, via San Marco 26, tel: 02 3831 7971.

Ultra – Food and Cocktails – Porta Romana

The idea comes from Dom Carella, the inventor of Carico. So, that's already a good calling card for this place, which aims to marry food with cocktails. The idea isn't new, but executing it carefully, so it's not just a format that you hope will work, is another matter entirely. And here they're really trying. Carella has international experience, from Hong Kong to Shanghai, but his partner Fabrizio Margarita, from Campania, also worked in London before opening the two Vurrìa pizzerias in Milan. Let's see what the mixology brings. For now, we can tell you that the place is dark and mysterious, and that, aside from a small menu (mondeghili, for €8, frico and veal tonné for €14), there are long-leavened pizzas (margherita for €9). And, of course, an extensive cocktail list.

Ultra, via Pier Lombardo 1. Open until two, food and cocktails until 1:30.

Osteria di Brera – fish – Brera

The press release talks about a “well-known venue that is reopening with a modern and pop look”. Maybe, but it didn't convince us. It seems like yet another fake opening in the Brera area, good for a business lunch. The old venue mentioned was in via Fiori Chiari and now the restaurant that is being revived is a restaurant created by Enrico Forti's son, Marcello, who also owns the Stendhal wine and Mediterranea. The menu is all fish-based. For lunch, the menu included roast octopus (30 euros), sea bass fillet (28), fried Brera fish (30), tuna steak (28) and salt-baked sea bass for two (58). There is also a Milanese section with the now inevitable mondeghili (18 euros, with the cloying addition “grandma's ones”) and yellow risotto (20 euros, “as it should be done”). The wine list is very short and lacks flair (starting at €27 for whites and €34 for reds). The atmosphere is as expected for a seafood restaurant, with the usual alternating white and blue wines.

Osteria di Brera, via San Marco 5, tel 02 2906 1051.

Creda – Gastronomy with Cuisine – Porta Romana

Among the new openings in Milan in May 2024, there is Creda. There is a lot of talk about it and it is definitely one of the places to try at the moment, also because it is part of the trend of neighborhood delicatessens that also present themselves as trattorias. In this case the look is modern, the atmosphere is very lively and fun and there is also a nice outdoor area in one of the liveliest streets of Porta Romana, via Orti 12. It was created by two young chefs from Campania, from which the acronym Creda derives, Crescenzo Morlando and Dario Pisani. Both boast ancestry in starred kitchens (but who doesn't, nowadays?). The menu features classics of home cooking, but with excellent raw materials and a steady hand: meatballs in tomato sauce (14), aubergine parmigiana (9), pasta provole and potatoes (13), spaghetti with garlic, oil and crusco pepper (13). Guess who makes the meatballs in tomato sauce? An aunt? A cousin? The poor mother? No way, it's, listen up, your grandmother. And in this case, it's Nonna Maria (greetings).

Creda, via Orti 12, tel 327 899 5646.

Barzac – Piacenza – Central

Like Creda, Barzac's name comes from an acronym of the two owners, who are husband and wife. They are Germana Barozzini and Pierluigi Zacconi. He is a force of nature, an airline pilot and descendant of generations of restaurateurs. He took the previous shop, which wasn't doing very well, and transformed it into a Piacenza-style trattoria, with checked tablecloths, mouse-grey walls and a lovely family atmosphere. She was a flight attendant and now travels among the tables, together with her daughter. In the kitchen, the young Simone Marchisio. The menu features classics: Piacenza cured meats (excellent, 18 euros), bortellina (fried pasta made with water, flour and too much oil), pisarei (15), anolini with ragù (18). Cover charge three euros. Not everything is always convincing, but on average the result is satisfactory and the welcome excellent. The wine list is strictly Piacenza-based, with three leading producers: Torre Fornello, La Stoppa, and Zavalloni.

Barzac, via Fara 29, tel 02 6694790. Website.

My Umi – African Gastronomy – Moscow

It bills itself as "Milan's first ethnic gastronomic bar & restaurant" and seems to embrace a rather vast territory: East Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Umi means "mother," so for once we can leave poor grandmother alone, who hasn't cooked anything here, not even meatballs. It was founded by an African entrepreneur and offers falafel (6 euros), hummus, sambusa (8.50), rolls (8), and burgers, among other dishes. Umi is a delicatessen that lends itself well to takeout and has an ambitious project, given that after the small location on Viale Pasubio, it has opened on Via Volta and is about to open another at Fabio Filzi 11.

My Umi, Via Alessandro Volta 7, Milan. Also on Deliveroo.

Specialty – Ice Cream Shop – Bocconi

At the end of May, a café and ice cream shop will open at Viale Bligny 36, offering specialty coffee and Crosta bread. The ice cream is from Pausa Cream & Bakery in Romentino, in the province of Novara. The partners, Gambero informs us, are Vittoria Zampieri, Umberto Burdese, Alessandro Monego, and Gian Pietro Beltrando. The plan is to continue and open three more locations in Milan.