Joia

1 Question, 5 Green Star Chefs: Is Veganism Sustainable?

"Raffaele Minghini and Sauro Ricci from Joia discuss the concept of sustainability, arguing for a redefinition of the term to include the rights and roles of living beings in sustainable practices. They advocate for transforming agricultural practices to focus on vegetables, emphasizing their sustainability and potential for joy and diversity in food." - The MICHELIN Guide UK Editorial Team

"Pietro Leemann has come to be known as one of the great innovators of vegetarian cuisine. He opened Joia in 1989 with the vision of bringing vegetables to haute cuisine level, and the venue became the first vegetarian restaurant in Italy to be recognised with a MICHELIN star in 1996." - Rachel Tan

"Pietro Leemann has come to be known as one of the great innovators of vegetarian cuisine. His dishes are evocatively named — The Navel Of The World is a Sicilian risotto with artichokes and homemade miso in a carrot ring, while The Source Of Life is pumpkin and porcini mushroom in a golden 'egg' of almond and corn fondue." - Rachel Tan

"This restaurant in one of Milan’s historic districts is home to the chef who first introduced the concept of natural, vegetarian cuisine to the world of Italian fine dining. Pietro Leemann is the man (and great philosopher) behind this “vegetarian restaurant” where the menu is 80% vegan and gluten free. This chef’s imaginative and dream-like dishes bear witness to the philosophical and spiritual transformation he has undergone over many years, with recipes that showcase the essence of their ingredients in colour, flavour, texture and presentation. The restaurant is minimalist and elegant in style, while its Joia Academy aims to introduce participants to all aspects of the chef’s philosophy." - Michelin Inspector

Joia

Adel Kogan

Google

Very interesting experience, we took 2 vegan courses. Most of the food was tasty and well thought ,except a few we didn’t like very much. Also we felt like our waiter didn’t like us. Let’s say I’ve had better experiences in Michelin star restaurants. So I don’t feel like it’s worth this much money (350 euros for 2, including one glass of wine each)

Mandy Kuo

Google

Lovely vegetarian fine dining restaurant. Great choice for special occasions. The ambiance felt fairly intimate and was not "commercialized". Apparently the restaurant has been around for 30+ years and was the first Michelin vegetarian restaurant in Europe! We picked the Zenith menu. All the dishes had a blend of East Asian and Western European ingredients and flavors. The highlights for us were the risotto, strawberry and tomato gazpacho, and mushroom. They also offer amazing freshly baked sourdough bread and kept replenishing it. The desserts were also good just not as memorable. The oat milk cafe latte was lovely but there was a slight confusion among the servers so the timing did not match well with the desserts. We particularly appreciated their attention to detail for my husband's dietary restriction. The chef came out to confirm his restrictions to refined sugar. Overall highly recommend for a special evening!

I.S.

Google

Great Michelin, one star vegetarian restaurant. All the staff are attentive, friendly, and professional. The waiter took time to present how the menu works and let us choose the best choice for us. We chose the 6 course menu with wine pairing. The different flavors and combinations were great. The wine pairing was good as well. At the end of our dinner, the chef came to our table for a good talk. It is worth trying it.

Arunraj Chidambaram

Google

7 course Vegetarian fine dining meal @joia_altacucinanaturale a Michelin ⭐️ restaurant in Milano which is Italy’s only one star vegetarian restaurant Food was a spectacular delight for vegetarian palate! 5/5 and the quantity to number of courses was perfect as well which didn’t leave us overstuffed There was even vegan dishes like vegan risotto and cake which didn’t give the usual stand out taste saying oh, I am vegan 😀 Though the food was great, it could be (little) more innovative Service 4/5 it lacked that personal touch and empathy to the dishes and customers Ambiance 4/5 Overall 5/5 a memorable experience

Steve Deitsch

Google

Breathtakingly beautiful food. One of the best meals of my life. Very attentive and knowledgeable service. Would highly recommend this place, although it is expensive.

M.L.

Google

One of the best dining experiences of my life! My partner actually became emotional while eating a few of these incredible dishes. We both ordered the eight course tasting menu with three course wine pairing and ended up receiving eleven (food) courses, all of which were incredibly delicious and beautifully plated. We were so pleased to find that the restaurant would accommodate two different tastings- one vegan and the other vegetarian. The food, service, ambiance, and just the experience in general was out of this world! Chef Pieter Leeman even stopped by our table to check on our experience. If you ever find yourself in Milan, make sure to reserve a table at Joia! Just a recommendation for travelers coming to this restaurant, do not leave anything in your car in this neighborhood! During our three hour meal, our rental vehicle was broken into and we lost $1600 worth of luggage, despite it being hidden in the trunk.

Cyrill Dorozhkin

Google

Dear English speaking lovers of vegetarian dishes, and people who are in a search for great places and tastes! Will all know that it's hard to be fully satisfied with red wine paired with tomato and tofu, BUT! this place is a game changer! Be brave and erase your limits, explore and find exceptional risotto (carnaroli rice), outstanding amuse -buoche and cheese ...

Alejandra Villanueva

Google

We had the 10 course prefix menu and loved it! The food looks like art and taste incredible. Would recommend everyone to try it. The service was also great and our server gave us informative descriptions of each dish.

1 Question, 5 Green Star Chefs: Is Veganism Sustainable?

Joia