Procaccini is one of a handful of exciting new vacancies in the last two years in Milan’s fine dining sector which is currently moving in another direction. Emin Haziri, chef of Kosovar origin and Cannavacciuolian school, is kind and has clear ideas and over time he has also smoothed out certain rough edges of his character due to never hidden ambitions. Perhaps this is also thanks to the recipe videos posted on social media (“Emin will take care of it!”) which were hugely successful and made her into a gruff but clearly effective character.
A recent visit confirmed to me that Haziri is definitely on the right track and I think he could receive a Michelin star in a few days which is not a secret, to the point that I feel I can say this without fear of being accused of bad luck if this doesn’t happen. The cooking is clean, robust, with few ingredients but perfectly suited to the role: the inspiration is clearly Italian but the international techniques and dishes that emerge from this confluence are very contemporary.
In a dinner I spent perched at the counter, chatting with the chef who was finishing the dishes – the quiet evening allowed it – I started – after a first service of bakery products with some breadsticks and a crush on a picture of the Duomo – with a small parade of snacks: smoked mackerel toast with grains of mustard, Mondeghilo of cod topped with mint cream and zucchini, cuttlefish cannolino, and Tartlets with fassona tartare and veal reduction. Then comes a white plate with a veil of red beetroot: beneath it hides meaty red prawns from Mazara with salted lemon and nasturtium buds.
A short break: the trolley approaches and the kind waiter Alex gives me the lion’s share of bread: classic michetta and bread, accompanied by slightly salted Normandy butter, figs and lime powder.
We return to the plate: it’s raw scallops with black and white pointillist embroidery on the base of a plate made of yogurt, cuttlefish ink and caviar. A delight for the palate and the eyes. Then the evening’s act of bravery: a challenge to one of Italian cuisine’s most iconic dishes, Spaghetto alle vongole, here made with chili oil and celery greens, which provide a useful freshness to counteract the pasta’s thick, paste-like taste. Dishes of the highest cuisine but also delicious as if eaten at an informal restaurant on any beach. And this is a small miracle.
I’ll continue: the main course arrived, cod liver covered in a thin layer of mayonnaise made with water, shallots and cod tripe croquettes. The dishes I seemed to recognize deliberately referenced a certain posture of the eighties and nineties, which I didn’t care for at all.
Finally here is the dessert. Actually no: first the cheese trolley came to plunder which I did not escape. Here it is, the dessert. Caramelized Williams pears with lemon gel, chamomile cream, pear ice cream and crumble. Finally, the very classic little cakes: cream puffs, vanilla and chocolate lollipops and raspberry tarts.
One of the best dinners I had in Milan in 2025, also thanks to a rich, central cellar (but significant mark-up) and old-fashioned service. An added touch, a pianist who kindly played elegant versions of Italian pop classics throughout the evening, without forcing himself.
There are four menus available: the most comprehensive and eloquent is Il Viaggio dello Chef, which chronicles chef Emin’s latest dishes for 165 euros. Then the Contemporary Classic which is a pleasant medium for less adventurous tastes (130 euros). Then La Tradizione Italiana, which reinterprets caprese, cacio e pepe, vitello tonanto and tiramisu in a Hazirian key (110 euros). Lastly, the Vegetarian menu is again at 110.
Of course there is also a menu you can choose freely, which also includes Carbondoro, a luxury version of carbonara that uses edible gold (and actually costs 70 euros).
Procaccini, via Procaccini 33, Milan. Tel, 0277091277. Website: www.procaccini.com. Open every day only in the evening
