Named after the patron saint of Milan, San Ambrogio, the pasticceria and confeteria was founded in the capital of design and fashion in 1936. Its success among the local intelligentsia allowed it to expand across the Atlantic in 1982, with its first location in Manhattan, on Madison Avenue. Guests quickly became regulars, gathering each morning under the glittering chandeliers to savor a cappuccino or espresso or authentic, time-honored recipes and homemade sweets. 

Today, Sant Ambroeus has five locations in Manhattan—in thriving neighborhoods like the West Village, Soho, and the Upper East Side—as well as an outpost in the seaside community of Southampton. The restaurant has remained true to its Milanese origins—each outpost boasts a unique character and design: a nod to ’60s and ’70s Italy here, Etro textiles or Le Corbusier prints there, with perhaps an oversized Clifford Ross photo adding contrast in minimalism.