Osteria Fara — Restaurant in Milan

When visiting Milan the list of food options were overwhelming. We couldn't find an affordable place to eat near the Duomo, so came back to the hotel and found this place, with good Trip Advisor reviews, so decided to eat here. SO glad we did! We didn't have a bad dish all night. But what was even better, this was the first place in Italy where we really enjoyed our service. It was obvious that they were intent on making our stay fun. The manager and the server both had a sense of humour, and were focused on their work and efficient. The Bruschetta and Champagne upon arrive ('cover') was the perfect way to start the meal. My husband loved his artichoke salad, and his Risotto Milanese was wonderful. I had the Tagliatelle Bolognese, which was excellent, and obvious that it was made with fresh ingredients (and fresh made pasta!) We shared some tiramisu at the end - which was amazing (and glad we shared it because it was huge!) Also the cheapest desert we ordered all trip. Found we got a great value for the price we paid, and more importantly, a highly enjoyable dinner experience. Would highly recommend. (Also, the seafood and pizzas coming out to neighbouring tables...

We dined here on a Saturday evening, we had no reservations but we were seated promptly. We sat in the courtyard area, great ambiance, but we noticed that courtyard is surrounded by apartment windows, peculiar we thought!

Menu is complete, offering those typical dishes that Italy has to offer.

Server was attentive, service was good, but he greatly disappointed me when the bill arrived and he asked me if I wanted to leave a tip; that to me is a big no-no to ask; it makes me think that it caters to the tourists rather than the locals.

Warm Focaccia bread was brought to the table shortly after we were seated, freshly baked!! My cocktail the Aperol Spritz was refreshing! For starters we ordered the Tuna Tartare and the Asparagus with butter sauce, great choices! My main course, the Chicken Scaloppini, was well prepared and lemon flavor was subtle, no side dish with it. For dessert we selected the Apple Tart and the Tiramisu; yummy!

I will rate the food very good, very well presented, and the service rates very good as well, but the server asking for a tip definitely takes this restaurant down 1 star, thus the 4...

Nicholas is a waiter at Osteria Fara. He gets customer service. Lots of little things to enhance our evening there. From complementary Prosecco when we arrived, to a free Limoncello when our meal was complete, Nicholas was making sure we had a good experience.

We started our meal with a cold seafood antipasto. We ordered a trio of items including oysters, prawns, and crayfish. Oysters were excellent, the others were not our thing.

We ordered the risotto Milanese and the Grilled sea bass for our primi and secondi and added the asparagus as a contorini. The risotto was absolutely perfect. I could have eaten more of it (the portion sizes were perfect. I was just hungry).

We had gelato and the torta di mele for dessert. Skip the creme brulee and tiramisu you will be inclined to order. The apple cake was so good (served warm with vanilla ice cream on the side).

If you're staying at the Milan Hilton, it's a five minute walk and safe for singles to journey on their own. Check them out,...