A Milan Design Week Guide for Foodies. Hero bar at Food for Thoughts by IKEA in Milan – Photo by IKEA.
Design. Few cities do gastronomy and design quite like Milan — and during design week, the two become genuinely inseparable. Enrico Zilli, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Archipanic, has put together a guide for foodies and food design lovers navigating Fuorisalone, the sprawling festival that spills across every corner of the city.
Coffee time & Breakfast
Marni x Pasticceria Cucchi – Photo by Alberto Strada.
A Milanese Art Deco staple, Pasticceria Cucchi [Corso Genova 1, Map] has teamed up with fashion and lifestyle label Marni for a three-month pop-up conceived by RedDuo Studio — the kind of spot where a morning cappuccino flows naturally into an evening aperitivo, with cocktails curated by Martini and Marni-branded keepsakes dotted throughout. On Thursdays until 15th July, live concerts bring the aperitivo hour to life.
Strucchi x Cassina Café – Photo by Simone Barberis.
A more classic pairing awaits at Via Durini 16, where historic vermouth brand Strucchi and furniture icon Cassina open their doors from morning espresso through to late aperitivo, wrapped in a quietly elegant interior [Via Durini 16, Map].
Metro1 Collection by Piovenefabi – Courtesy of Valerie_Objects.
Nordic On the red line, Nordic lighting brand Valerie_Objects has breathed new life into a long-forgotten space on the -1 level of Rovereto station [Map]. Between 9 am and noon, the spot welcomes foodies and wanderers alike for breakfast by Pasticceria G. Cova, with new works by PIOVENEFABI — drawn from the visual language of Milan’s metro — on display alongside.
Aperitivo time
Bar Basso – courtesy of Bar Basso.
Bar Basso [Via Plinio 39, Map] needs little introduction. Under Maurizio Stocchetto’s steady watch, it remains the natural gathering point for designers after a long day on the Fuorisalone circuit — unhurried, convivial, and steeped in history. This year marks its 50th anniversary, and the bar’s claim to fame remains intact: it invented the Negroni Sbagliato, the beloved “wrong Negroni” that swaps gin for Prosecco.
Bar Adrenalina-Acoustic lab by Debonademeo Studio – Photo by the designers.
Sound takes centre stage at Mosca Partner Variations [Corso Magenta 24, Map], where Debonademeo Studio has designed Bar Adrenalina for furniture brand Adrenalina — a bar that doesn’t play music so much as absorb it. Furnished with the brand’s own sofas and seating within the Boccascenacafé, the concept is straightforward and rather clever: “The idea is to go far beyond the clubbing experience — we don’t bring sound into the bar, we capture it from within.”
Sipping Energy by Sara Ricciardi x Ruggeri at Deoron, Milano Design Week 2026 – Foto di Mauro Consivlio.
The listening bar experience continues at the Deoron exhibition [Via Padova 11, Map]. Framed by a concept sound industrial bar by Stack, winery Ruggeri adds some well-timed fizz — premium Prosecco DOCG from Valdobbiadene, presented in limited-edition packaging by Sara Ricciardi. The collection goes by the name Sipping Energy, pulling colour and flavour from the steep Valdobbiadene landscape with a contemporary design edge.
Osteria Fiori di Marimekko – Courtesy of Marimekko.
Marimekko‘s Osteria Fiori di Marimekko [Via Ascanio Sforza 75, Map] is a multisensory and joyful treat for foodies drawn to bold print and pattern. Flower-infused cocktails, aperitivo bites inspired by the brand’s iconic designs, and a shoppable ceramic edit sit within a setting that blurs the line between gallery and dining room rather successfully.
Bar Pieno – ©Melania Dalle Grave ©DSL Studio.
For foodies who prefer their aperitivo with a side of spectacle, Bar Pieno sets up in a 1960s park pavilion just outside 6:AM’s OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER exhibition at Piscina Romano [Map]. Breakfast, aperitifs, and a constant flow of people, drinks, and conversations. Each night, eclectic restaurants team up with contemporary designers to propose tasty experiences.
Visual via IG by VOCLA – Follow @vocla.milano.
After dark, Alcova revives its much-loved Vocla bar [Via Mogadiscio 2, Map] within the atmospheric grounds of the Baggio Military Hospital. The nocturnal pop-up, developed with HENGE, pairs well-mixed drinks with DJ sets inside a vast industrial hangar — not a bad way to end the day. During the day, master baker Davide Longoni proposes toasts, focaccias and desserts on a desk powered by Mutina’s tiles designed by Ronan e Erwan Bouroullec.
Dine with Design
Altravista Trattoria @ 5Vie 2025 – Photo by Anoterview.
Tucked within the former stables of the Cavallerizze at Milan’s Science and Technology Museum [Via Olona 4, Map], Anotherview‘s temporary bistro and gaming room shifts register after dark, becoming an intimate restaurant built around a four-course menu by Chef Aldo Ritrovato. The guest list is curated as carefully as the food — the aim being to bring together people unlikely to cross paths elsewhere.
SupeRavioli Bistrot by Paola Navone, OTTO Studio – Photo via IG, follow @abkgroup_surfaces.
Foodies with a taste for theatre will feel at home at the SupeRavioli Bistrot by Paola Navone, OTTO Studio, presented by ABKStone at Superstudio Più [Via Tortona 27, Map]. Spaghetti-shaped chandeliers hang overhead, the atmosphere nods to the great Italian gastronomic deli, and at the heart of it all sits Cooking Surface Prime — an invisible induction cooking system built directly into the ceramic surface.
Bambou Sculpté by Clio De Maria at Dragon Kitchen – Photo by Dragon Kitchen.
Dragon Kitchen [Via Carlo Foldi 8, Map], a newly opened Chinese restaurant, provides the backdrop for Clio De Maria‘s Bambou Sculpté vessel collection — woven bamboo and resin forms that balance transparency and structure in equal measure. Light yet rigorous geometric interweave, paired with the restaurant’s signature Kubak rice.
Food Design installations and exhibitions
Food for Thoughts by IKEA in Milan – Photo by IKEA.
IKEA pairs chefs with designers and turns Spazio Maiocchi into a Swedish-inspired indoor market for its Food For Thought experience — blending furniture, live cooking and aperitivo culture with a preview of a new flagship collection. Co-created with architect Midori Hasuike and spatial designer Emerzon, the exhibition also features five room sets, each based on a different recipe, that reinterpret domestic spaces through spatial design and culinary experience. It’s a charming reminder that good design nourishes the soul just as much as a good meal [Via Achille Maiocchi 7, Map].
Chasing the Sun by Yinka Ilori x Veuve Cliquot – Photo by Veuve Cliquot.
At Mediateca Santa Teresa [Via Moscova 28, Map], British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori presents Chasing the Sun for Champagne Maison Veuve Clicquot — a limited-edition collection celebrating warmth, light, and colour with Ilori’s characteristic exuberance. Branded crockery, milk jugs, and sugar sachets are available to take home, which is a thoughtful touch.
EDIBLE REVERIES, Studio Yellowdot x Artisia – Courtesy of Artisia.
Artisia by Barilla brings something altogether new to the table — quite literally — with EDIBLE REVERIES, a design dream made of pasta [Via Melzo 34, Map], designed by Studio Yellowdot. The world’s first 3D-printed pasta is the starting point for a fully immersive experience: algorithmic finger food, pasta-inspired furniture, and daily tasting workshops pairing Spaghetto 3D with non-alcoholic cocktails by Cantina Pizzolato. Foodies can book their slot at www.artisia.com.
Franciacorta Studio – Photo by Matteo Viti.
At Via Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi 1 [Map], Franciacorta Studio explores the overlap between wine, marble, and local craft. Luce di Carrara contributes an installation where the two materials converge, while Pierattelli Architetture has designed a collection of objects for wine ritual — quiet, considered things that reward a closer look.
Plant Pulses by Marcin Rusak Studio – Courtesy of Maison Perrier Jouët.
Rounding things off with something more contemplative, Polish designer Marcin Rusak presents Forum Florum at SIAM 1938 [Via Santa Marta 18, Map] — an exploration of floral decay through laminated glass panels with flowers suspended within. Alongside it, Plant Pulses, an animation and sound installation developed with Champagne Maison Perrier-Jouët, closes the loop between nature, time, and design.
