Joia

The story

Joia, Milan: Michelin-Starred Vegetarian Cuisine on Via Panfilo Castaldi

Joia, at via Panfilo Castaldi 18 in Milan, earned a Michelin star in the 2026 guide for a seasonal kitchen that is entirely vegetarian. Pietro Leemann founded it in 1989, and the tasting menus follow the rhythm of the seasons.

The chefs and their kitchen

Sauro Ricci and Raffaele Minghini both arrived at Joia in 2012 and have run the restaurant together since 2024. Ricci trained at Il Pellicano and studied ethno-anthropology. Minghini studied philosophy and spent time as head chef of a plant-based restaurant in London. Their cooking uses organic ingredients and draws on Italian and French technique, with Asian influences.

Tasting menus

Two tasting menus, each at 140 euro, are on offer. L'enfasi della natura includes a cucumber marinated in the Indochinese style with cashew mousse and Himalayan curry, and a plant-based risotto with Sicilian datterini and house kimchi. La scoperta della tradizione brings a chilled Cantaloupe melon gazpacho with pea and lemon cream, and farro pappardelle in a reduced mushroom broth. Dessert is a choice among Gong, Pomo d'oro and Operà. Every menu can be made fully vegan or gluten-free.

Lunch and wine

Lunch runs Tuesday to Friday, with the three-course Tre Piatti a Mezzogiorno or the daily-changing Piatto Quadro. The cellar reflects three decades of buying from Italian and neighbouring winemakers. There are also fermented non-alcoholic drinks, and teas selected with a Milan tea house. The restaurant also holds a Michelin Green Star for sustainability, first awarded in 2020, and five radishes from the We're Smart Green Guide in 2026.