It all begins in Puglia, in the heart of Salento. That's where Chef Tommaso Ciraci and his wife Anna were born and raised, in a land of ancient olive trees, crystal-clear sea, and family traditions handed down through generations.
Ceglie Messapica, in the province of Brindisi, is a small jewel of Salento known throughout Italy as the "city of gastronomy". Here Tommaso learned the secrets of Apulian cuisine from a young age, alongside his grandmother and mother, surrounded by the aroma of ragù slowly simmering and the sound of handmade orecchiette being shaped.
«Ours is true Apulian cuisine. Our ingredients come straight from down south: the olive oil, the pasta, the meat, the spumone, the taralli in all their flavours, the cegliese biscotti, the wine. Everything just like home.» Tommaso Ciraci · Chef & Owner
Arriving in Milan
When Tommaso and Anna arrived in Milan, they had one dream: to bring a piece of their Salento to the big northern city. Not a "tourist trattoria", but a real family osteria, as welcoming as grandma's kitchen, with the honest flavours of tradition.
That's how Osteria Il Melograno was born, on Via Annibale Caretta, just a few steps from Piazza Loreto. A small and intimate place, with warm walls, wooden tables, and that feeling of home you get the moment you cross the threshold.
One family, one passion
Today Il Melograno is still family-run. Tommaso in the kitchen, Anna in the dining room with her welcoming smile, and their son Giovanni — always ready, kind and helpful. Together they greet every guest like a longtime friend.
The menu changes little — because tradition isn't to be betrayed: orecchiette with broccoli rabe, Apulian bombette, grilled fiorentina steak, homemade pasticciotto leccese. And then the wines of Puglia, the handcrafted taralli, the spumone — the real ones, increasingly rare to find.
«It feels like eating at grandma's. Generous portions, warm hospitality, honest prices. For anyone looking for an authentic experience — not a cold, standard place — Il Melograno is the right choice.» TheFork Review · 8.8/10
The meaning of the name
In ancient Mediterranean tradition, the pomegranate (melograno) is the symbol of abundance, fertility and family. Its many seeds represent unity, sharing, the warmth of gathering around a table. For us, it means all of this: our land, our family, and our passion shared with you, one plate at a time.