Ai Balestrari sul Naviglio Pavese — Restaurant in Milan

On our first night in Milan, we made reservations for our group of nine at Ai Balestrari sul Naviglio Pavese through The Fork app, which gave us a 20% discount on the 'a la carte' menu.

Upon entering, we were immediately struck by the restaurant's warm tones and welcoming ambiance. The festive Roman spirit was evident in every detail, making us feel right at home. From what I can see, there were more locals than tourist dining in, which is a good sign.

Despite a slight language barrier--as we were trying our best with Italian--the staff was incredibly accommodating. Being so thirsty from our walk, we thought we ordered one cup of water for each person. The staff sweetly misunderstood and brought a full large bottle of water for each of person (total of 9 bottles)! We found it amusing and were happy to have the extra hydration.

When our food arrived, there was a moment of complete silence as our large group was too busy devouring the delicious traditional Roman dishes. From pasta to bruschetta and drinks every option was incredible. We had a lot of tiramisu throughout our trip, but I have to say, Ai Balestrari's was the best!

It was the perfect end to a long day, and Ai Balestrari sul Naviglio Pavese certainly did...

My wife and I visited based on the great reviews. We left very disappointed. The staff were very nice, location was good, canal was a bit smelly, but not an issue.

Pasta was well cooked, good texture, but that’s it. Sauce was bland, flavour was not strong enough for a simple dish. My wife had the carbonara, stodgy and too rich. Wife’s main (escalope) tasted awful, swimming in a sauce of olive oil and white wine that had split.

mine (tripe) was drowned in the same bland sauce as my pasta. We had a couple of mouthfuls before giving up and asking for the bill. Would have thought the waiter would have asked if there was something wrong with the food, full plates going back. But said nothing when we asked for the bill? Pretty obvious something was wrong.

The photos from other reviews look great, was the chef not in when we visited? Really not worth what we paid, should have said something, but just...

It was an amazing experience here. Spaghetti Carbonara was just perfect. I personally love Carbonara so much so i have been to many restaurants in Rome only for Carbonara, but I can confidently say that here they have No.1 Carbonara. Also, I would like to mention the service of the employees there. They were all awesomely kind and friendly. I felt very welcomed. Last but not least, the price! It was really cheap. As you know many restaurants in Milan are expensive because it's a touristic city, but here, including drink (for me, it was during lunch time. I guess it is a special offer during lunch time) it was 12 euros only.

Thank you all employees for the amazing meal! I would definitely visit again when I visit Milan.

📌 Please don't forget to make reservations. It is a very popular restaurant, so it will be easier if you make reservation. I also did so and I definitely recommend making a...