“This wine bar has a soul!”. This is how Tina, the owner, welcomes us into Le Cantine and we cannot but agree with her. Le Cantine dell’Isola has been here for over 100 years and the Sarais family (Tina, Giovanni and their son Luca) has taken over the place 23 years ago, without changing the name that belongs to the previous owners, Giovanni and Giacomo Isola. “And we haven’t even changed the counter!” says Tina caressing its edge. The large dark-wooden counter, which during the aperitivo is dressed up with a rich buffet, is in perfect harmony with the rest of the furniture: the walls are covered with wooden shelves on which a great number of wine bottles rest with the prices well in sight.

Tina tells us that they have a huge selection of wines, from the cheapest to the most expansive, from Barbera to Amarone, and that they open any kind of bottle, even the most expansive, even just for a single glass. The Sarais family is extremely keen on putting its client at ease: Tina is adorable and cuddles their guests with compliments and affectionate pats; Luca e Giovanni, a little more reserved, smile kindly at their customers. When we are about to leave, Giovanni, who has been bowed on his newspaper for the whole time, stops us with his joyful voice: “Write down that we have the first Chinese sommelier ever existed!”. We have not checked whether or not they actually own this record, but we have decided to trust him: we love to think that Le Cantine is fully integrated with the spirit of its Chinese neighborhood!

Additional information:

Via Paolo Sarpi, 30, Milano, MI, Italia
Mon: 12.00-15.00 21.00-22.00 Tue: 11.00-12.00 19.00-22.00 Wed: 12.00-02.00 Thu: 19.00-00.00 Fri-Sat: 12.00-01.00 Sun: 09.00-00.00
02 3315249