Il Marchese Milano

Il Marchese brings Roman swagger to central Milan with admirable confidence. Tucked off Via dei Bossi, close to La Scala and the Brera orbit, it takes a city known for restraint and gives it a room with velvet, marble, mosaic floors and a decidedly theatrical Art Deco pulse. The restaurant is the Milanese sibling of the Roman original and nods to Il Marchese del Grillo, the Alberto Sordi film that inspired its name. 

In the kitchen, executive chef Daniele Roppo works from the Roman canon, then sharpens it for a contemporary dining room. Carbonara, amatriciana and gricia are the headliners, joined by Roman classics such as veal saltimbocca and pork belly. Then there is the amaro obsession, which gives the place much of its personality: the Michelin Guide highlights a collection of more than 600 labels, enough to make dinner feel delightfully dangerous in the best Milanese sense. You come for the pasta, stay for the atmosphere, and leave wondering whether one digestif was ever going to be enough.