Pino in Duomo — Restaurant in Milan

31.05.2024 Great experience.

The restaurant is located adjacent to the famous Vittorio Emanuelle gallery, but the entrance is on the outside, from a side street. It’s quite shielded from the crowd and noise of the main gallery. The only downside is that it may be a little bit harder to find. When we visited, it had extended to two buildings that were across the street from each other.

There’s a digital version of the menu, you just have to scan the QR code on the cardboard sign. There’s wifi, the password is also on the cardboard.

The staff speak good English. Our main waiter was polite, attentive and knowledgeable. He was very briefly assisted by a younger colleague who couldn’t tell one drink from another and was soon given less challenging tasks.

We had the classic Lasagna (layers of pasta with meat, cheese and tomato sauce) and the Ravioli Capri (pasta filled with cheese, tomato and basil sauce), which were in the special menu.

When it came time to choose what to have for dessert, the waiter brought us a tray with every type of cake on it. Very nice and fancy. We had the lemon cake and the pistachio & white chocolate cake. Both yummy. They also have tiramisu, cheesecakes, a rum pastry and other varieties.

The drinks were amazing. We were greeted with complimentary champagne, which I found much tastier than I expected (as I usually don’t like most champagnes). But the best surprises were the Pistacchiello and Meloncello, drinks related to the classic Italian drink called Limoncello. I’m usually quite picky about alcoholic drinks (my taste buds are weird), but I think I could drink this pistachio liqueur until I get drunk. It’s delicious. At the end of the meal, we also received 2 more tiny bottles of melon and pistachio liqueur for free (in addition to the free champagne). We felt spoiled and happy.

I would definitely...

Short story: Food was good. Service was not. Rude waiter pushed for tips. Long story: The waiter (who appeared to be an older man and had most experience in there) came out with the bill and pointed out to me that service is not included, and that tips are cash only. I was surprised because I have never been asked for a tip in such a direct manner as if it was mandatory, but I respectfully asked again if I could add tip to the card, and he said “This is Italy, not America.” I felt intimidated. He literally was standing 2ft away from me taking a glance every few seconds checking on his tips even though I already paid the bill. I felt like I would be in trouble if I don’t tip, but I didn’t have any small bills so ended up giving him a €10 tip on a €37 dinner. Don’t get me wrong; I typically tip well (20%-30%) and happy to do so for great service and kind/hard working people. But this is not the case. I believe I saw him put that €10 bill into his pocket behind the counter but can’t confirm for sure. Went home and googled if this is somehow considered “normal” in Milan, and apparently it is not. I was targeted as a tourist, especially with an American accent (even though I am Asian by race) smiled and said please and thank you every time I was served... Such an unpleasant experience.

Before that, an Indian family with 2 little kids came in next to my table and asked for recommendation for vegetarian options. After his rushed answer, the wife asked “what about pasta? Your friend outside told us there are many vegetarian pasta options” and he answered in an upset manner: “Let me tell you, my “friend” knows nothing. His job is to push you in here. That’s it.” I was shocked. How is this acceptable? This should not be considered a “cultural difference”. It’s rudeness regardless of...

Hate to say it but… I’m fairly certain something I ate here messed up my stomach. Our waiter first, brought me the entirely wrong dish I had asked for gluten free carbonara and was brought out a bolognese and they seemed confused at first when I said this wasn’t what I’d ordered. They took it back and eventually said yes their mistake etc. Well after a few minutes I told my table to go ahead and eat before their food got cold, by the time my dish came out their plates had been cleared from the table. The waiter was very apologetic and assured it was his error and i could tell he kept asking the kitchen for my dish during the long wait, and assured the gluten free pasta took a touch longer than the regular and that was why it was taking so long. I can’t be certain that my pasta was gluten free as i had really bad cramps in my stomach for 2 days following - however, both my husband and mother had upset stomachs after their meals here and they’re not gluten free. One had lasagna and one had the plain spaghetti and tomato sauce. It had been quite a few hours since breakfast so we’re pretty confident it was from this meal. They were busy, it was Fashion week, but still - 3 of us but mostly me we’re left with upset stomachs after eating completely different things. Also - the bathrooms have no toilet seats and we’re quite dirty honestly - there was a line of women when i walked up and men came out both the ladies stalls, the handicap stall, and the men’s stall - i don’t mind sharing a gender neutral bathroom but if it’s labeled ladies it should be ladies. Although with no toilet seats on any stalls it’s difficult to tell...