MILAN, Italy – Autogrill presents the new Motta Milano 1928 following restyling work that revisited the famous Milanese café in a contemporary key. Motta Milano 1928 is inspired by the classic ‘Italian-style bar’ and reflects the historic brand’s capacity to evolve and adapt to the needs of an international public without sacrificing its vocational role as a place for families and young people, indeed anyone wishing to enjoy a break in the working day and traditional Italian cuisine in a fashionable, refined setting with a timeless Milanese twist.
It was on these premises, in fact, that the original “Caffè Bar Motta” opened way back in 1928, to offer a unique taste experience, as it still does.
The food offering starts with the coffeehouse area, the pride of Motta Milano 1928, with cakes and pastries to accompany an espresso or a tea for a wholesome breakfast or an appetizing snack, to be enjoyed at the bar or served at table indoors or outside in the ‘Galleria’.
From lunch to dinner, the offering is 100% Italian and ranges from the classic veal ossobuco with gremolada sauce and risotto alla Milanese for those seeking a richly traditional Milanese dish, to pizzas and gourmet sandwiches, including the Fassona Piemontese hamburger with PDO Provolone Valpadana and avocado, for a quicker but high quality break.
The menu moves with the seasons too, to offer customers the best of Italy’s culinary traditions at all times. Not to mention gastronomic specialities like those of Marco d’Oggiono, producer of cured meats since 1945 (salame di coscia, cured ham, Carpaccio Celtico, Collinetta, Lardo Celtico served with pear mostarda and grilled polenta).
The restaurant provides table service both inside and outside, as does its cocktail bar, whose offering ranges from classic Italian to international cocktails. The restaurant is ideal after dinner too: what better than a cocktail at the bar whilst enjoying a unique view of the ‘Galleria’. A special menu has already been devised for the upcoming festivities (Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve).
Motta Milano 1928 is on the ground floor of Autogrill’s flagship “Il Mercato del Duomo”, which also features the Bistrot and Terrazza Aperol concepts.
Guests are welcomed into a unique atmosphere created by prestige wood, marble and brass, while mirrors bring the walls to life with magical reflections of the ‘Galleria’, the bustling flow of people and the intricate Cathedral spires that trace a decorative pattern with Motta at the centre of its city. All of which eloquently pointed up by the brand’s historic colour, blue, impressed in our collective memory.
The restyling was by COLLIDANIELARCHITETTO, an interior design firm acclaimed by the critics and top international awards for its capacity to combine contemporary vision, historical and cultural roots and the peculiarities of place in projects whose hallmark is a blending of past and future.
Motta Milano 1928 has been a meeting point for three generations, since the ‘20s, for people strolling the city centre, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Piazza del Duomo.
With this re-opening, Autogrill is making a valuable contribution to the upgrading of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Like the other concepts at “Il Mercato del Duomo”, Motta is also a prestige venue for music and other cultural activities, especially during the city’s major events (as in its recent collaboration with ‘Jazz Milano’), thus helping to animate the ‘Galleria’ in the evening too. On Thursdays evenings there is a regular music spot (DJ set) during pre-dinner drinks.
Historical notes
The first Caffè Bar Motta was opened by Angelo Motta in the Galleria Carlo Alberto in 1928. The interior design and furnishings were by Melchiorre Bega, the most famous architect at the time. It was Bega’s creative design for this space – successfully merging the tradition of Italian-style cafés with the innovations of Futurism – that helped define the distinctive identity of the Italian bar as known worldwide.
For three generations of Milanesi the Caffè Motta has been a meeting point, a place where the urban trajectories of the bourgeoisie intersected those of students, intellectuals and artists.
Business at the Caffè Motta was suspended in 1996 when the premises were closed for major renovation work. In December 1998 the fully renovated café reopened under the Autogrill sign and in 2015 it was definitively reinstated with the opening of “Il Mercato del Duomo”, its current venue.
In 2014 it received the prestigious “Historic Store” designation in an initiative – the “Register of Historic Commercial Sites” – promoted by Regione Lombardia help develop local commercial and craft businesses that stand out in terms of their historical and architectural identity.
