Milan in July does something to the body. The heat hits, the appetite ghosts you, and suddenly the idea of a steaming plate of ragù feels like a personal attack. This is why Italy invented such summer survival food: cold pasta fredda, insalata di riso, panzanella, caprese, vitello tonnato, prosciutto e melone — dishes you can eat at room temperature without breaking a sweat.
Across Asia, the logic is surprisingly similar, just with different noodles and different dressings. The summer instinct is: cool it down, brighten it up, and never let the stove win. When the heat goes up, the food gets colder, sharper, crunchier, more refreshing. The only real difference is the flavor profile. Same summer problem, different delicious solutions.
Here are some of the most popular summer dishes from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and where to try them in Milan!
China: cold noodles, cold vegetables and cold tofu
Long before “cold girl summer” was a concept, China had liangpi (cold skin, 凉皮) and liangmian(cold noodles, 凉面). Liangpi is those slippery, wide, hand-torn wheat or rice “cold skin” noodles from Shaanxi, come drenched in black vinegar, chili oil, sesame paste, garlic, cucumber and gluten cubes(yes they are a real thing and they can’t be gluten free). Tangy, numbing, refreshing, dangerously repeatable. While Liangmian varies hugely across China: some are sesame-heavy, some are spicy and Sichuan-style, some come with shredded chicken, cucumber, garlic, soy sauce and vinegar. It is the Chinese answer to summer pasta salad.
Then there’s the whole family of liangban (cold mixed, 凉拌) cold dishes: smashed cucumber (pai huanggua, 拍黄瓜), cold silken tofu, wood-ear mushroom salad, cold jellyfish. This is Chinese food doing precisely what it was built to do: cooling the body by season, not a wellness trend some entrepreneur rebranded in 2024.
And for anyone who thinks cold chicken is a sad desk-lunch situation, Koushuiji (口水鸡, mouthwatering “saliva chicken”) is here to correct you: poached chicken drenched in chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn, garlic and black vinegar, served cold and hitting so hard the name literally means your mouth waters just looking at it.
Where to eat in Milan: Try Mo Sarpi for liangpi, or look for northern Chinese and Shaanxi-style spots, such as Xiao Hutong (Via Paolo Sarpi 50), right in Milan’s Chinatown, does the cold-tofu-and-authentic-small-plates thing properly. Open daily till late, cheap, and beloved by people who actually grew up eating this stuff.
Japan: minimalist, iced, immaculate
Japan’s summer flex is restraint. Zaru soba — cold buckwheat noodles on a bamboo mat, with a dipping sauce, scallions, wasabi, and sometimes grated daikon. It is light, nutty, clean, and ideal when your body refuses to process another hot bowl of ramen. There is also cold udon: Hiyashi udon and hiyashi chuka, usually served with dipping sauce or a chilled broth, sometimes topped with grated ginger, tempura flakes, egg, nori, or spring onion.
Sushi & Sashimi are not exclusively a summer food, but in hot weather it makes sense: rice, fish, cucumber, avocado, seaweed, soy sauce, and wasabi. Light enough for lunch, satisfying enough for dinner, and photogenic enough for people who need their meal to audition for Instagram.
Where to eat in Milan: For sushi, Milan has endless options, check out our Best AYCE sushi and Best non-AYCE sushi guides. For cold soba or cold udon, Ristorante Sagami (Piazza Duca d’Aosta 10, by Centrale) is a long-standing favorite for authentic soba and udon. If you’re feeling flush, Yajimi Maison (Via Piero della Francesca 74) is a much finer splurge.
Korea: cold soup is the whole point
Korea goes very serious with summer noodles. The star is naengmyeon, chewy cold noodles served either in icy broth, called mul naengmyeon, or mixed with spicy sauce, called bibim naengmyeon. Toppings often include cucumber, pear, boiled egg, and beef. It is refreshing, sharp, slightly sweet, and cold enough to make your soul restart.
Another Korean summer dish is kongguksu, noodles in cold soy milk broth. It is creamy, nutty, mild, and protein-rich. Not dramatic, not spicy, just quiet summer luxury. There is also bibim guksu, spicy mixed cold noodles with gochujang-based sauce, cucumber, sesame oil, vinegar, and sometimes boiled egg. It is simple, fast, and perfect when the weather is too hot but your appetite still wants drama.
Where to eat in Milan: Noodle House Korean Restaurant is a good starting point for Korean noodle dishes in Milan, and delivery menus have listed both bibim naengmyeon and mul naengmyeon. Also check restaurants such as Seon, Ginmi, or Gaya from our Best Korean Restaurant guide.
Vietnam: herbs, fish sauce, zero heat retained
Vietnamese summer food is basically a masterclass in freshness. Bún thịt nướng combines cold rice vermicelli, grilled pork, herbs, cucumber, pickled vegetables, peanuts, and nước chấm, the famous fish sauce dressing. It is smoky, fresh, sweet, salty, sour, crunchy, and somehow still balanced. Annoying, but impressive.
Another summer-friendly dish is gỏi cuốn, fresh spring rolls filled with rice paper, herbs, rice noodles, shrimp, pork, tofu, or vegetables, usually served with peanut sauce or fish sauce. They are light, portable, and dangerously easy to eat in large quantities while pretending you are being healthy. Vietnamese salads such as gỏi gà, chicken cabbage salad with herbs, lime, and fish sauce, also fit perfectly into hot weather.
Where to eat in Milan: Casa Vietnam is a good place to look for dishes like bún thịt nướng, bún chả, phở, and fresh Vietnamese plates. Also check out our Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Milan guide for vermicelli bowls and spring rolls.
Thailand: papaya, mango, pineapple, lime
Thai summer food does not believe in being boring. Som tam, green papaya salad, is one of the country’s most famous hot-weather dishes. It mixes shredded green papaya with lime, fish sauce, chili, tomatoes, peanuts, and sometimes dried shrimp or crab. It is sweet, sour, salty, spicy, crunchy, and completely awake.
Khao pad sapparod (pineapple fried rice) is summer showing off! Fluffy rice tossed with pineapple chunks, cashews, raisins and often served inside the hollowed-out pineapple itself, because Thai food understood the assignment on presentation before it was cool! Alongside mango sticky rice, the perfect hot-weather dessert. Thai summer dishes are not “light” in flavor, but light in temperature and texture.
Where to eat in Milan: Thai Square Milano lists dishes such as som tam Thai, som tam Isaan, green mango salad, and glass noodle seafood salad. Also check our Best Thai Restaurants in Milan guide for more options.
Final verdict
Italian summer food says: tomatoes, mozzarella, cold pasta, rice salad, melon, gelato. Asian summer food says: cold noodles, sesame, vinegar, lime, chili, herbs, fish sauce, icy broth, coconut and crunchy vegetables.
Different food cultures, same survival strategy—when the city turns into a hot pizza oven, you eat something cold, sharp and fresh that still feels alive.
Have you tried any of these dishes or restaurants yet? Let us know your opinion, and do not forget to bookmark chinatownmilano.it for more Asian food stories, restaurant guides, and hidden spots around the city and follow us on social media @chinatownmilano.it.
