Restaurant in Milan, Italy
OAD-ranked Italian bistro, easy to book.
The casual sibling of the Michelin-starred Aimo e Nadia, BistRo Aimo e Nadia on Via Matteo Bandello brings the same kitchen pedigree to a more accessible, share-plate format. Chef Simone Lombardi reinterprets Italian classics with a modern sensibility, earning a Michelin Plate and a consistent Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe ranking since 2023. Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, it books ahead quickly.
BistRo Aimo e Nadia holds an OAD Casual Europe ranking of #138 (2025) and a Michelin Plate, which is a meaningful credential for a room that pitches itself as the approachable sibling of the full-service Aimo e Nadia operation. At €€€ pricing, it sits one tier below the flagship's spend and gives you modern Italian cooking in a setting that works as well for a celebratory dinner as for a long business lunch. If you want the Aimo e Nadia kitchen sensibility without committing to a full tasting-menu format, this is the right call. If you want the complete fine-dining ceremony, book the mothership instead.
The address is Via Matteo Bandello, 14 in Milan's west-central district, close to Corso Magenta. The room is described as stylish and elegant, and the format is deliberately more relaxed than a classic white-tablecloth Italian ristorante. The menu runs Italian recipes with a modern reinterpretation alongside a selection of sharing plates, and the bar programme is active enough to make the sharing-plate format genuinely work. That combination makes this a strong option for a date or a small group celebration where you want a considered meal without the formality of a multi-course tasting sequence.
For special occasions specifically, the bistro format is an asset rather than a compromise. Sharing plates allow the table to set its own pace, which suits celebrations better than a rigid succession of courses. The cocktail offer means you can open with drinks without feeling like you are at odds with the format. A group of two to four will get the most from this, as the sharing-plate logic works leading at that size.
The kitchen runs Tuesday through Saturday, lunch 12–3 pm and dinner 7–11 pm. It is closed Sunday and Monday. The 11 pm close is later than most of Milan's serious restaurants and makes this a viable late dinner or post-event option on a Tuesday through Saturday. If your evening runs long or you are looking for somewhere to eat after 9 pm without feeling rushed out, the 7–11 pm window gives you genuine breathing room. Friday and Saturday evenings will be the most competitive for bookings; Tuesday or Wednesday dinner is the easiest route in.
Lunch is a practical option if you are already in the Castello Sforzesco or Corso Magenta part of the city, and the 12–3 pm window is long enough to make a weekday lunch a real occasion rather than a rushed affair. For a special occasion dinner, Friday or Saturday is the obvious choice, but Tuesday through Thursday dinner gives you a quieter room, which is an advantage if conversation matters.
The OAD ranking has moved from #81 (2023) to #118 (2024) to #138 (2025) in the Casual Europe list. That slide is worth noting: the venue has not fallen out of a top-tier list, but it is no longer climbing. The Michelin Plate has held for both 2024 and 2025. That consistency at Plate level, combined with the OAD presence, puts this in a category of restaurants that over-deliver relative to casual-dining expectations in Milan — but the market around it has grown more competitive. The OAD placement still puts it ahead of the large majority of Milan's casual-format restaurants on a purely credentialed basis.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. A week's notice should cover most evenings; two weeks ahead is advisable for Friday or Saturday dinner if you have a fixed date. No booking phone or website is confirmed in the current data, so check current reservation channels directly when planning. There is no confirmed dress code, but the room's description as stylish and elegant suggests smart-casual is the appropriate register — overdressing is not necessary, but arriving in athleisure is likely to feel out of place.
If you are building a longer Italian dining itinerary around a Milan stay, BistRo Aimo e Nadia fits naturally alongside more ambitious bookings elsewhere. For a full fine-dining comparison, Osteria Francescana in Modena and Le Calandre in Rubano represent the leading of the Italian contemporary register. For something at a similar casual-but-considered pitch, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence is a useful point of comparison at the more formal end. In the north of Italy, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico and Dal Pescatore in Runate are worth factoring in if you are travelling through Lombardy or the Alto Adige. Italian cooking at this level also travels: 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto show how the format exports.
Within Milan, Sadler, Locanda Perbellini, Nebbia, Rovello, and Spore are worth considering depending on your format and budget. See our full Milan restaurants guide for a broader comparison, and our Milan hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide if you are planning a full stay.
Yes, with the right group size. The combination of an OAD-ranked kitchen, a stylish room, a sharing-plate format, and an active cocktail programme makes it a solid choice for a celebration dinner for two to four people. It works better for occasions where you want a considered meal in a relaxed setting than for very formal celebrations that require a full tasting-menu ceremony. For the latter, the full Aimo e Nadia restaurant is the appropriate choice.
The format centres on modern Italian recipes alongside sharing plates, designed to accompany the cocktail programme. Specific current dishes are not confirmed in our data , check the current menu directly before visiting. The sharing-plate section is the most distinctive part of the offer and worth prioritising if you are coming with two or more people.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. One week's notice is generally sufficient for most evenings; two weeks ahead is the safer approach for Friday or Saturday dinner. Tuesday through Thursday evenings are the easiest to secure at short notice. No confirmed booking phone or website is in our current data, so verify the current reservation channel before planning.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is confirmed in our data. Given the Michelin Plate credential and OAD ranking, the kitchen is operating at a level where dietary requests are typically handled professionally, but confirm directly with the restaurant before booking if this is a requirement.
Dinner is the stronger choice for a special occasion. The 7–11 pm window gives the evening time and the cocktail programme comes into its own later in the service. Lunch (12–3 pm) is a practical option for a business meal or if you are already in the Corso Magenta area, and the long window makes it unhurried. For pure occasion value, Friday or Saturday dinner is the call; for a quieter room, Tuesday through Thursday dinner is preferable.
At a similar or lower price point, Nebbia and Rovello are worth considering for modern Italian in Milan. If you want to step up to the full fine-dining tier, Sadler and Locanda Perbellini are the next reference points. For the full €€€€ Milan fine-dining set, see the comparison section below.
The bistro format is not primarily a tasting-menu operation , the strength of the offer is the à la carte and sharing-plate format. If a tasting menu is your priority, the full Aimo e Nadia restaurant is the more appropriate booking. At €€€, BistRo Aimo e Nadia's value case rests on quality modern Italian cooking in a flexible format, not on a set-menu progression.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BistRo Aimo e Nadia | Italian | €€€ | A stylish and elegant gem, this bistro is a simpler and more informal version of the famous Michelin-starred restaurant Aimo e Nadia. The menu includes a selection of Italian recipes reinterpreted with a modern twist, together with a delicious array of plates to share which are perfect with one of the cocktails served here.; Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #138 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #118 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #81 (2023) | Easy | — |
| Enrico Bartolini | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Cracco in Galleria | Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Andrea Aprea | Modern Italian, Italian Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Seta | Modern Italian | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Contraste | Progressive Italian, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes, with caveats. The room is described as stylish and elegant, and the Michelin Plate and OAD Casual Europe ranking (#138, 2025) confirm a credible kitchen. At €€€, it works well for a lower-stakes celebration where you want quality without the formality of a full Michelin-starred room. For a landmark anniversary dinner, the parent restaurant Aimo e Nadia — the starred original — is the stronger call.
Specific menu items are not available in Pearl's current data for this venue. The kitchen's documented format is modern Italian recipes reinterpreted with a contemporary approach, alongside sharing plates designed to pair with cocktails. Asking the floor team for the current sharing plate selection is the most reliable way to order well here.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. For Tuesday through Thursday lunch or dinner, a few days' notice is generally enough. Friday or Saturday dinner is the tighter window — two weeks ahead is advisable if you have a fixed date. The kitchen is closed Sunday and Monday, so factor that into your Milan schedule.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is documented in Pearl's data for this venue. Given the modern Italian format and sharing-plate structure, it is worth flagging requirements directly when booking. Phone and website details are not currently listed on Pearl — contact via the address at Via Matteo Bandello, 14 or through your hotel concierge for confirmation.
Dinner is the more considered option: the kitchen runs until 11 pm, later than most of Milan's comparable rooms, which suits a relaxed evening pace with cocktails and sharing plates. Lunch (12–3 pm) works if you are already in the Corso Magenta area and want a quality midday stop without a long sit. Neither service is documented as materially different in format.
For a step up in ambition and price, Contraste and Andrea Aprea both hold stronger current OAD positions in Milan's serious dining tier. If you want something in a comparable casual-but-credible register, Contraste is worth comparing directly. For a full fine-dining commitment with a marquee room, Seta at the Mandarin Oriental or Enrico Bartolini at Mudec are the natural escalation. Cracco in Galleria sits at a similar price point but trades more on its location than its current rankings.
Pearl's data does not confirm whether a tasting menu is currently offered here. The documented format centres on à la carte Italian dishes and sharing plates alongside cocktails, which suggests the room is structured more around flexible ordering than a set progression. If a tasting menu matters to you, verify directly before booking — this may not be the right format for that experience.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
