Cin cin! Enter a new era of Milan cocktail bars

Milan has long been known as a world-class destination for fashion (Milan Fashion Week A/W 2025 kicks off today, 25 February), design, and food, but when it came to nightlife, the city never quite rivalled other creative capitals, like Paris or London. But in recent years, a bit of a renaissance after dark has hit, with a wave of new cocktail bars and aperitivo spots opening seemingly every month. The momentum was solidified when the fashion designer Massimo Giorgetti held a four-night-long event last year that he dubbed ‘I Bar di Quartiere’ (The Neighbourhood Bars), with each evening dedicated to one of his favourites.

What’s even more exciting about the city’s new crop of bars is that most aren’t run by traditional hospitality groups. Instead, the latest generation of owners come from the creative fields – film producers, models, chefs, and creative directors – all of whom are redefining nightlife and making the city a more dynamic place. From chromed-out spaces designed for DJ nights and film viewings to intimate listening bars with menus inspired by Japan, Milan’s newest bars are as stylish and boundary-pushing as the city itself.

Explore the best cocktail bars in Milan

Bar Nico

Set in a former pasta shop – whose vintage signage remains intact on the building’s façade – on a curving corner of Via Cesare Saldini overlooking the quiet Piazza Francesco Guardi, Bar Nico has become a staple for the genteel Acquabella neighbourhood. Local firm SagomaStudio designed the interior with stainless steel fixtures, concrete walls, simple wooden bistro seating and a rough cement bar softly illuminated by backlit panels overhead – which, even from a distance, can be seen glowing red through the bar’s wide picture windows. The kitchen serves a concise offering of thoughtfully prepared small plates – from smoked sardines to sliced meats and cheese – alongside mostly European natural wines and an extensive menu of nonalcoholic options.

Bar Nico is located at Via Cesare Saldini, 2, 20133 Milano, Italy; barnicomilano.com

Bene Bene

When cocktail bar Bene Bene opened overlooking Porta Venezia’s Morgagni Park at the end of 2022, it was among the first in what would become a growing crop of listening bars in Milan. Revolving around a sound system designed by co-founder Giorgio Di Salvo, Bene Bene has since become a late-night destination for the fashion and design set, who flock here for the expertly crafted drinks by legendary barman Morris Maramaldi. The interior was designed by architect Luca Toniolo, who envisioned a sleek contemporary aesthetic defined by slate grey walls, a dark-stained wooden bar, stainless steel furniture, and contemporary artwork by the likes of Dario Guccio, Emanuele Marcuccio, and Daniele Milvio.

Bene Bene is located at Via Giovanni Battista Morgagni, 31, 20129 Milano, Italy; bene-bene.it

Dexter Soundbites

A newcomer to the Isola neighbourhood, Dexter Soundbites is a 25-seat restaurant and listening bar where food and music share the spotlight. It was a month spent in Japan that planted the seed for English-Italian chef and founder Giovanni DeNardi to open his own space, where he could blend his passions for Japanese, Peruvian and Mexican cooking – the menu includes dishes like tuna tostadas, pumpkin and sage tempura and cotoletta buns – with his love of vinyl, which is played nightly from the bar’s impressive sound system. Designed by DDSarchitettura, the space was envisioned to be closer to a library than a cocktail bar, with wood-lined walls and hundreds of sleeves of records proudly on display.

Dexter Soundbites is located at Via Carmagnola, 15, 20159 Milano, Italy; dexters.superbexperience.com

Lubna

When Fondazione Prada opened in the industrial Scalo Porta Romana area of Milan in 2015, the surroundings housed little more than warehouses and the occasional corporate head office. But over the past ten years, the district has flourished, with new galleries, restaurants and, come winter 2026, the Olympic Village. Adding to the mix is Lubna, a cocktail bar, restaurant and listening lounge, which opened in early 2025. Featuring a brutalist-inspired interior by Florence’s Q-bic studio – with moody black walls, low-slung leather furniture and concrete floors – the 1,200 sq m space revolves around a central courtyard planted with several shade-giving trees. In addition to a vast cocktail list, chef Enrico Croatti curates a menu focused on both raw and fire-grilled dishes, adding to the convivial yet cutting-edge vibe.

Lubna is located at Via Vezza d’Oglio, 14, 20139 Milano, Italy; lubnamilano.com

Section80 Bar

Located in the Isola neighbourhood on the northern edge of the city’s centre, Section80 bar’s central focus is undeniably music. Several times each week, DJs from Milan and abroad take up residence in the minimal, Studio Wok-designed space overlooking the busy via Farini – with its matte metal bar, asymmetrical tables, and black risers lining the edge of the room. On quieter nights, however, there is space to relax and peruse one of the magazines or books curated by Edicola 518, indulge in a glass of natural wine and simple aperitivo snacks like kimchi toasties, or, if you’re lucky, take in a film on the LED screen that dominates the back wall.

Section80 Bar is located at Via Carlo Farini, 44, 20159 Milano, Italy; @section80.bar

Ultramarino

The intersection of Via Lambro and Via Melzo in the Porta Venezia neighbourhood was already an established nightlife destination when Ultramarino opened its doors in 2024. But the compact bar has added to the buzz with its focus on natural wines and excellent Sicilian-inspired seafood tapas menu, which includes sourdough with butter and anchovies, devilled eggs with tuna and capers from Panetelleria, and swordfish toasts with lemon and fennel. The stripped-back interior lends itself to an informal vibe, with raw concrete walls, stainless steel room dividers and wire metal shelving showcasing the bar’s over 200 bottles sourced from across the Mediterranean.

Ultramarino is located at Via Lambro, 9, 20129 Milano, Italy; @ultramarino

Also read: A guide to the best fashion stores Milan has to offer