Milan changes appearance often, but when a new address opens inside a historic space like Palazzo Fendi, the shift is unmistakable. The rationalist building designed by Emilio Lancia in the 1930s, between San Babila and Montenapoleone, now hosts several noteworthy projects and extends the Langosteria Group’s presence across three floors, with interiors crafted by Enrico Buonocore and the architecture team behind the Roman fashion house.
The fifth floor is home to Langosteria Montenapoleone, a finedining restaurant defined by understated elegance and terraces overlooking the fashion district. One level down, starting in January, Pepe – barra italiana will focus on Italian dishes and a service built around the counter. The sixth floor, meanwhile, is where cocktail lovers will settle in: Langosteria Ally’s Bar, the Group’s first cocktail bar.
Stefano Agostino, the Bar Manager at Langosteria Ally’s Bar
A standalone project within the building’s ecosystem, it features a main room, a terrace facing the city center skyline, a private dining room and 55 seats where cocktails receive the same level of care usually reserved for Langosteria’s dishes. The drink list — thirty cocktails in total — reflects Bar Manager Stefano Agostino’s style. “Essential, contemporary, built on direct and honest flavors. A menu conceived to offer Milan a new benchmark for cocktails.”
The Professional Journey of Stefano Agostino
For Agostino, Langosteria Ally’s Bar was a natural progression after years spent between Milan and London, two capitals of hospitality. From the Doping Club, which marked the beginning of his Milanese chapter, to the American Bar at the Savoy and Kwant in London with Erik Lorincz, and then Camparino in Galleria. A trajectory that shaped his method, his pace and a fully matured professionalism. “Now, with Langosteria — an international group with a solid vision and steady growth — I’m leading a highly trained team. It’s a privilege to be part of this project.” The bar imagined by Agostino revolves around fully seated service, with an approach that allows the team to ensure precision at every step.
A Travel-Inspired Concept
The room is designed to support a broad menu built around the theme of travel. Every element already part of the Langosteria universe is translated here into a fluid rhythm and a visual language aimed at continuity. “Thirty cocktails sit alongside signatures and timeless classics, following a path that favors clarity of flavor and balance. The goal is to offer a menu easy to navigate, where every choice reflects a deliberate approach. Ingredients are selected for coherence and techniques are calibrated for consistency.”
Stefano Agostino Talks Through the Signature Cocktails
Among the signatures, each drink defines Ally’s sensory identity and is built around one central ingredient: tomato, olive and coffee. Pomodoro Mezcal uses fresh tomato treated with a technique that yields a dense, structured texture. “It’s a light, very fresh drink,” Agostino explains. Mezcal adds the right depth, working in dialogue with the acidity of the red fruit.
The Dirty Martini, instead, places the spotlight on Nocellara del Belice, chosen for its aromatic richness and clean profile. “This particular Sicilian olive stands out for its expressive aromatics and a natural balance of herbal notes, roundness and clarity. The vodka base acts as a neutral structure, allowing the olive to take the lead. Serving the drink at the table becomes part of the technique itself, ensuring consistency in temperature, dilution and sensory brightness,” the Bar Manager notes.
Martini Arabica brings the focus to coffee in its most essential form: the aroma. “We start from a natural arabica coffee cordial infused with tonka bean,” Agostino says. “Coffee guides the aromatic profile with warm, linear, enveloping notes, while a black pepper essence adds a subtle vibration and deepens the finish without weighing it down. The result is a drink defined by restrained elegance, rooted in technical clarity and ingredient quality.”
Classic Cocktails, Non-Alcoholic Options and a Guest-Centered Approach
The rest of the list expands the drinking repertoire through the classics of mixology — Old Cuban, Air Mail, Red Hook, Hanky Panky, just to name a few. As the menu unfolds, several non-alcoholic options and a long selection of spirits appear as well. “Our focus sits far from the bartender’s ego. We center everything on the guest, with a service built on detail, to shape the best possible experience for every person in the room,” Stefano Agostino says from behind the bar at Langosteria Ally’s Bar, a new destination for anyone who takes cocktails seriously.
The article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Order your copy here
Images credits Emanuel Florentin x Coqtail, all rights reserved
