Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Milan is a fusion of the classic and the trendy, where high fashion meets traditional design. Have lunch at a hip underground space or in a medieval square, whatever suits your fancy. Here, arranged by location, are our choices for business dining in Milan.

City Center and Vicinity

Al Mercante: Piazza dei Mercanti 17, Milan 20123. Information: +39-02-805-2198; http://www.ristorantealmercante.it

What: Traditional Italian.

Why: A stunning alfresco option in Milan’s most attractive medieval square. It serves a huge menu of Italian and regional classics at moderate prices.

Where: City center.

When: Outdoor business lunch from May to October, summer evenings. Best avoided on midweek European soccer nights.

Bar: No.

Private Room: No.

Armani Nobu: Via Pisoni 1, Milan 20121. Information: +39-02- 6231-2645; http://www.armaninobu.it

What: Modern Japanese with South American influences.

Why: Everything you would normally expect from Nobu Matsuhisa’s global chain, including outstanding fish and beautiful people, in a softly lit burnt orange ambience. Specialties include caramelized and grilled Alaskan black cod, yaki of Argentine beef and an exquisite warm salad of many different types of mushrooms.

Where: In the Armani department store a few hundred meters from the city center.

When: Dinner, business lunch, great place for a date.

Bar: Huge, cool venue where you might just bump into Posh and Becks.

Private Room: Parties can be accommodated with plenty of space.

Boeucc: Piazza Belgioioso 2, Milan 20121. Information: +39-02- 7602-0224; http://www.boeucc.it

What: A 300-year-old Italian restaurant.

Why: All the Milanese classics served by extremely polite, smiley waiters among chandeliers, columns and statues. Large range of fish and meat options and the more unusual dishes include “fried brains with zucchini flowers,” a goat chop and thinly sliced veal kidney.

Where: In the city center’s smart backstreets.

When: Business lunch, formal dinner.

Bar: A pleasant area to wait for a table.

Private Room: Yes, for up to 24 people.

Cracco: Via Victor Hugo 4, Milan 20123. Information: +39-02-876- 774; http://www.ristorantecracco.it

What: Modern Italian.

Why: Splurge on celebrity chef Carlo Cracco’s risottos, truffle dishes or more experimental creations in an unusual underground, minimalist setting. Probably the fanciest restaurant in town, it has a wine list to match its 160 euro (about $225) tasting menu, and it’s on the list of S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Where: In the city center, close to the main cathedral square and famous Galleria.

When: Business lunch, formal dinner.

Bar: Cracco was formerly part of Peck, Milan’s legendary delicatessen, and the store’s “Italian Bar” next door offers many of its finest products in an informal setting.

Private Room: Masses of space between tables.

Don Carlos: Via Manzoni 29, Milan 20121. Information: +39-02- 7231-4604; http://www.ristorantedoncarlos.it

What: Italian.

Why: Named after Verdi’s 1867 epic, the restaurant is made for opera lovers, with memorabilia spread over the walls. The great composer often stayed in the hotel where the restaurant is located. It’s a smart place where you have to ring the bell to enter and leans toward nouvelle cuisine.

Where: In the city center, on one corner of Milan’s fancy shopping quadrangle.

When: Lunch and dinner.

Bar: In the hotel.

Private Room: No.

Giardino di Giada: Via Palazzo Reale 5, Milan 20122. Information: +39-02-805-3891; http://www.giardinodigiada.it

What: Traditional Chinese.

Why: All the classic dishes and dim sum in a city short on dependable Chinese restaurants. The food is consistently good, the service is friendly and attentive, and the large round tables are perfect for a business lunch.

Where: City center, off the main cathedral square.

When: Lunch or dinner.

Bar: Modern bar downstairs with about 10 tables.

Private Room: Yes.

Il Marchesino: Via Filodrammatici 2, 20121 Milan. Information: +39-02-7209-4338; http://www.ilmarchesino.it

What: Modern Italian restaurant and bar.

Why: Celebrity chef Gualtiero Marchesi offers exquisite fish specialties and Milanese dishes, like scampi carpaccio with fennel, pink grapefruit and Campari or risotto with bone marrow, at the famous La Scala opera house. Opened in 2008, it has a pleasant musical and theatrical theme without going overboard.

Where: City center, by the Galleria and near the upmarket shopping area.

When: Evenings and weekends. The lunch menu, lighter on calories and the wallet, draws bankers and shoppers.

Bar: A top spot for Milan’s de rigueur morning cappuccino.

Private Room: No, but the tables are all nicely spaced for privacy.

Brera

La Briciola: Via Solferino 25, Milan 20121. Information: +39-02- 655-1012; http://www.labriciola.com

What: Mediterranean.

Why: Meat specialties dominate the 30-year-old restaurant’s menu. The self-styled “Gianni of La Briciola” provides a large range of beef dishes plus many raw and seared carpaccios. Crude carnivores can also eat sliced up horses. There are plenty of pastas and fish mains and prices are reasonable bearing in mind the location.

Where: In Brera, Milan’s swankiest district, a short cab ride from the center.

When: Dinner.

Bar: A pleasant spot to wait for your table.

Private Room: No.

Corso Como

10 Corso Como: Corso Como 10, Milan 20154. Information: +39-02- 2901-3581; http://www.10corsocomo.com

What: Conran-style restaurant, bar and design shop.

Why: It’s an experience in hip and trendy design and you feel like you’re blending into a huge modern art work. The chef’s extras, from the freshly baked bread and mini mozzarella balls to the strawberries and chocolates at the end are mouthwatering. The menu is huge, with something for everyone, and the service is excellent.

Where: On Corso Como, Milan’s trendiest area for bars and clubs, about 10 minutes by cab from the center.

When: Lunch or dinner.

Bar: Enormous bar with tables spread out inside and across a pretty garden and courtyard.

Private Room: No.

Antica Trattoria Della Pesa: Viale Pasubio 10, Milan 20154. Information: +39-02-655-5741

What: Traditional Milanese restaurant.

Why: A charming old-fashioned place to try specialties from the region of Lombardy, like risotto alla Milanese, which is packed with butter and saffron, or the hugely popular cotoletta alla Milanese, a breaded veal cutlet. Ossobuco alla Milanese, a veal shank complete with oodles of viscous bone marrow, is also available for the brave.

Where: In the Corso Como area.

When: Lunch or dinner.

Bar: No.

Private Room: No.

Porta Romana and Vicinity

Ali Baba: Via Cadore 26, Milan 20135. Information: +39-02-545- 0046

What: Lebanese.

Why: A lively, friendly place with outstanding Middle Eastern food and decent wines at reasonable prices. The meze option with about 12 mini dishes is great fun and a good ice- breaker. The Lebanese desserts, a variety of pastries with honey, nuts and fruit, are a real treat.

Where: On the east side of the city near Porta Romana, about a 10 minute cab ride from the center.

When: Evenings, particularly later on when the belly dancer emerges. Great spot for an office party.

Bar: No.

Private Room: No.

Maru: Viale Sabotino 19, Milan 20135. Information: +39-02-5832- 8501

What: Modern Japanese with Chinese and Thai options.

Why: The conveyor-belt sushi is just for fun, with most of the beautifully presented dishes on the huge menu being served by waiters. A spacious, cool ambience with an open kitchen and fashion TV on plasma screens, duck teriyaki and green tea flavored noodles are among the specialties.

Where: In the Porta Romana area, a short distance southeast of the center.

When: Informal business dinner, office party.

Bar: Long cocktail bar guaranteed to impress your guests.

Private Room: No.

Corso Sempione and Vicinity

Arrow’s Trattoria: Via Mantegna Andrea 17/19, Milan 20154. Information: +39-02-341-533

What: Fish restaurant.

Why: An impressive place to take clients for fresh seafood that’s moderately priced. Expert waiters will talk you through the catch of the day and make recommendations. You’ll be hard pushed to beat the mixed fish carpaccio and grilled specialties.

Where: Near the Fiera area that houses exhibitions and business events.

When: Business lunch or dinner.

Bar: A small area to wait for your table.

Private Room: No.

Spice: Via Ippolito Nievo 33, Milan 20145. Information: +39-02- 34-1290; http://www.spicerestaurants.com

What: Traditional Thai.

Why: The atmosphere is so charming you feel like you’re walking into a spa, with the soft splashing sounds of a fountain, the wooden panels and the Buddhist carvings. It offers the kind of good-quality spicy food that’s hard to find in Milan, with potency levels indicated on the menu. There’s also a carefully prepared wine list of chilled aromatic whites if you decide against the excellent Singha beer.

Where: Near the Fiera business zone, about a 15-minute cab ride from the city center.

When: Evenings.

Bar: No.

Private Room: No.

Canals

Il Montalcino: Via Valenza 17, Milan 20144. Information: +39-02- 832-1926; http://www.ilmontalcino.it

What: Tuscan.

Why: A great place for an enormous steak and a big red wine to feel like you’re in medieval Tuscany. The list of Brunellos and red wines from Montalcino is enormous. The generous chef’s extras include bean soup and chocolate truffles, but the menu is strictly for meat eaters.

Where: In the heart of the bohemian canals region around 10 minutes from the city center by taxi.

When: Formal business dinner.

Bar: No.

Private Room: Stunning wine cellar with just one table that sits up to 18.

Osteria del Binari: Via Tortona 1, Milan 20100. Information: +39-02-8940-9428.

What: Traditional Italian restaurant.

Why: The chic, dimly lit favorite dining choice of many Milanese, it’s full of nice touches like the glass of prosecco that greets you and the plate of parmesan chunks and walnuts that arrives before dessert. The big round tables and pretty garden make it a great place to take clients, and specialties include the house mixed starters and Beef Wellington.

Where: Hidden away in Milan’s trendy canals area.

When: Evenings in the shady garden through the long summer.

Bar: No.

Private Room: No.

(James Amott is an editor for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the reporter on this story: James Amott in Milan at jamott@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 16, 2009 19:01 EDT