Cafeography
Milan · Porta Venezia

Cafés in Porta Venezia

Filter coffee on Via Broggi, Eritrean bars on Via Lecco and the Negroni sbagliato's home on Via Plinio.

Photo: tommy picone, Pexels License

Porta Venezia takes its name from the eastern gate of the old city, whose neoclassical toll houses by Rodolfo Vantini were completed in 1827–28, with reliefs and statues added in 1833.1 Beyond the gate, Corso Buenos Aires runs out past department stores, cheap clothing and shoe shops, and the Indro Montanelli gardens hold the natural history museum and the planetarium.1

The district has a long history of immigration and is sometimes called Milan's African quarter; an Eritrean community began forming here in the 1960s, during Eritrea's war of independence.12 Via Lecco is also the center of the city's LGBTQ+ nightlife.1 Via Plinio has the most cafés, ahead of Via Alessandro Tadino and Corso Buenos Aires, then Viale Abruzzi and Via Giovanni Battista Morgagni.

Local tip: Orsonero on Via Broggi closes at 17:00 on weekdays and 13:00 on Sundays, so go in the morning; for coffee after midnight, Memà on Largo Fra Paolo Bellintani serves until 03:00.

At a glance

110Cafés listed
14With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
03:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Il Mago di Oz, from 06:00 (Daily 06:00–13:00).
  • Closes latest: Memà, until 03:00 (Daily 07:00–03:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (20%), indoor seating (13%), partial wheelchair access (9%).

Orsonero Coffee

  • Via Giuseppe Broggi, 15
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Sat 09:00–17:00 · Sun 09:00–13:00
  • +393534789474
  • Indoor seating
  • Partial wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Porta Venezia

Getting around Porta Venezia

Several stations on metro line M1 serve the district, and Porta Venezia also has a small railway station.1 The M1 platform at Porta Venezia, painted in rainbow colors, is one of the most photographed spots in the city.2

Along Corso Buenos Aires, San Pietro Cafe is at number 6 and Crisma, with tables outside, at number 33. I siciliani and Siesta café face Piazza Argentina, and Frankly Bubble Tea & Coffee is on the same square.

Bars of the Eritrean quarter

Addis Abeba, at Via Lecco 7, has been run by Anna for about 20 years; it serves inexpensive cocktails and injera and has become a rainbow-flag meeting place.2 Red Cafe, next door at number 5, is run by Zaidne, known as Za.2

Bar Hiwinet is on Via Lazzaro Palazzi, and Massaua is at Via Alessandro Tadino 17, with Wi-Fi and hours split 08:00–17:00 and 19:00–23:30, Monday to Saturday.

Specialty coffee on Via Broggi

Orsonero opened at Via Giuseppe Broggi 15 in late 2016, set up by the Canadian Brent Jopson and his wife, Giulia Gasperini. It started with espresso from beans roasted by Gardelli Specialty Coffees in Forlì, filter methods such as V60 and AeroPress, and a La Marzocco machine.3 It opens Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00, Saturday 09:00–17:00 and Sunday 09:00–13:00.

Cafezal Specialty Coffee Roasters roasts its own beans and has a café on Via San Gregorio.7 It serves brunch and opens daily from 09:00, and Café Midi is on the same street at number 11.

Bar Basso, Vergani and the late bars

Bar Basso, at Via Plinio 39, dates from 1933.4 Mirko Stocchetto, a Venetian barman who came to Via Plinio from a bar in Porta Vigentina, made the Negroni sbagliato there in 1968; he died in 2016, aged 86.5 Since a 1999 party with designers such as Marc Newson and Jasper Morrison, it has been the late-night meeting point of the Salone del Mobile.4

Caffè Vergani, at Via Saverio Mercadante 17, carries the name of the panettone house Angelo Vergani started on Viale Monza in 1944.6 After dark, Memà on Largo Fra Paolo Bellintani opens daily 07:00–03:00, and Bar dell'Angolo on Via Francesco Hayez serves until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sources

  1. Porta Venezia, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. La "Piccola Asmara" di Milano: dalle radici eritree alle bandiere arcobaleno a Porta Venezia (Agnese Torres), Italy Segreta (August 2024), accessed October 2026
  3. Orsonero Coffee, third wave coffee in Milan (Michela Becchi), Gambero Rosso International (December 26, 2016), accessed October 2026
  4. Bar Basso owner Maurizio Stocchetto tells the story of the legendary Milan bar (Brad Turner), Dezeen (May 5, 2010), accessed October 2026
  5. RIP Mirko Stocchetto, the barman responsible for the Negroni sbagliato (Livia Montagnoli), Gambero Rosso International (November 16, 2016), accessed October 2026
  6. Vergani, 80 anni di panettone a Milano, Il Giorno, accessed October 2026
  7. Cafezal Milano | Specialty Coffee Roasters, Cafezal, accessed October 2026
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In Porta Venezia, also browse: Outdoor seating Pasticcerie Open by 6am Open late Wi-Fi Bubble tea

FAQ

Porta Venezia cafés: questions

Where is Orsonero specialty coffee in Milan's Porta Venezia?

Orsonero is at Via Giuseppe Broggi 15 in Porta Venezia. The Canadian Brent Jopson and Giulia Gasperini opened it in late 2016 with beans from Gardelli Specialty Coffees in Forlì and filter methods such as V60 and AeroPress. It opens Monday to Friday 08:00–17:00, Saturday 09:00–17:00 and Sunday 09:00–13:00.

What is the history of Bar Basso in Porta Venezia, Milan?

Bar Basso, at Via Plinio 39, dates from 1933. The Venetian barman Mirko Stocchetto made the Negroni sbagliato there in 1968, using sparkling wine in place of gin. Since a 1999 party with designers including Marc Newson and Jasper Morrison, it has been the late-night meeting point during the Salone del Mobile.

Why is Porta Venezia in Milan called the African quarter?

Porta Venezia has a long history of immigration, and an Eritrean community began forming around it in the 1960s, during Eritrea's war of independence. Eritrean bars such as Addis Abeba and Red Cafe on Via Lecco, which is also the center of Milan's LGBTQ+ nightlife, are part of it.

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