Milan’s mobile restaurant (dinner on a vintage tram)

 

 

Dinner on a Vintage Tram (Atmosphera Milan Review)

One of the most charming things about Milan are the trams that criss-cross the city. There are modern ones, but I love the vintage style trams and always try to take a photo when I spot one.

About midway into our time living in Milan, I discovered that there are 2 restored vintage restaurant trams (run by Atmosphera) that take you through the city while you eat dinner. How fun is that? I couldn’t decide if it would be a totally touristy cheesy thing to do or not- but later I thought it would be a good idea to check out- you know, for research. 😉

A few months before we moved from Milan back to the US, I talked my whole family in going on a dinner date with me in Milan’s mobile restaurant.

We had a fabulous time!

The trams are operated by ATM, the city’s transit authority, and they are gorgeous. You are greeted at the door where there is a small coat room, and enter the dining car which holds 24 people at tables for parties of 2 or 4.

Picture this: teak wood, cozy lantern light and white tablecloths. When we sat, we were immediately offered prosecco, water and a selection of canapés.

 

 

 

Our tram cruised through the city while we ate, traveling by some well-known spots and some neighborhoods that we didn’t have a chance to explore in our 2 years of living there. I think this would be an excellent thing for newcomers to do, to get an overview of the city from this perspective. I wish we had done it when we first arrived. I also think it would be a fun girls night out!

 

Details of Milan’s Tram Dinner:

Tram Ristorante ATMosphera: see their website for current menus, pricing, booking and cancellation policy.

• Make your reservation online, and pay in advance. It’s quite popular, so I recommend booking a month or 2 before you actually want to go.
• The price is € 70 per person, and includes a four-course meal including wine, water and coffee.
• Choose between the meat, seafood, or vegetarian menu. (you can modify your choice up until 4 days before your reservation)
• Pick your seats on the tram, they show you a map when you make your reservation and you click which seats you’d like.
• (There is a small bathroom on the tram.)

Our thoughts:

We loved the entire experience. It was easy to book, with a high level of communication from the company ahead of time which was a nice surprise. The meeting point was easy to find, near the fountain in front of Castello Sforzesco.

It was fun people watching while waiting for the tram, and once we were seated I was trying to figure out if the other guests were local, celebrating a special occasion or in town for the EXPO. I didn’t quite figure all of them out, but we were definitely the only English-speaking folks on the tram.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of the food, but we were all nicely surprised with what we were served. Especially considering the tiny size of the kitchen and that there was only 1 staff member on board. The service was amazing, Marco took great care of us and I think he’s a miracle worker to take care of 24 people on a moving vehicle all at the same time!

I ordered the vegetarian menu for myself, the seafood for my daughter and the meat for both guys. It was interesting to see the different menu choices and we had fun trying each others dishes. Everything was beautifully presented and photo worthy, although the romantic lighting made it difficult to get good food photos.

The whole night was relaxing and great fun. While we have had better food at other restaurants in Milan, I would recommend it for the unique experience. My teenagers who are hard to please these days really loved it and still talk about that night.

 

 

Maybe it was the candle light or the rain, or my sentimental nature- but the night felt like a love letter to Milan. We were preparing to move back to America, and we loved seeing some of our favorite places from on board the tram in such a luxurious and cozy setting.

Milano friends- I’d love to hear your experience if you have gone, or end up going!

xo- Heather

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