Restaurant in Milan, Italy
Milan's most consistently ranked cocktail bar.
Carico Milano is the most credentialed cocktail bar in Milan, ranked by Opinionated About Dining three years running and rated 4.4 across nearly 300 Google reviews. Open from 7 pm (closed Tuesdays), it works best as an evening destination after dinner elsewhere. Booking is easy but Friday and Saturday slots fill — contact ahead to confirm.
Carico Milano earns a clear recommendation for anyone serious about cocktails in Milan. Located at Via Savona 1 in the Navigli-adjacent Tortona district, it has climbed Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe rankings three consecutive years — Highly Recommended in 2023, #190 in 2024, and #254 in 2025 — making it one of the most externally validated bars in the city. A Google rating of 4.4 across 277 reviews adds further weight. If you are in Milan for more than a night and cocktails are part of your agenda, this is where to spend an evening.
Carico is a cocktail bar, not a restaurant, so arrive with the right expectations: this is a drinks-led experience with Leonardo D'Ingeo at the helm of the program. The Tortona district is a considered, lower-key part of Milan compared to the Brera or Porta Venezia bar scenes , walkable from the Navigli canals, with a neighbourhood character that suits a venue focused on the quality of what's in the glass rather than spectacle around it. For international context, Carico sits in a similar position to Tayēr + Elementary in London or ABV in San Francisco: bars that attract serious drinkers through consistent output rather than hype.
Carico opens at 7 pm every day except Tuesday, closing at 2 am. There is no lunch or daytime service, so the lunch-versus-dinner question doesn't apply here in the traditional sense , but it does shape how you plan around it. If you are building a full Milan evening, Carico works well as a post-dinner destination rather than a dinner replacement. Pair it with an early meal at a nearby restaurant in the Navigli area, or combine it with a reservation at one of Milan's serious dining rooms and head to Carico for the close of the night. The late closing time of 2 am gives you real flexibility, which matters in a city where dinner rarely ends before 10 pm. Wednesday through Sunday are your windows; if your itinerary includes a Tuesday in Milan and cocktails are the priority, plan accordingly.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is one of Carico's practical advantages over Milan's harder-to-access dining experiences. That said, its OAD recognition means it draws visitors who plan ahead , arriving without a reservation on a Friday or Saturday evening carries more risk than mid-week. Contacting the venue directly before arrival is the sensible move. The bar's compact Tortona location means capacity is limited; showing up late on a weekend without confirming availability is the one avoidable mistake here.
For food and drink explorers building a serious Milan itinerary, Carico serves a specific role: it is the cocktail anchor of an evening that might otherwise be dominated by the city's strong restaurant scene. Milan's leading dining addresses , including Enrico Bartolini, Seta, and Andrea Aprea , don't offer the kind of cocktail depth that Carico does. Carico fills that gap with a bar-first approach and the OAD credentials to back it up. For those exploring Italy more broadly, reference-point bars in the country are rare outside Rome and Milan, which gives Carico a clear contextual position for visitors who have already covered dining experiences at places like Osteria Francescana in Modena or Uliassi in Senigallia and are rounding out their trip with strong city-based drinking.
You can find more options across our full Milan bars guide, and if you are still building out your full trip, see our Milan restaurants guide, our Milan hotels guide, and our Milan experiences guide.
Specific menu items are not available in our data, so we won't invent them. What the OAD recognition and 4.4 Google rating suggest is that the cocktail program is the core strength. Ask the bartender what is seasonal or current , bars at this level typically rotate their offering, and staff recommendations will be more accurate than any list we could reproduce. Avoid ordering wine or spirits simply; this is a bar that rewards engagement with its cocktail menu.
Carico is a cocktail bar, not a restaurant or hybrid dining room. Food offerings, if any, are not detailed in our data. Plan to eat before you arrive or treat Carico as a drinks-only stop. That framing makes the visit cleaner , you get a better experience when you are not trying to make it do something it isn't designed for.
For a full evening out focused on food rather than cocktails, Cracco in Galleria and Andrea Aprea are the reference points at the leading of Milan dining. For something more creative and accessible, Verso Capitaneo is worth considering. If you want a bar experience with international comparison points, see how Carico sits against Tayēr + Elementary in London for a sense of the category's range. Within Milan specifically, Carico's OAD ranking makes it the most credentialed cocktail bar we can point to in our current data.
Carico doesn't offer lunch , it opens at 7 pm. So the real question is when during the evening to go. Earlier in the evening (7–9 pm) tends to be quieter and better for conversation; later gets busier as the night progresses. If you want a calmer experience with more attention from the bar team, arrive closer to opening. If you prefer the energy of a full room, come after 10 pm. Either way, eat dinner elsewhere first.
We don't have specific dietary information in our data, and the bar's website and phone number are not listed in our record. The safest approach is to contact the venue directly before your visit. As a cocktail bar rather than a restaurant, most dietary concerns around food are less relevant , but if you have allergies related to spirits, mixers, or garnishes, flag them when you book or on arrival.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, but Carico's OAD ranking draws a knowing crowd, and Friday and Saturday evenings fill faster than mid-week. A week's notice is generally sufficient, but if your dates are fixed and a weekend is involved, contact them as soon as your trip is confirmed. Tuesday is closed, so factor that in when planning.
Yes , a cocktail bar at this level is one of the better solo formats in any city. You can sit at the bar, talk to the team, and move at your own pace without the awkwardness that sometimes comes with solo restaurant dining. Carico's credentials mean the staff are likely to be engaged and knowledgeable, which makes solo visits more rewarding. It also fits neatly into a solo evening: dinner elsewhere, then Carico for drinks, and you have covered two distinct experiences without needing a group.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carico Milano | Easy | — | |
| Enrico Bartolini | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Cracco in Galleria | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Andrea Aprea | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Seta | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Horto | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Carico Milano and alternatives.
Carico is a cocktail-led bar with Leonardo D'Ingeo directing the drinks program, so the cocktail list is the main event — order from it rather than treating drinks as a warm-up for something else. The bar has held OAD Casual Europe ranking consecutively since 2023, which signals a consistent standard worth trusting. Specific menu items are not confirmed in available data, so ask the bar team what is current on arrival.
Carico is a cocktail bar, not a restaurant, so food is not the focus here. Arrive having eaten, or plan a dinner reservation elsewhere in the Tortona or Navigli area before heading in from 7pm. Treating it as a drinks stop rather than a dining venue is the right frame for getting the most from a visit.
If you want a full dinner experience to anchor your evening, Seta or Horto both operate at a high level in Milan and offer structured tasting formats that Carico does not. For a more casual food-and-drink evening, Enrico Bartolini and Cracco in Galleria cover the dining side. Carico is the drinks anchor of a Milan evening, not a replacement for a restaurant booking.
There is no lunch service at Carico. The bar opens at 7pm every evening except Tuesday and runs until 2am, so the question does not apply. Tuesday closure is the only scheduling constraint to plan around when building a Milan itinerary.
As a cocktail bar rather than a restaurant, Carico's dietary restriction question is less relevant than at a full dining venue. Cocktails are the core offer. If you have specific requirements around any food served alongside drinks, contacting the bar directly before visiting is the practical step — no phone or website is confirmed in available data, so approach via social channels or on arrival.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is one of Carico's practical advantages in Milan. That said, its consecutive OAD rankings since 2023 mean it draws a drinks-aware crowd, and arriving earlier in the evening on a Friday or Saturday reduces the risk of a wait. A same-week or even same-day approach is likely viable on weeknights.
Yes — a cocktail bar format is one of the better solo options in any city, and Carico's bar-counter setup suits a single drinker well. You are there for the drinks program under Leonardo D'Ingeo, not for a table experience, so solo visits fit the format naturally. The 7pm–2am window gives flexibility on when to arrive.
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