Kilburn Cocktail Bar Milano — Restaurant in Milan

Stunning Bar, Charming Owner, and a €60 Bait-and-Switch

My husband and I were excited to visit Kilburn on a quiet Friday evening. Walking in, we were immediately captivated. The decor is absolutely beautiful, sophisticated, and intimate. With only two other couples there, we sat at the bar and struck up a truly lovely conversation with the owner, even connecting over the fact that he used to live in London, where we're from.

We were full of compliments for his bar and, trusting his expertise, asked for a cocktail recommendation. The menu prices looked standard for Milan, around €15 a drink. I explained I like vodka-based classics (Martinis, Cosmos), and my husband asked for a dirty martini.

My husband's martini was lovely. My "special" vodka cocktail, however, was bafflingly simple and tasted like little more than a vodka soda. It was... fine? Good vodka, maybe, but utterly disappointing for a high-end cocktail bar. I didn't want to be negative, so I said nothing.

We only had time for one drink before our dinner reservation, but we cheerfully promised to return the next day. Then we got the bill.

For two drinks—my underwhelming vodka soda and his martini—the total was €60.

We were speechless. It was clear we'd been had. The owner, after all that friendly conversation, had "suggested" a vodka for me that must have been €40 for a single pour, without a single word of warning. There was no "I have a very special, premium vodka I'd recommend," no discussion of price, just a charming smile as he served up the most expensive "vodka soda" in Italy.

It was a classic, deplorable tourist trap. What a shortsighted and greedy move. He made a quick €30 profit but lost two customers who would have happily returned and brought friends. We paid without arguing—what's the point? But the feeling of being so blatantly scammed left a terrible taste in our mouths (a much stronger taste than the cocktail, anyway).

So, future visitors, be warned. By all means, go and admire the beautiful decor. But if you value your wallet, DO NOT accept any "special suggestions" from the owner. Stick to the menu, point directly at what you want, and double-check the price of anything he recommends. Otherwise, you might also find yourself paying a king's ransom for the most disappointing drink of your trip....

I'm correcting my post here after the comment of the owner:

Stay with: Very particular place in terms of interior. Chilled music at a volume that makes conversation easy. Staff pays attention and is very friendly.

Adjust: The quality of cocktails is actually very high as only high quality ingredients are used. You also pay that, I've had a negroni for 13 euro. Taste of my cocktail: Good and delicate, not superb in my opinion. The special was that the orange aroma was sprayed at the glass instead of adding a splash of the skin to the drink (I didn't intent to talk about aroma here, but natural flavour) which led to a lack of flavor of orange in the drink. I really appreciate the orange flavour in Negroni. My friend had a fruity cocktail which was big, delicate and tasty/good. All cocktails range from 13-20€ The food is very good. Bathroom is poor for the place ( yeah I might have gone to the man's bathroom, but it's still a fact, can't judge the women's bathroom).

In any case I'd go back and try other drinks as it is really a special place and...

Try it one time and definitely i Will not return due to a completely wrong old fashioned. Anyway they got a very nice pepperoni and rhum based cocktail. Expensive place. Make your choice but at least give it a chance.

answering the owner: mixology is not my environment for sure so i will keep as a secret my raw and super rugged old fashioned recipe, which i still prefer. quality is not under trial here, flavour is, and if a client order such a drink is talking to you, make it intense man. about the price i was talking in general and the avg price for a drink of your list is about 13 14 euros which for sure is not cheap and place you directly in the top 10 expensive place for a drink in milan. i'm not saying that you cannot prepare drinks infact the pepperoni based one was awesome, just learn to accept critics, i'm sure that 3 star in the review will not ruin your...