Tram Tram — Restaurant in Milan

A great neighborhood restaurant with delicious, distinct food in a relaxed atmosphere with cozy decor.

I met a friend for lunch at Tram Tram, which opened up recently. First off, the place is not big so you feel like you will not be forgotten in a crowded room of customers. The furnishings are a mix of typical early 19th century Italian and custom artisan-made things (featuring a very cool hanging lamp in the center of the main room). So the feel is really welcoming and relaxing and definitely not fussy or overdone (see pics). The bar in the center of the room is also really nice and basically a revamped version of an old style Milan bar. There’s also some good contemporary art on the walls that combines well with the older furnishings. Even the restroom was elegant. The place is right in front of a trolley line that still has the gorgeous old style trolleys from the early 19th century. These pass frequently in front of Tram Tram so you get lots of glimpses of these beauties through the picture windows (see photo). The neighborhood is very strategically located in the center of Milan with lots of things to see and do nearby. In the true way of neighborhood places, it is owner operated. The owners were very laid-back and welcoming and attentive, without being intrusive. They also speak perfect English.

The food was prepared with great skill, menu planning and top quality ingredients. The Summer menu (in Italian) had many great things and made it hard to decide (see photo). Overall the flavors were very distinct and combined excellently. I started with salmon cubes marinated in orange on a bed of garden salad, puntarelle (a chicory variety) and pomegranate seeds. Really good. Then I had the lasagna with mozzarella, zucchini slices, zucchini flowers and 4 small anchovies curled on the plate at the corners. I was unsure about the anchovies but their strong salty flavor combined well with the lasagna. I ended up eating all four. For desert I had a homemade crumble of nectarines and blackberries. It was so good I wanted to order another immediately!. The fruit was very fresh and tangy and they did not over sweeten with too much sugar. Just the right amount. My friend had the tuna tartar with chopped red onion, cucumber, capers and citrus fruit. He also got a side of sautéed endives with anchovies, olives and pine nuts, which he loved and said were the best endive dish he ever had.

The prices are neither expensive nor cheap for Milan and I came away feeling that overall I got a great deal. Definitely my money’s worth and for sure a tram stop worth...

First time in Milan and wanted to try something authentically Milanese. Read amazing reviews about this place for the food and friendly service. One review said it was the best meal of their trip. So I had high expectations.

We got last minute reservations on whatsapp as their website leads to a Facebook page. Odd. Made reservations for 8:30. The staff wasn’t happy to see us and didn’t smile once during the entire service. Maybe they were overworked. Three servers for 20 people. When we were seated they said we have to give up the table at 9:30. Ok fine.

We ordered drinks and got bread. Wasn’t any olive oil on the table. Asked for olive oil and the poor girl didn’t understand me. Language barrier.

Drinks were fine. Seabass is bland. Eggplant parmigiana is better. Grilled octopus was pretty good but missing that little something. And a sad salad that wasn’t finished. Dishes came out late — last two dishes arrived 10 minutes before our 9:30 kick out.

Perhaps because it was busy night, the service was less than perfect. They were treating all guests the same - soulless demeanour.

There is a cover charge of €2.5 per person. I love Italy for its art and culture but this cover fee is ridiculous.

Not...

Tram tram, more like yum yum! Me and my partner couldn't recommend this place enough. Our server, Ale (I may be getting his name wrong, I apolgise if so) was a star. He was so accommodating and lovely enough to sit and have a chat with us about another friendly staff member! (Lea the dog, who is pictured. Ale made sure we were happy with Lea spending time with us, so don't worry if you're not a dog fan.) We have come to Milan for 4 nights and we visited Tram Tram twice, we loved it so much. The food was fantastic, they were extremely accomadating for 2 vegetarians, the atmosphere was so so beautiful and they made us feel right at home with the service. As two English speakers, Ale made such a lovely effort to make us feel at home and made sure we had a fantastic experience. This was our favourite food experience in Milan by a long way, a true hidden gem!

P.S. A message to the reviewer who goes by Tam Kai Vo; climb into the nearest possible bin you miserable trout, this place is the bees knees. You're so stingy with your reviews I bet you give your own mother 1 out of 5 because the atmosphere in her living room wasn't up to scratch. Grow up.

Rant over, Tram Tram you...