Green and sea

Cactus Milano is not only a vegetarian restaurant, and it is not only a seafood restaurant. Its identity comes precisely from the meeting of these two
worlds: the green of vegetable cuisine, seasonal vegetables, herbs, and vivid colors, and the sea of fresh fish, raw seafood, shellfish, and deeper, more savory flavors. It is a cuisine that does not want to choose just one direction, but to build balance. On the plate, vegetables are not treated as a side, and fish does not dominate everything: both have a clear role.

The green side of Cactus Milano has character because it is not treated as something that must be light at all costs. Vegetables have structure, different cooking methods, textures, acidity, sweetness, and aroma. You can see it clearly in dishes like The Cactus Garden, where fifteen seasonal vegetables become a true construction of flavor, or in the Zucchini Flowers with trombetta zucchini cream, ricotta, and carrot ketchup. Here, vegetables are not a restrictive choice, but living matter, able to fill the plate and make it interesting.

Chef Alessio Sebastiani’s hand can be felt in the way the sea enters the kitchen. Not just freshness, but depth, sauces, stocks, contrasts, and textures. The Upside-Down Seafood Fregola expresses this direction well: artisanal fregola, smooth clams, scampi, razor clams, clams, cuttlefish, bottarga, and cacciucco in an intense, warm, Mediterranean dish. The sea at Cactus Milano does not arrive cold or minimal, but full of flavor, with a more instinctive side and a precise construction behind every bite.

This is exactly the point of Cactus Milano: making green and sea live together without making them feel like two separate menus. On one side, freshness, seasonality, color, and lightness. On the other, salinity, intensity, depth, and substance. When these elements work together, the cuisine becomes more recognizable, freer, and closer to the way the restaurant wants to tell its story. Green and sea are not a slogan, but a concrete direction: lively, contemporary dishes full of flavor, where every ingredient needs space, meaning, and character.