One of my absolutely favorite wine bars on Earth!! They have an incredible selection of wines at every level and for every taste...and nearly all wines are available by the glass?!? Great selection of gourmet foods as well. Great happy hours, with snacks. And their staff is amazing! All in a wine bar that feels like it's been there forever! I absolutely LOVE Cantonese Isola. I would almost visit Milan just for them!! Almost! ;^) read more

Happiness in enoteca form This is an excellent full service enoteca embedded in Chinatown. Massive selection of wines, which can be drunk on site or taken home, knowledgeable staff, and (always) a hopping crowd, you could do far far worse... read more

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Wow red wines impressive, a very nice ambience followed by a nice red tasting wine something that you'll need to try

Excellent place to try different wines. A huge selection of wine. Great service as well. read more

Cantine Isola - Wine Bars Near Me - Milan, Michigan

I am shocked to see that the latest review was back in Cot 17th 2017. After my visit, I feel it's my duty to write a review and let everyone in on this gem of a wine bar. We had just landed in Milan and had lunch but wanted some wine before dinner. A recommendation from Alice (inside Eatly Milan) was Cantine Isola (translation - Cellars Island). Criteria - I like natural wines, I like variety and hate committing to a whole bottle, I hate overpaying = Cantine Isolate nailed every requirement. First impressions - wow, eclectic, old school, charming, warm, homely, friendly and massive in terms of the range of wines to spirits. Our sommelier Michael was simply amazing, I told him I wanted to stay for a bit and taste lots of wine to which he said "No Problem" and suggested half pours. He guided me through 8 glasses of natural wine (actually poured 10 but I didn't like 2 so we pivoted, non-committal) All that plus a tea, two additional pours for my wife and a bottle of water = €44.50 I REPEAT, THIS IS A MUST VISIT. Check out my video on the massic amount of wines they have! read more

Cantine Isola - Storefront - Wine Bars Near Me - Milan, Michigan

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What a vibrant environment! I noticed this place had something special going on when people were spilling out the front door and into the nearby patios and adjacent seating areas. My guess is that his store finds itself smack in the middle of chinatown because it was here long before the chinatown existed. Hundreds of bottles for sale from all regions and countries but the truly great thing was the wines they offered by the glass. Usually nice wines are only available via a bottle, but here they were opened and flowing with ease. My wife and I had a great experience which we were not expecting while doing some grocery shopping. I give it 5 stars because it is truly good at what it seeks out to do. read more

Cantine Isola - Wine Bars Near Me - Milan, Michigan

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Cantine Isola is a bar/wine store that feels a lot like a used book store. I love used bookstores, so I mean that in the best possible way :-) There are shelves packed with wine options from floor to ceiling with handwritten prices and notes from the staff. The store is almost always packed with people that seem to be mostly regulars and locals. Cantine Isola has outdoor seating, and the crowd often spills down the street. I love the friendly vibe and the knowledgeable, friendly staff. Cantine Isola has some really good wines, including some made from local varietals (Barolo , Nebbiolo, etc.), and also wines from southern Italy and Spain. To me, Cantie Isola has a New Orleans feel to it; it's very loose and come-as-you-are. They also serve a very good appertivo spread (cheese, watermelon, bruschetta, nuts, etc.). The staffers are helpful and remember your wine, which means you get served quickly. Even when the place is crowded (almost always) you never have to wait long for drinks. read more

Milestone of milanese wine tasting right in the middle of chinatown. Notwithstanding the location, don't expect low prices nor low quality. Here you can find a baffling selection of wines from around the globe. Too many to chose from. The best way to live Cantine is to follow the flow: after a quick chat with the owners, they'll wisely guide you to a great glass of wine. The best thing about this place is that if you miss one selection, you can go for a second or third round. Just remember to not drink and drive: take a tram home! read more

Cantine Isola - Choice is everything - Wine Bars Near Me - Milan, Michigan

What a great experience! For someone who has lived too long in Ontario, this was also a very unique experience. It's a wine store that sells wine by the glass, and, as the Milanese do, offers free snacks alongside your drinks. This is a very old school looking wine store, with a great, though not cheap, selection. The staff will ask you what you're in the mood for, and make some suggestions by the glass. You are free to ask for specifics too, I think, there was a bit of a language barrier. If there was a store like this in Toronto, I would go all the time. So would everyone I know! We each tried 2 glasses of wine and they averaged 5-8 euro each. The crowd was a whole mix of young and hip to old retired aged people. It wad fun! read more

If you're looking for an authentic Milanese "aperitivo" (Italian happy hour), then look no further! This spot has been frequented by locals for decades, and is truly a slice of the city's history. You can opt for just a glass of deep, full-bodied red, or maybe you're more into a lighter "spumante" (carbonated) wine, such as a prosecco. More importantly, all of the snacks come for free with your drink (yes, free!). The assortment of bites and noshes that they have for you are simple and quintessentially Italian. If you're lucky, Adriano will be there to serve it all to you (his family has owned the cantina for over three generations now). read more

I love Cantine Isola! Everytime I'm around Chinatown I have to find an excuse to come by and have a glass of good wine, finally in a friendly and easy atmosphere. we found out about this place years ago on the first visit to Chinatown because we were told it was one of the last remaining Italian-run historical shops in via Sarpi, the heart of Chinatown. Also because of the variety of wines they sell.In fact, the place is super small (thank God for the outside seating space!) inside, but they have bottles and bottles of the best Italian wines, but also from other parts of the world like Chilean, Hungarian, Spanish, etc. They open different bottles of both reds and whites everyday so you can have a glass and eat one of their small -but good- snacks while chatting in a relaxed atmosphere; again, the space inside is tiny so it's better to move outside where, if you're lucky you can grab a sit, if not, just keep sipping and chatting in the sidewalk. Also, don't expect them to open a Sassicaia for happy hour, the wines they open for aperitivo are good, average priced wines and you'll pay between 5 and 7 euros per glass (and you can eat the tapas-like snacks in the counter - love the bread with anchovies on top). If you're in doubt about which wine to taste or buy, feel free to ask the nice man behind the counter, he knows his wine (I'm not sure about his level of English but I'm sure you'll get a good wine anyways). I love to come here for a drink before/after a dumpling-based Chinese meal in any of the quarter's restaurants, after all, it is a globalized world, but the good wine must be Italian :) read more

Loved the location and the decor of the restaurant. I hate to say it but we did not enjoy our meal at all. Yes there was innovation in the dishes but unfortunately it lacked flavor and the temperature was just warm. It was around 10 in the evening and the last table to enter but still believe that each dish should come out hot. I will try this location again when I return to Milan as the service was lovely. read more

This place can be super intimidating when you walk in - it's packed with locals in the middle of Chinatown, it's small and it's covered in wine from floor to ceiling. That being said, they usually have at least one person that speaks English if you're not comfortable speaking Italian. The wine selection here is amazing. The prices are even better. The staff will help recommend a wine to you and they have no problem going through the bottles and bottles on the wall to find the perfect one for your taste buds. Don't forget to try the apertivo selection. They're delicious. We ended up picking up 7 bottles of wine to take home from here and we drank multiple glasses of wine here in 2 of our 3 nights in Milan! read more

Very good wine selection. Love the staff and aperitivo. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a taste of old Milan.