Camparino in Galleria

Camparino in Galleria has one of those Milan addresses that feels almost unfair to the competition: right at Piazza Duomo, inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, with the cathedral and the city’s daily theatre drifting past the windows. Davide Campari opened it in 1915, and the place quickly became famous for a clever system that sent chilled seltz up from the cellar, giving Milan a sharper, colder Campari soda than anyone else. That signature still matters, and ordering the Campari Seltz at the Bar di Passo remains the move of someone who understands the assignment. 

The interior is part time capsule, part impeccably dressed Milanese salon. The 2019 restoration by Lissoni respected the Liberty era bones, from the historic mosaics to the polished wood, ironwork and frescoed surfaces, while the upstairs Sala Spiritello gave the address a more contemporary stage. On the drinks side, head bartender Tommaso Cecca keeps the classics in excellent shape while pushing a few sharper signatures. On the food side, the relaunch notably brought in Davide Oldani’s Pan’cot concept, designed for cocktail pairing. In other words, this is not the place for a rushed espresso and existential confusion. It is where Milan goes to look like Milan.