Ratanà

Ratanà is one of the restaurants that best shows how Milanese cooking has moved on without forgetting its roots. Chef Cesare Battisti and his team cook Milanese and Lombard dishes with modern technique and a strong focus on seasonal, carefully sourced ingredients. The restaurant occupies an early 20th-century building within the headquarters of the Fondazione Riccardo Catella, on the edge of the Biblioteca degli Alberi park and close to the Bosco Verticale, so it sits right at the meeting point of old and new Milan.

The name honours Don Giuseppe Gervasini, a local priest and folk healer known in Milanese dialect as the prete di Ratanà. The menu changes monthly, but a group of traditional evergreen dishes stays on all year. The risotto alla milanese, made with saffron and served in the classic way, is the dish many people come for, and the breaded veal cutlet is another favourite. Seasonal starters, vegetable dishes and Lombard cheeses fill out the menu, and the wine list covers Lombardy and the rest of Italy.

The dining room is relaxed and contemporary, and in good weather there are tables outside overlooking the greenery. Prices are in the upper middle range, fair for the quality of cooking in a central location. The restaurant opens every day for lunch and dinner, which makes it useful on Sundays and Mondays, when some traditional trattorias close. The same team also runs Remulass, a vegetable-focused bistro on Via Nino Bixio.

Ratanà suits food lovers who want to taste Milanese classics done well, as well as couples and small groups. It is a good choice for a weekend lunch combined with a walk around Porta Nuova. Book online for groups of up to eight; a booking is confirmed only when you receive a confirmation email, so call the restaurant if you have not had one. Larger groups should use the contact form on the website.

The restaurant is between Garibaldi and Isola. The nearest metro stops are Gioia on line M2 and Isola on line M5, each a few minutes' walk away. Piazza Gae Aulenti, the Bosco Verticale and the bars and restaurants of the Isola district are all close by.