Restaurant Da Emma, located in what was formerly Montreal's first prison for women, won prizes for its design in 1999. Da Emma serves traditional Italian cuisine with Roman specialities. As for the food: seafood antipasto (squid, mussels, shrimp, and octopus drizzled with olive oil), fettuccine with porcini mushrooms, and suckling pig roasted with garlic and rosemary are among the highlights.
Terrace available accommodating up to 70 people.
Da Emma stands out as a notable Italian dining option in Montreal with many reviews praising authentic Roman inspired cuisine, high quality ingredients, and dishes that feel both homely and refined from tender meats and flavorful pastas to tiramisu. The historic Old Montreal setting and the cellar like atmosphere contribute to an elevated and intimate dining experience. Service is often described as professional and attentive, though a few visits note occasional slow or intrusive moments. Guests frequently mention complimentary bruschetta, good bread with olive oil and vinegar, and a strong wine list. While some comments point to noise and higher prices for smaller portions, the overall impression is that Da Emma is a must try for romantic or special occasions and a reliable home style Italian meal in the city.
If not the best, one of the best Italian restaurants in Montreal. Food quality, taste & ingredients as good as you can find anywhere but more expensive than elsewhere & very noisy after 8:30 or so (low ceilings). Great service & wine selection in a comfortable setting with dishes rarely found in Montreal like the very slow roasted delicious melt in your mouth suckling pig or young lamb. A place to enjoy delicious food that does not taste good just because it is loaded with salt & fat once a year due to the small menu that does not change much
Things I enjoyed:
- Complimentary bruschetta
- Complimentary bread with good quality olive oil & vinegar
- The ambiance
- The mozzarella
Things I didn't enjoy:
- Our server was not warm or welcoming in the slightest
- The energy felt elitist
- Only providing one low end option for by-the-glass prosecco on the menu
Dec 1, 2025
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If you're looking for good quality home style Italian food, look no further. This restaurant is a classic & the food truly takes like an Italian grandmother made it from scratch at home! Do yourself a favour & come here!
Da Emma is absolute, reliable value, year after year. I was with a foodie for Milan last I was there & he was astonished by the quality & price. He essentially said; this is as good as the best places I know in Italy that serve classic Italian cuisine & it costs half of what I would pay in Milan.
As someone who has grown up in a Roman family I gave to agree. I would love to see more classic Roman trattoria dishes such as Stracciatella, Zuppa di pasta e fagioli, spaghetti cacio e pepe, but I'll anything served at Da Emma without hesitation or regret.
Our group hit one of the godawful tourist trap restaurants in Vieux Montréal the following evening ; it cost twice as much & it was so bad & unsatisfying, we all felt used & abused. I made a point to to leave that place a very bad review.
This experience in retrospect made us feel we had been pampered at Da Emma.
If you see a super expensive restaurant in that area that pretends to serve'rare' Italian dishes, run for cover : You're about to get robbed & you'll be treated unpolitely by staff who clearly see you as the loser their business was designed to abuse.
None of this at Da Emma. You'll be treated with genuine attention & respect. I'd go there everyday if I lived by, but wonderful places are best kept for when you deserve them.
The experience at Da Emma is immaculate & definitely a memorable one. Traditional, authentic Italian cuisine prepared with fresh, quality ingredients & admirable dedication. The dishes are presented elegantly in their simplicity & are exceptionally flavourful & delicious. The atmosphere is invitingly warm, the service is stellar & the cuisine is absolutely divine. Compliments to the chef ; I will certainly be back.
The setting is so mediterranean that it blows my mind everytime we come.
The servers are excellent, the atmosphere is so scenic & unique, truly a european breath of fresh air & to top it off, the food is of the highest quality.
Very noisy to have a conversation with friends. Food is good but not for the price we paid. Maybe my expectation is high , Use to much better before, came many times years ago, now I feel the quality dropped . Anyway, still very appreciated.
Aug 1, 2025
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This use to be a go to spot whenever in Montreal. The quality of the food & level of service has gone down since I first started coming. Waited almost an hour for our food. When it finally came my husband had to send his pasta back because it was severely undercooked. The waiter seemed annoyed that we were not happy with the meal. The bread looked as if it was store bought, did not taste fresh. Overall disappointing experience! So many great restaurants in the city. This is no longer one of them.
Dined at Da Emma for the 2nd time in 2 weeks, & it's undoubtedly Montreal's best Italian restaurant. The impeccable quality, reasonable prices, & cozy ambiance make it a standout. The service led by Luca & his staff is truly exceptional-creating a welcoming & comfortable experience. Highly recommended!
I had astronomically high expectations following recommendations from friends. Da Emma did meet many of those expectations however the price:quantity ratio left a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Service was good if a tad slow despite it being a relatively quieter weekday evening. We found ourselves having to catch the attention of the waiter in order to get some service (bread basket was empty, etc) so it did lack some attention given that it was a 5* establishment. Food quality was good. The suckling pig was definitely the highlight of our evening. The meat was tender & well marinated & totally impeccable & out of this world. The veal ravioli was also exceptionally tasty with a classic simple but delicious red sauce. The lamb, however, was dry & tough & certainly not the melt in the mouth, pull it apart with a fork experience that we had anticipated. What was terribly disappointing were the appetizers. Dont get me wrong. The smoked salmon & prosciutto were fresh & tasty but I would suggest you think twice before ordering $25-$30 (each) appetizers that had nothing more than 3 slices of prosciutto or salmon or one burrata. Those steep prices would have easily warranted far heartier quantities. In Italy, this would have created a riot in the streets! :p All in all, a good night was shared by all but I certainly wouldn't go all out to dine at Da Emma's since there are other Italian places that offer a far better bang for your buck. Unless seeing & being seen is your utmost priority, both your tummy & wallet could be happier elsewhere.
