Best zones to open a cafe or bar in Milan
We scored 13 neighbourhood-sized cells of Milan for a cafe or bar. Ticinese leads with 90/100 against a city average of 78/100. Every score is built from open data plus live Google Maps evidence — nothing is estimated by hand.
- City average
- 78/100
- #1 · Ticinese
- 90/100
- Data confidence
- 80%
- Updated
- 12 September 2026
Opportunity map
Each hexagon is an equal-area H3 cell (~0.7 km²). Brighter = higher opportunity. Grey = not enough data.
Full ranking
13 zones scored
| # | Zone | Score | Confidence | Competitors | Residents (10-min walk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ticinese | 90 | 80% | 7 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 2 | Duomo | 88 | 80% | 12 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 3 | Navigli | 88 | 80% | 6 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 4 | Tortona | 87 | 80% | 7 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 5 | Garibaldi Repubblica | 87 | 80% | 5 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 6 | Sarpi | 86 | 80% | 2 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 7 | Brera | 80 | 80% | 6 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 8 | Guastalla | 75 | 80% | 5 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 9 | Portello | 67 | 80% | 4 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 10 | Isola | 66 | 80% | 3 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 11 | Magenta - San Vittore | 66 | 80% | 2 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 12 | Washington | 65 | 80% | 3 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 13 | Vigentina | 65 | 80% | 3 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
Top 3 zones in detail
Ticinese
- Demand99
- Room85
- Beatable46
- Vitality100
- Access100
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+44)
Main competitors
- Mag Cafe · 4.4★ (4,182)
- Felix Navigli · 4.5★ (770)
- GRAMM · 4.4★ (593)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Duomo
- Demand100
- Room72
- Beatable45
- Vitality100
- Access100
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+45)
Main competitors
- NOWHERE - BISTROT & SPECIALTY COFFEE · 4.3★ (1,939)
- Caffè Napoli Augusto · 4.5★ (904)
- Caffè Napoli Giardino · 4.5★ (895)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Navigli
- Demand92
- Room85
- Beatable50
- Vitality97
- Access100
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+37)
Main competitors
- Mag Cafe · 4.4★ (4,182)
- Felix Navigli · 4.5★ (770)
- GRAMM · 4.4★ (593)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
How the score works
Six components, weighted for this sector. Missing data is left out and the weights are redistributed — a component is never guessed.
- Demand22%
Residents within a 10-minute walk (WorldPop × Valhalla) blended with proven spend — Google review volume vs. the best cell in the city.
- Room in the market16%
How many comparable businesses already operate within ~1 km. Fewer competitors scores higher.
- Beatable competition12%
Average Google rating of incumbents. Weaker incumbents leave more room for a strong newcomer.
- Street vitality22%
Commercial density, footfall anchors (schools, offices, stations, hotels) and business mix from OpenStreetMap.
- Accessibility20%
Transit stops, main and pedestrian streets, and how much ground a 10-minute walk actually covers.
- Affordability8%
Typical commercial rent where a benchmark exists. Cheaper scores higher; missing rent is left out, never guessed.
Data sources
- WorldPop
residential population per cell
- OpenStreetMap
points of interest, transit stops, streets, footfall anchors
- Valhalla
10-minute walking isochrones
- Google Maps
competitor names, ratings and review volumes (via SerpAPI)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best zone to open a cafe or bar in Milan?
- Ticinese scores highest at 90/100, +12 points above the city average. Scores combine demand, room in the market, competitor quality, street vitality, accessibility and cost.
- Where does the data come from?
- Population from WorldPop, walking reach from Valhalla isochrones, points of interest, transit and streets from OpenStreetMap, and competitor names, ratings and review volumes from Google Maps. Each cell shows a confidence level based on how many of these sources were available.
- How fresh is this ranking?
- Zones were last recomputed on 12 September 2026. The interactive map refreshes the data automatically when the cache expires (30 days).