Manuela's cellar

A place where you can leave hungry and disappointed by the staff. A few days ago, I went to this restaurant for dinner. I chose it because I had already been there twice before and enjoyed it. But this time was different. As always, I ordered the Fiorentina steak. It arrived already overcooked, and since it was served on a hot stone, it kept cooking even more. The result? Completely inedible — it was like chewing the sole of a shoe. I mentioned this to one of the waiters. He apologized and said he would speak to the owner. He even agreed that the steak looked overcooked and that even with the hot stone, it shouldn’t have ended up like that. After some time passed with no follow-up, I spoke to a second waiter. He told me, “I’ll pass this info to the owner.” Then, after waiting 20–25 minutes, the owner finally came over — but didn’t say a single word. He simply brought over the card machine, processed the payment, and left — as if nothing had happened. I’ve never experienced such indifference from a restaurant owner. They ruined the steak and my dinner, and no one even had the decency to apologize.

I had higher hopes for this place. I booked it for my father’s 60th birthday (which I included in the reservation, so I was expecting some sort of better attention) - by all means it’s not bad, but not very good either. Starters: the one with prawns was incredibly small Like, two tablespoons in total small - the favors very deep here and nicely served! Tartare: salmon - catch of the day: I was hoping a Mediterranean fish. Salmon is not native here….very, very bland :( 1st dish: excellent raviolo pasta: the only thing I really enjoyed. Mules: bland, overpowered by additions too. Mains (we tried 4 different): the quality was definetely not the same in all the dishes. Squid we would recommend! The rest - not really. Rather boring flavors, lacks depth, lacks additions. Nothing stood out. Desserts: usually, Italy’s best - here nothing special. Chocolate cake was the best. Service : not super welcoming. Waiter was professional, but I had to ask him to told me about the wine, also another one was serving us in the meantime - who was much warmer btw. Big wine selection - absolutely. Personally, I wouldn’t come back. The food has quite a long way to go, so I’m quite sad I chose this place actually.

I ate at La Cantina di Manuela near Milano Risorgimento Square and had a delightful experience. The risotto alla milanese was quite nice, though I found it a bit heavy and buttery, and it could have used some saffron on top. I expected a better quality for the price. The ravioli with ricotta and prawn were delicate and flavorful, but the portion was rather small. The highlight of the meal was the tiramisu, which was one of the best I've ever had. The service was lovely and attentive, adding to the overall enjoyable evening.

I so wished this place will be excellent…The whole experience: the interior is nice but is missing this last touch; the food is good but presentation is mediocre and the taste doesn’t go far enough; desserts are sweet but lack the depth of flavor. What should improve is the selection of dishes: it’s rather basic and without quality foundation such as good piece of fish or meat. Presentation is not stunning…it doesn’t invite you to try that dish. In the positive side, the wine list is great and extensive and service is good. Overall, there is room for improvement….

I had a lovely time here. My friend and I enjoyed Italian risottos and cutlets. They are so tasty 🤗Also we enjoyed the wine 🍷 they recommended. Grazie 🤩

We stopped by this restaurant around 8 PM on a weekday, right after the rain. The place was completely empty—no guests at all. Despite that, when we walked in, the staff looked at us and asked if we had a reservation. We didn’t, and they told us they only accept guests with reservations. It felt more like they simply didn’t want to let us in, even though we were dressed appropriately and the dining room was entirely vacant. The whole interaction came off as unfriendly and unwelcoming. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Wine selection was excellent, but food a bit of a disappointment, especially the starters and prima piatti (we had beef carpaccio, squid, and risotto milanese). My octopus was good, but nothing special.

Love the warm atmosphere, clean and spacious. Crew are as friendly as you can imagine. Will be back for their dry-aged steak 🥩