Milan’s best pubs and bars to watch the match, from the Duomo to the San Siro
Milan might be a fashion capital but it’s a football one too, and games are screened in pubs and bars across the city. It has no drinking hub as such but thanks to its compact centre served by an efficient metro system, you can hop from place to place in no time.
The best time to do so is happy hour, which dovetails with the more local tradition of post-work aperitivi, superior post-work snacks to complement your Campari or Aperol Spritz.
This means that you can either guzzle pints or graze on fine cold cuts while sipping long drinks, both reasonably affordably. The beer range can be surprisingly permissive – along with some obscure German brand from the Harz Mountains, you’re bound to spot Tennent’s Super, Rab C Nesbitts’s tipple du choix, served in the classiest of places. Go figure.
Some of the city’s many pubs now open during the day, too, which they didn’t used to, and a quality kitchen is a given.
Now that the once mighty 442 Sports Pub has closed – February’s sudden announcement on its Instagram page had regulars commenting Che succede?!?!? (‘What’s going on?!?!?’) – the only real must in terms of particular destinations is The Football Pub, down a narrow sidestreet a short walk from the Duomo.
You could also argue that the two best bars for the San Siro, Baretto 1957 Milano bumping right up against the stadium and the Old Tenconi Pub round the corner, also belong in the essential category where drinking in Milan is concerned.
The rest are pubs of varying degrees of authenticity, though credit should be given to the Pils Pub near the oldest international football stadium in the world, the Arena Civica.
Oh, and if you spot Nottingham Forest on Google Maps, don’t bowl down here with your red-and-white scarf on expecting to see Cloughie propping up the bar – it’s a high-end cocktail spot with blue drinks on fire and a touch of the tiki about it. Only in Milan.
1 the football pub
Celebrating its 25th anniversary earlier this year, this mainstay of the calcio-gawping scene in Milan may have dropped ‘English’ from its title but still feels convivial and still screens match action – although that will also be Six Nations rugby in the depths of winter.
Souvenirs on display still lean towards either England (vintage copies of Soccer Star magazine) or Milan (classic Panini stickers), with shirts to match. Paulaner is probably the best of the beer options, with a reasonable pint of Guinness also poured. Burgers are the mainstay of the menu. Tucked down a narrow sidestreet, walking distance from the Duomo.
The Football Pub, via Valpetrosa 5. M1/M3 Duomo. Open Mon-Thur noon-3pm, 5pm-midnight, Fri-Sun noon-midnight.
2 baretto 1957 milano
This gem of a bar fronting the north end of the San Siro straddles three great eras in the stadium’s history. First, there’s the namesake date itself, when the Miliani family run a little drinks outlet dispensing espressos to well-heeled Milanese before they headed into this football temple to watch European greats shortly after the arena had acquired its candy-twist look and 100,000 capacity.
Then in 1991, at the height of the ultra phenomenon, when Milan was the world’s football capital, four friends with links to the original business did out this bar in classic style, its signage echoing the glory days.
Finally, in the earlier 2000s, the bar was smartened up somewhat as big Champions League nights featured either or even both Milan teams. Most notably, a couple of years ago, the tatty cuttings from Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph and similar iconography were taken down, leaving a somewhat bare appearance inside.
The place is packed to the gills of pre-match, of course, when that long bar counter comes into its own. Draught Heineken is sold at €4 for a small measure, €5.50 for a medium, and the sandwiches are expertly prepared and perfectly wrapped in the way that only Italians know how. Look out for the fire-red façade with Heineken’s five-pointed star on it, between Gates 0-1 at the opposite end of the stadium to the San Siro Store and metro station.
Baretto 1957 Milano, piazzale Angelo Moratti. M5 San Siro Stadio. Open Mon-Wed & Fri 8.45am-6pm & match nights, Thur 8.45am-midnight, Sat-Sun noon-12.30am.
3 old tenconi pub
A short walk from San Siro metro station, up via Federico Tesio by the trotting track, the Old Tenconi Pub is an excellent choice, a fact not lost on the Wolfsburg fans who left scarves here. In place since the 1970 World Cup, in something like its current guise since Italia ’90, the Old Tenconi provides almost everything you could wish for in a pre-match bar, plus a view of the San Siro from its outside benches.
Inside is wooden and suitably pub-like, with a food counter alongside a bar counter lined with several tap beers, including Tennent’s Extra (!), HB, Danish Bjørne, Riegele from Augsburg and Belgian favourites Kwak and La Chouffe. Old adverts and TV screens dot the rest of the interior, which also displays shirt-shaped evidence of visits by fans of Southampton, Derby and Fluminense.
Old Tenconi Pub, via Federico Tesio 18. M5 San Siro Stadio. Open Mon-Sat 6am-11.30pm, Sun 7am-11.30pm.
4 king's pub
In the vicinity of the canal quarter of le Navigli, the King’s Pub evolved out of a Scottish pub opened in 1988 into a more American-style establishment that isn’t afraid to leave the cooking, and the ingredients, to the Italians. You won’t find soggy imitations of fish and chips here, no sir, but meat sourced from a Piedmontese butchers’ co-operative, own-made sauces and fresh vegetables.
Equally cherry-picked, half of the 14 beers on tap are constantly rotated, the 20 bottled varieties a discerning selection of the craft, the classic and the Trappist. Football is very much still a major draw, the screens facing out allowing you to watch the game from the terrace while soaking up a little canalside atmosphere.
Everything here feels professional, from the service right down to the music at conversation level. Recommended.
King’s Pub, Alzaia Naviglo Pavese 8. M3/local trains Porta Genova. Open Mon-Thur 6pm-1am, Fri 6pm-2am, Sat 5pm-2am, Sun noon-1am.
5 pils pub
Hats off the Pils Pub or the Pils Pub Arco della Pace to give it its full title, named after Napoleon’s own Arc de Triomphe nearby. But it’s another Napoleonic landmark that brings football travellers to this corner of Milan by the Parc o Sempione: the Arena Civica, the oldest stadium in the world still standing that once hosted first-class football. Dating back to the early 1800s, it staged Italy’s first ever international, with France, in May 1910, then a handful more either side of World War I.
Today, Inter’s women’s team and Milan’s third strings still use it, so you can walk in and take a look around where Inter’s seniors played before they were invited to groundshare the San Siro.
Back to the lively pub round the corner, rows of HD screens provide the focus, along with a long row of beer taps dispensing Danish Jacobsen, Belgian Grimbergen, Tucher from Nuremberg and Angelo Poretti, originally from nearby Varese. Sharing platters suit group visits, along with Carlsberg by the jug, while weekday happy hours (AperiPils) and weekend brunches (€15) probably appeal more to the local crowd.
All in all, a successful contemporary Italian take on what a pub should be about: convivial socialising. With football.
Pils Pub, via Agostini Bertani 2. M2 Moscova. Open Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun 11am-2am.
6 offside sports pub
Close to Gerusalemme metro on the same line as the San Siro, Offside may not be the ‘Best Sports Pub in Milan’ as it claims, but it’s not a bad spot to watch the match, surrounded by hotels handy for both the stadium and city centre.
A wall of pennants sets the tone, though the place doesn’t quite feel lived in despite a decade and more of activity. Where Offside scores big, though, is in its beer range, Schmucker from Mossutal near Heidelberg, Gamma Ray from Beavertown in Essex and American IPA-style Trhibu from Cornate d’Adda outside Bergamo. A rotating guest ale makes up the baker’s dozen. There’s Magners cider, too.
Most beers otherwise come in at €7.50 a half-litre. The burger selection is even more extensive, and former Schalke attack dog, Marc ‘Warpig’ Wilmots, may or may not appreciate his named association with a big pile of pulled-pork and double bacon.
A €15 minimum charge per head during match screenings discourages those planning see to see out all 90 minutes over a single espresso.
Offside Sports Pub, via Losanna 46. M5 Gerusalemme. Open Mon-Fri 6pm-2am, Sat-Sun noon-2am.
7 mind the gap
Evening-only Mind the Gap – the announcement broadcast over the tannoy every time a Tube train pulls into a station, for those who have never been to London – seals its Anglo credentials with an entire area and calendar schedule dedicated to darts. This is the best place in Milan if you need to sling a few arrows.
Of course, there are screens aplenty, framed shirts (some signed) and sundry sports souvenirs, ideal surroundings for a cosy, pub-like ambience. Beers are mainly continental, at least in the lager range, Belgian and German Cristal and Kulmbacher, but homesick Brits can still find a pint of Beamish, Newcastle Brown or Thwaites.
Despite the promise of ‘Fine Food and Ale’, the kitchen mainly sticks to snacks and finger food, which is probably what most customers are after anyway. A short walk from the trendy osteria quarter of le Navigli, meaning you can snack on a few apertiivi on the waterfront before wandering this way.
Mind The Gap, via M3 Crocetta. Open Mon 8pm-midnight, Tue-Wed 6pm-1am, Thur 6pm-2am, Fri-Sat 6pm-3am, Sun 5.30pm-midnight.
8 old fox
The Old Fox represents the old-school variety of English pub that used to be found in foreign parts, which is why Eric Clapton would pop in occasionally when touring nearby. Dating back to 1979, this venerable establishment has later been co-managed by Daniele Martinelli, which is why it serves many of the Birrificio Barona beers this master brewer also oversees, using celebrated local Milanese water.
All 15 are available here, Madoonina pils, Foo Jicko Ginger IPA, Shayny Moroccan White, complemented by ten others you may recognise. Superior pub grub – pork shank in beer, cottage pie, haggis, neeps and tatties – dominates the menu, even right down to the sticky toffee pudding for afters.
Football isn’t the real focus here, although a TV will be showing that evening’s main game and a pull-down screen will be called into action for really important matches. Close to S Agostino metro if you need to meet someone at le Navigli first or you’re arriving into Milano Centrale, both on the same green line.
Old Fox, piazza Sant’ Agostino 1. M2 S Agostino. Open Sun-Thur 5pm-1am, Fri 5pm-1.30am, Sat 5.30pm-1.30am.
9 the friends pub
Close to Repubblica and therefore Milano Centrale station, The Friends Pub claims to be ‘the original British experience in the heart of Milan’. Which is utter nonsense, of course, as no authentic British pub would ever call itself ‘The Friends’ – and, lo and behold, 25 years after its opening in 2000, it now defines itself as a ‘Restaurant Pub’, whatever that is.
As if to emphasise this disconnect, its ‘British Mood’ is set by mainly non-British beers on draught, New Zealand Brothers, Bavarian Franziskaner and Belgian Leffe. Scots in a hurry may be pleased to find that good old Italian staple, Tennent’s Super, on draught, but not so happy to pay €8 for a pint of it.
Despite all this, it really isn’t a bad place at all. The Friends in question are the four brothers behind the concept, and have long imbued the bar with a familial atmosphere. Evening-only opening times allow The Friends to generate a post-work buzz in this busy, business-like part of town, although it also means that matches screened are floodlit-only.
The Friends Pub Milano, viale Monte Santo 12. M3/local trains Repubblica. Open Mon 6pm-1am, Tue-Sat 6pm-2am, Sun noon-1am.
10 murphy's law
Within easy reach of le Navigli and its canalside eateries, Murphy’s Law transported its furniture, even its floor stones, from Cork. Occupying a quiet street corner, this long-established hostelry doesn’t have sport at its focus though includes a TV screen among its displays of Irish paraphernalia.
Of all the pubs in Milan, however, this feels one of the more authentic, Murphy’s obviously being the beer of choice. You’ll also find Guinness, Erdinger and, a rare discovery this far north, Ichnusa from Sardinia. There’s food, too, though that’s not such a strong point here. Be warned, too, that karaoke is a reasonably regular occurrence.
Murphy’s Law, via Montevideo 3. M3/local trains Porta Genova. Open Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun noon-2am.
