When Dan and I spent 24 hours in Milan earlier this year (after visiting Bolzano, the Dolomites, Innsbruck and Munich for Oktoberfest), we wanted to squeeze in lunch before leaving for the airport at 1:00 PM. Problem is, most restaurants do not open until 12:00 for lunch in Milan! I searched the internet high and low and eventually found Ristorante Galleria inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. While I assumed it would be super touristy given its name and location, I made an 11:00 reservation and we showed up right on time after visiting the Duomo.
Ristorante Galleria in summer (well, September).
View from our seat inside Ristorante Galleria.