Ruben, the restaurant where you can eat for 1 euro

We are in Via Gonin, in the Giambellino neighborhood, home to about fifty thousand residents, made famous by Gaber for his Bar Gino (which still exists) and for Milan's underworld. Known as the "neighborhood of fog," where Lucio Battisti and Renato Vallanzasca once lived, the neighborhood is now undergoing a redevelopment program thanks to its proximity to entertainment districts such as Via Tortona.

A neighborhood suspended in time, like all neighborhoods where migrants and Bauscia residents mingle, public housing and gardens of breathtaking beauty: right in a corner of this still-undiscovered Milan, around 400 people a night before the lockdown passed through the entrance to Ruben, a place that is not only a basic refreshment point but also, and above all, an experience of serenity and tranquility.

In solidarity restaurant There's no bill, meals for those over 16 cost one euro, the cuisine is gourmet, and time is not a variable: the concept is precisely that of a momentary respite from need, but also a moment of recharging and renewed motivation.

Ruben is open Monday through Saturday from 6:45 PM to 8:30 PM, and there's always a long line. To enter, you need a membership card, which is issued based on certain requirements, starting with a delicate and difficult phase in your life. This is a temporary phase, because Ruben doesn't compete with Caritas centers. The diners are diverse: separated parents, university students struggling to pay tuition fees, immigrants, and the temporarily unemployed waiting for a new job. For them, every evening the table is ready, dinner served in a welcoming setting where you feast first, and pleasant company ensures you don't feel alone.

The restaurant's name has a sweet and compassionate story: Ruben was a farmer who moved to Milan from Cremona to work in the fields, living on the outskirts of the city, just steps from the Pellegrini family, market gardeners. He lived in a shack, where he froze to death one winter. Young Ernesto, who was studying to be an accountant at the time, and shortly after starting his job at the Bianchi company, befriended Ruben, promising to help him. Unfortunately, however, he didn't have the time, and he never forgot him. He dedicated a place of solidarity and love to him.

Featured image and accompanying text taken from the Facebook page of Ruben - Solidarity Restaurant Milan

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