Terrazza Duomo 21 — Restaurant in Milan

The first thing I noticed upon entering was the ‘service director’ turning away two ladies in front of us. They were not interested in dining, preferring to have drinks outside. On the other hand, I hadn’t eaten yet (it was 10 pm), so my companion and I managed to secure a table outside. I must admit, the view was amazing, but that’s exactly where the greatness ended.

As soon as we were seated, we received the dinner and cocktail menus, but there was no wine menu. After about 15 minutes of deciding what to order, we were ready. However, after waiting for over 30 minutes and speaking to two staff members who apparently couldn’t take orders, we were informed that a waiter would come to us. At this point, our mood shifted towards leaving rather than staying, which, in hindsight, might have been the better choice. However, hunger got the better of us.

The food arrived surprisingly quickly, putting a smile on our faces, albeit briefly. Once the food was on the table and we had a closer look, our expressions changed. (For reference, I ordered the ‘Duomo 21’ hamburger, while my companion ordered what I would describe as truffle and mushroom noodles with a sauce that seemed to come straight from a supermarket can.)

Let me break down my hamburger (starting from the bottom): dry bread, wilted salad, the cheapest and most artificial-looking meat I have ever encountered, what they called cocktail sauce, and finally, more dry bread.

The potato slices served as a side dish were equally disappointing, having clearly sat under a heating lamp for at least 30 minutes. They were as crunchy as Pringles and bore no resemblance to actual fries.

In conclusion, the burger was excessively salty, and based on my companion’s experience, I observed them leaving the mushrooms on the plate rather than in their stomach. Notably, my companion was unwell later that night. Coincidence? I doubt it, especially considering I was told the dish was ‘disgusting.’

Now, onto the drinks. Each cocktail cost 20€, which is high but acceptable since it’s a 5-star hotel. However, they use low-quality alcohol in each cocktail. There’s an option to upgrade to premium alcohol for an additional 5€, bringing the total for one cocktail to 25€?! Even in Italy, I wouldn’t pay that much, and I don’t even pay that much in Switzerland.

In my final assessment, I can confidently state that I will never set foot in this hotel or its bar/restaurant again. The food and drinks are of poor quality, the staff is incredibly slow, and the overall atmosphere is subpar. As a 5-star hotel, it should be ashamed to have such a lackluster bar/restaurant. This experience is personally the worst I’ve ever had.

(Everything I’ve stated is my personal opinion, and I stand firmly behind it. I hope these issues will be acknowledged and addressed. I look forward to reading reviews the next time I find myself in Milan).

PS: I will never pay 70€ for a white wine with a screw...

Please DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU ARE ALONE! Or a person of mixed black and white descent! You may receive the most unfriendly welcome like I did, which will ruin your night in Milan. I tried this restaurant on Thursday, it was quite late and they said they were closing soon which I appreciate. I came back tonight (Friday) and admittedly didnt have a reservation but they weren't full, closed, and letting people in. The doorman first of all lied to me and said they have a policy where you have to be in a group of 2 or more people! This is insane, and I have never heard anything so crazy in a major city! I have been to London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, and other major cities as a solo traveller and never ever ever heard of this rule. I could understand if he said there was a minimum spend and offered a choice but to just lie (nothing about their solo policy has been mentioned online / the night before). For the 2nd night in a row I was looked at like I didnt have the money to spend there and it gave me the strong impression it was because of the colour of my skin!!!

The 2nd reason for this was because I was in a dress, which covered my knees, and I even had a scarf in my pocket to cover my chest if needed as I had been in the Duomo Cathedral (who do have a strict dress code re knee length) earlier in the afternoon. Yet I was told that I was not dressed formal enough? Hmm strange right? Maybe I didnt have the right colour or look as I am plus size, to be in this restaurant / bar!!

Thank you for ruining my last night in Milan, I really hope people like me avoid this place so they don't have such a horrible experience like I did! The way I was looked at brought a tear to my eye, so I made a point of spending over £100 in the restaurant I did eventually find, as I had the money to spend on my last night but wasn't...

Let’s start with the hype social media has created about this place- “DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY”. There are much better places to eat and experience the view of the steps. You will be doing yourself a big favour by grabbing a gelato and experiencing the view from downstairs rather than breaking a bank coming over to this place. Fine Dinning- All around the world I have visited and if you don’t like the food you ordered all the restaurants are more than happy to change it for you and would even recommend the dishes as per your liking. Matter of fact when I asked the server that is there anyway possible to replace the dish (since my first order was horrible and the menu had no good explanation about the dish, neither the server was able to explain it). Forget about the money part, they go a find there head server which in turns without even asking about why I didn’t like the food wants to remind me that I am the one who ordered the food, c’mon I am very well aware that I have ordered the food and I don’t like it. But at least try to make the guest comfortable and give them the choices for something else that they can try. In this case instead I am telling them how & what to make, so that I can have atleast something to fill my stomach.

“Food subpar quality attitude as if they have Michelin Star”

Even Michelin Star restaurants don’t have this attitude matter of fact they go above and beyond to make the guest feel comfortable. I was charged for the dish I dint like and on top of it charged for another dish as well which in my opinion is not at all acceptable.

So I would not be recommending this place to all the future experience seekers which are mislead by there reviews and social media hype do yourself a favour to...