I came to Al Matarel with my partner while traveling in Milan. We did not have a reservation but showed up at around 7:30pm to see if they had any seating. Luckily for us, they had a table available that we had until 9pm. I think a lot of others did a similar thing by walking in a little earlier and beating the later crowd with reservation. This is a cute and quaint restaurant that feels very authentic and established. The waiters spoke a little English but we made ourselves understand each other between broken Italian and English. Everyone was so nice and it felt like we were so welcome in this place even though we were tourists. We started with a small bottle of Chianti and had some of the bread they provided for us which was very good. For our other dishes we tried: - Sardine carpion: we had this for an appetizer and it was the perfect portion size. Marinaded sardines that are served cold with pickled onions. Overall, a very refreshing dish that went well with bread. If you enjoy pickled things, definitely get this! - Wild boar stew with polenta: my boyfriend got this and he loved it! The boar was tender and flavorful. It came cooked in a thick and rich stew that was very comforting and paired nicely with the polenta. He said this was his favorite meal of the trip in Italy so far! - Cotoletta alla Milanesa: traditional thin breaded veal cutlet. This was amazing! The cut of meat was incredibly thin, but still was very juicy, it has a nice layer of crispy breading that was flavorful and was further enhanced by the acidity of the lemon they bring out with it. It came with these potatoes that were very delicious and I also added a side salad which had lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes. Super satisfying meal! Overall, we had a great dinner here. We only had one night in Milan but this was an amazing introduction to the food scene here. Al Matarel feels authentic, and welcoming. I look forward to coming back in the future and getting their ossobuco which a lot of people around us ordered! Would recommend!

Straordinario se vi piace la cucina milanese. Ambiente confuso e servizio approssimativo

This is the restaurant that you're looking for a traditional Milanesi cuisine. The setting is a time capsule, traditional, cozy, and quiet, and despite being close to the Duomo, somehow outside the tourist, beaten path. The food is exceptional, Risotto Milanese perfectly executed, al dente. and a melting in your mouth Ossobucco, not to mention the excellent beef stew with one of the most flavorful Soffritto I've seen. A warning for the tourists, you must remember a waiter is not a servant, treat the waiter with respect, and in turn, he will treat you with respect. so if you're looking for the most trendy, culinary fashion, with foams and fusion of an Italian -Mexican - Japanese cuisine, this is NOT the place. But if you're looking for a stick in your ribs, flavorful and traditional Milanese cuisine you should give this restaurant a try.

Era da tempo che volevamo provare questo ristorante tipico milanese, avevamo grandi aspettative per il risotto con l'ossobuco. Abbiamo preso un antipasto di Mondeghili, il risotto con l'ossobuco e il Rustin negàa. Tutto eccellente. I Mondeghili non sono quelli classici fritti, ma sono cotti in una foglia di verza annegato nel pomodoro. Molto buoni! Il Rustin negàa molto molto buono, super tenero e molto abbondante. Ma la star della cena è stato indubbiamente il risotto alla milanese con l'ossobuco. Una cosa spettacolare, anche se molto impegnativo, visto l'abbondanza. L'ossobuco era tenerissimo, veniva via dall'osso che era un piacere. Gli ossi erano pieni di midollo, e non solo i nostri, anche quelli nei tavoli vicini. Evidentemente selezionano accuratamente i tagli di ossobuco. Il sughino era fantastico. Una vera libidine. Il risotto molto buono, ma non il migliore che abbia mai mangiato, molto al dente. Abbastanza caro, ma lo sapevamo già, quindi non mi lamento di quello. Lo si sa prima, quindi se non si vuole spendere basta non andare!

Really typical restaurant. Great food! Try the Polenta con Tartufo and the Ossobuco with Risotto alla milanese!