Editorial
Milan drinks on rooftops the way it does everything else, with the design turned up. The best terraces look at the Duomo or the Porta Nuova towers, charge around 20 euros a cocktail, and fill at aperitivo hour. Here are the four that hold up.
The orange-drenched terrace sits on the second floor of Il Mercato del Duomo, close enough to count the statues on the cathedral. It runs on Aperol Spritz and little else, so order one and move on. Tourists pack it from late afternoon. Open until 11pm, 1am on Saturdays. Come for the Duomo, not the drinks list.
Two pools and a long American bar on the roof of the Dsquared2 headquarters in Sarpi, open since 2012 and still the room Milan shows off. Chef Elio Sironi runs the kitchen. Expect cocktails north of 20 euros and a crowd dressed to be seen. Best at sunset, before the dinner tables fill. Book ahead.
On the tenth floor of the ME Milan Il Duca off Piazza della Repubblica, this is a hotel rooftop that knows it. Open from noon until past midnight, later on weekends. The cocktails are competent and priced for the address. The crowd skews international and dressed up after 9pm. Go early for a seat near the rail.
The seventh-floor terrace of the Excelsior Hotel Gallia, looking straight at Centrale station and the Porta Nuova towers. The Lebano brothers run it with consulting from three-star Da Vittorio, so the bar bites punch above hotel standard. Smart casual, cocktails priced for a Luxury Collection address. Quieter than the Duomo terraces. Best for a measured drink with a view.
Ceresio 7 and Terrazza Aperol are the two essentials. Most terraces peak between 6 and 9pm, aperitivo hour, and run April to October.
Six names from the earlier version of this list, including VP Plaza España and Locanda Altremura, were cut this update because they could not be confirmed as open Milan rooftop bars.