Beefbar Milano restaurant at Portrait Milano Hotel has been awarded by the 2023 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, recognizing the establishment as the most beautiful restaurant in Europe. The award recognizes the work of interior architects Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet, who converted the historic chapel of a former seminary.

© Francis Amiand

In the historic and vibrant heart of Milan, Beefbar Milano restaurant, opened to the public in 2023, has taken over the chapel of the city’s former Archiepiscopal Seminary. Inspired by major artists and designers of the Milanese style of the 1940s and 1960s, Humbert & Poyet beautifully redesigned the dining space while respecting its memory and unique architecture.

Under a spectacularly high nave, the open kitchen, bar and restaurant are seamlessly connected by a stunning terrazzo floor, mixing shades of green, black, white and burgundy in a “wave” pattern paying tribute to architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni.

© Francis Amiand

Half-height wood paneling in dark walnut recalls the style of Milanese cafés, and Verde Alpi marble tables and chairs by Vico Magistretti furnish the space with elegance. The details combine with several suspended Asterios lamps in bronze and frosted glass.

Located in Piazza del Quadrilatero, just a stone’s throw from the San Babila district, the 5-star, 73-suite Portrait Milano Hotel truly represents the city noted for its opera, fashion, design and cuisine. The hotel’s signature restaurant, Beefbar Milano, is run by Executive Chef Alberto Quadrio, known for taking the time (when possible) to personally interact with each restaurant guest.

© Francis Amiand

For the past 20 years the most notable thing about this historic building complex was its  obscurity. Located behind closed gates and unoccupied, it was a place few Milanese even knew  existed. That changed in December 2022 when Giuseppe Sala, the city’s mayor, officiated at the ribbon-cutting for Portrait Milano, the hotel-restaurant-retail complex which the seminary now houses after a 10-year restoration project.

The original seminary’s vast courtyard, now renamed Piazza del Quadrilatero, opened to the public for the first time in its history, providing walking access between the neighborhood’s two main arteries. Besides the hotel, it contains fashion boutiques and food and beverage venues, and hosts art exhibitions, performances and other cultural events.