Quite a lovely restaurant with good vegetarian options: Restaurant Cactus (8. June 2025)
The Restaurant Cactus is located in an area of Milan I had barely ever visited, but I actually found the area quite appealing. At first, I was a bit skeptical of the restaurant layout because the sidewalk is between the restaurant entrance and the little outside patio, which I always find a bit unappealing. However, they manage to make that barely transparent, so you feel quite comfortable when you’re sitting on the patio. But you also have to be patient – it definitely took too long for the waiters to bring the menu, but once it had arrived, they were superbly friendly and took the order relatively swiftly.
I decided to go for the “Catch of the Day Salmon Tartare” (EUR 20.00), which turned out to be surprisingly lovely in terms of intensity and flavor combination – so, definitely a great starter for a good lunch.
While I had high hopes for the main course, the “Purple Potato Gnocchi (peas, anchovies, yuzu)” (EUR 22.00), I must admit I was a little bit disappointed since the dish – despite the ingredients, which seemed like they would be intense – was a bit bland. The gnocchi were okay and so were the single ingredients, but they somewhat cancelled each other out, although the combination with the anchovies worked to some degree.
So, all in all, the restaurant Cactus is a good choice for a lovely relaxed lunch – make sure to book in advance, though, as you will not score a table last minute.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Cactus
Via Varese 4
20121 Milano MI (I)
Tel.: +39 34 70 54 49 82
Homepage: https://cactusmilano.it
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
