We'd heard about Aperitivo - the best meal deal in Milan - and the Navigli area before our visit to…read moreMilan. We were, however, totally unprepared by what we discovered when we serendipitously chose Cafe Ringhiera for our aperitivo experience.
It was crowded, but we were directed to the only remaining table outdoors at the annex - the pizza place Ringhiera had taken over next door. The chairs didn't look as comfortable as those at the original cafe, and mine sat in a little pool of water from an earlier rain shower, but hey, when we found out what our 4 euro were going to buy, it ceased to matter. Our choice was a drink for 5 euro, or the drink + buffet for 9. No-brainer. The annex had its own dedicated waiter, who tripled as bartender and cashier, so getting our drinks was understandably slow. This is my one and only gripe - they need an additional server or bartender.
Once we gave our drink orders we were told to get our food inside the main cafe. And here's what we had to choose from: Good hot pizza, replenished regularly (it would disappear almost as soon as it was brought to the buffet table), breaded veal cutlet strips, farro salad, tossed salad with tuna, green beans, carrots, roasted peppers, polenta, couscous salad, hearts of palm salad, three kinds of ham, penne in tomato sauce, farfalle salad, tuna finger sandwiches, bruschetta, chickpea salad, prosciutto sliders, mashed potatoes, cheese plate with brie and fontina, spaghetti twists, nut brittle, and for dessert, ladyfingers with hot chocolate sauce. I missed a few things because the buffet had a second tier and I'm very short!
We sat for several hours, stuffing our faces and nursing our single Aperol Spritzes, and never were made to feel that we'd worn out our welcome. To be able to pig out on this much food - and very good food, too, that was constantly being replenished until somewhere near midnight - was nothing short of amazing. So amazing, in fact, that we returned to Navigli two nights later and repeated the whole thing at Cafe Ringhiera, though several other nearby restaurants beckoned with similar aperitivos, at the same price. On our return visit, though, we opted to wait for the main cafe, where the chairs were different and more comfy, and rain puddles were nowhere to be seen.
Oh, and we may have snagged an invitation to the host's wedding, to be held in Las Vegas in October!!
