Esselunga Group expands its Bar Atlantic network with two new openings in Milan

Esselunga Group expands its presence in Milan with its Bar Atlantic restaurant network through two new openings: after the store on Via Pezzotti, inaugurated last 30 October, the one on Viale Papiniano has also opened.

Unique in the brand’s landscape, since, although both are located near their respective Esselunga supermarkets, they have direct access from the street and are housed in independent buildings rather than inside the stores.

The new openings

The new Bar Atlantic on the corner of Viale Papiniano and Via Tristano Calco has a dining area with 52 seats and also offers a takeaway service, with customers on the go able to order directly from the street. The store, where people 11 work, features video walls to communicate the daily offering. The offering includes a café service with a kitchen and a complete selection: from breakfast to lunch, with hot dishes, hamburgers and sandwiches, through to aperitifs.

The same offering is also available at the new Bar Atlantic on Via Pezzotti, with a dining area with 48 seats, where 10 people work.

The format

Originally designed by Vico Magistretti, a Milanese architect and designer, the first Bar Atlantic opened in Pantigliate in 2003: today the brand has a network of 135 stores located in Esselunga shopping galleries and laEsse urban stores in Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Liguria, Lazio and Trentino-Alto Adige.

A restaurant format created according to its own layout and with independent spaces, although connected to the store where customers do their daily shopping. Bar Atlantic venues offer a full restaurant service: breakfasts, lunches and aperitifs, based on recipes using selected ingredients sourced directly from Esselunga stores. The choice is very wide: first and main courses, sandwiches, salads, platters of cured meats and cheeses, fruit salads, cakes, fresh fruit juices and specialities prepared to order with a constantly evolving menu. Thanks to the presence of digital kiosks, customers can view the available dishes and reserve the ones they want.

The bistro

A further stage in the evolution of Esselunga’s restaurant model is represented by the first bistro, opened last May on the first floor of the LaEsse store in Piazza Risorgimento in Milan: a place where tradition and innovation meet in an à la carte offering, with table service, combining contemporary cuisine and traditional recipes, with a dining area with 54 seats, a lounge area and a cocktail bar.

Services and sustainability

Alongside its restaurant offering, Bar Atlantic has also developed services for businesses and private individuals, such as event catering, with the possibility of customised set-ups. This offering takes the Esselunga Group’s restaurant experience beyond the bars as well.

Attention to the quality of the offering is also accompanied by initiatives dedicated to sustainability: almost all the stores participate in the partnership with Too Good To Go, contributing to the recovery of surplus food. From 2022 to 2025, more than 109.000 meals have been recovered, of which almost 30.000 in 2025 alone.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.