Il Pescetto

I was really looking forward to Il Pescetto after dining at a similar style restaurant in Barcelona. As other reviewers have stated, it's best to get here early. A line of about 15 people formed a ten minutes prior to opening on a Saturday afternoon.

It's also best to have a gameplan in mind of what you want to order. We didn't and it was clear the staff essentially rushed us through. I understand that they have other customers in line, but the ordering process is very stressful. We ordered scallops, shrimp, octopus, calamari, and potatoes. The food was overall well-cooked. The value here is great; to get all this fresh seafood for ~40 euros is a nice deal. This is one of those where I wish I could give half stars and would rate it a 3.5. I would probably come here again, especially if I had more time to order my meal.

Best fish ive ever had in my life and prob one of my fav memories w my family ever. Just go. and these charming young fellows will take care of you

This place was on top of my food wishlist for Milan and It was the first place I visited for my first night there.

Hands down he best seafood experience!! it is not a romantic or a high end restaurant but they sure know how to cook seafood. Everything is fresh you come in and wait in line once it's your turn you can pick out what seafood you want to eat and how you want them to cook (grilled baked fried )it for you. They have a variety but I'm sure it changes through out the season due to availability.

You can also order sides for grilled veggies (I would try to study the menu before getting in line because it's all in Italian haha)

Price was not bad I ordered a dozen oysters, octopus leg, two large prawn and octopus salad (pretty big portion please order to share haha) and it came out to be 44 euros.

Bottle of Pinot Gris was only 12 bucks!! And it tasted great. It's pretty casual setting you take your order number and they call you (both Italian and English) you pick up raw food and wine from where you put your order and hot food from another window in the back of the restaurant.

It gets crowded so to beat the crowd I'd go early.

People in Italy eat dinner pretty late around 8. So if you go around 6-630 even 7pm you should be fine.
Highly highly recommend this place if you are a seafood lover like myself.

Popular pick-your-fish-and-cook-it spot. Everything is fresh and straightforward. Next door to a great gelato shop. What is not to like?

I was send here by some of my Italian co-workers. I get the sense it is a a bit of a local hot spot at the moment. There was a constant line but it moves quickly. They offer small glasses of white wine and samples of fried shellfish while you wait.

I tried the zucchini, the house-made potato chips, a grilled squid, the seafood salad (mostly octopus), some fried sardines, and a couple Portuguese shrimp in an aglio olio preparation. Really there are too many good options to try. Go with a group and share if you can. I saw nice looking plates of tartars, bowls of mussels in sauce, various slabs of fish, etc.

The standouts were the seafood salad (one of the things I cannot get enough of while I am in Italy), the roasted squid and the zucchini. They don't season the food much and you are left to add salt, oil, hot sauce to taste.

They speak English well and are friendly. There is no English menus but since you can point out what you want it makes it easy for most folks if you have some sense of the fish you like. It is a bit stressful to navigate the room after you order, there are busy dudes running around who have strong opinions where you should sit that rush at you (they are very friendly though in general and I had good service). They call your number (they did it in English for me) and you have to fetch your food from the kitchen window in the back. There is another spot to drop you trays at the end. Not a big deal but several things to juggle.

One thing I noticed is because the line is so long, if you decide you want to try something else you don't really feel like waiting again. They are missing out of those extra orders I think. Luckily just north a couple stores is a great organic gelato spot called Hela. It has the best sorbetto (try the coconut!) I have had in Milan this trip.

Great food. Fast service and friendly staff. Lots of locals, we ordered the tuna tartar and it was very fresh. The fried cod is also a must.

If you need eat fresh fish in milan in a short time without special dress, this os your corner.
Special fish t enjoy.
Very fast the service, personally I like the tuna tartare, but you can choice from different type of fish and select the cooking.
The price are on line with the quality, in any case cheaper compare to standard fresh fish restaurant.
Personally to repeat.

Fresh fish, delicious. Perfect balance of flavors. Good presentation and fast service. Waiters friendly.

Excellent quality and great variety! Fast casual. Ordered skewered grilled shrimp gamberi, fried little octopus, and scampi and calamari in aglio, olio, and peperoncino. All on point. The red chilies were a fantastic little kick. Will definitely come back, multiple times, I'm sure. Great value. Not sure why it's listed as €€€, seems more like €€ but guess it depends on what you buy.

I'm a big fan of these type of places (check out La Paradeta chain in Barcelona) where you pick your fish from the counter and choose how you want it cooked - and now I know I'm not the only one in Milan who loves these places because on the Saturday we were there at lunch time, there was a big crowd waiting for the restaurant to open. So, we queued (the creative Italian way of queueing) and we eventually got in, greeted by a glass of prosecco while we waited - nice touch. Then we got to the counter and started pointing at all the yummy things on display: tuna, shrimps, swordfish, fried fish balls, there was not much to be cooked for us besides the fish balls and the swordfish since we love raw fish - and the one we got here was super fresh.
As other have explained, you point at what you want, you tell them how you want it cooked, get your drinks and pay at the counter, then take a seat and when they call out your number you go to the window in the back to pick up your order. When you're done you put your dishes in a tray and drop it in the back.
Everything was good and prices were yes a bit high but not outrageously and since it's fresh fish and it's Milan it is to be expected. I'll definitely be back for some tuna tartare!
Too bad my phone stopped working the day before we came here so no photos this time...

Could not have been better. Received great recommendations, delicious food, and genuinely friendly service. Wine recs were dead on and food was so fresh! Will be back as soon as possible!