Cafè del Binari (MI)
In Milan in Tortona, a retro café, born as a railway after-work club, today a romantic bastion of the Milanese tradition, still run by the same family, also owner of the attached and namesake restaurant, who founded it.
There are a few, very few, historic cafés that have not succumbed to the temptation of mass tourism, maintaining intact their period furnishings and private atmospheres. This is why Cafè del Binari is still today, for over 100 years, one of the most authentic and fascinating places in Milan.
Its history as a railway recreational club began in 1870 when the Porta Genova station was inaugurated and continues with a new chapter when in 1972 Cesare Denti, then manager of a well-known fashion company, decides to open, partly on a bet and partly out of passion, his own “parlour” where he could enjoy himself with friends and clients.
The café was born as a “home” to receive friends and lovers of good things in general.
(Cesare Denti, founder)
The Cafè is annexed, in fact, to the Osteria del Binari, a famous bastion of Milanese cuisine characterized by a large winter garden with a typical green iron-glass structure and an outdoor garden set up where the railway after-work club bowling greens were once located.
Many of the furnishings, including the fireplaces and exposed beams, are part of the original core of the building, while the Art Noveau touch was given by Cesare, a lover of this style and antique shops, in the 1970s.
Today, his son Matteo, a former fashion designer, runs the two venues, much loved by the “last romantics in Milan” and custodian, together with a few other addresses, of the true Milanese tradition.
Cafè del Binari is perfect for a morning coffee away from everything and everyone, or for lunch when, taking advantage of the kitchen of the adjacent restaurant, it offers the possibility of a break in the company of the most typical dishes of Lombard cuisine, accompanied by an extensive wine list, also perfect for a business lunch.
The Secret
Curiously, the entrances to the place have remained two as they once were: on the right, that of the Caffè del Binari, a bar and bistro open from breakfast to lunch, while on the left, open only in the evening, that of the restaurant.
Useful Info
Cafè del Binari
Via Tortona 1
20144 Milano
Tel. +39 02 89409428
Pasta dishes: from 14 euro
Lunch set menu: from 30 euro, wine excluded
