Da Emma
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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.
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italian(39)
pasta(24)
authentic(21)
recommend(18)
dessert(15)
dishes(14)
wine(12)
sauce(11)
tiramisu(11)
beautiful(9)
bruschetta(9)
vibe(9)
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Da Emma was featured in the article(s) below.
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Reviews for Da Emma
| Food | |
| Service |
Reviews often mention
italian(39) pasta(24) authentic(21) recommend(18) dessert(15) dishes(14) wine(12) sauce(11) tiramisu(11) beautiful(9) bruschetta(9) vibe(9)
Page 1 of 9 - 170 Reviews
5.0
Soirée parfaite du début à la fin! Nous étions deux couples avec un enfant de 3 ans, donc au premier service, & dès l'arrivée l'ambiance était excellente. Éclairage tamisé mais vivant, salle chaleureuse & agréable. La nourriture était tout simplement incroyable. Nous habitons en Italie & honnêtement, nous n'avons pas été déçus, bien au contraire, cela a largement dépassé nos attentes. L'agneau était divin, les crevettes parfaitement exécutées, & la burrata d'une qualité remarquable! Le service était à la fois super convivial & très professionnel, merci à Lucca & toute l'équipe! Aussi nous avons eu la joie de boire deux délicieux vins de la Campanie! Une adresse solide, authentique, & cohérente du début à la fin. Nous reviendrons, c'est certain.
Jan 14, 2026
on Google
5.0
Da Emma does not disappoint. Housed in a beautiful historic building, it sets the tone for an elevated dining experience from the moment you arrive. A wall of photos showcasing the many celebrities who've dined here underscores the legacy of this Montréal institution. Quite possibly the city's finest Italian restaurant, no small claim given the competition, it offers flawless dishes (don't miss the meatballs), attentive staff, & the bonus of complimentary valet parking. Whether you're planning a date night or celebrating a special occasion in Old Montréal, make a reservation, put on a nice outfit, & savour one of the city's must try meals.
Dec 30, 2025
on Google
2.0
The restaurant itself is very nice, with a romantic Old Montreal atmosphere. The food was good, & the service was generally fine. However, upon reflection, our waiter's behavior was inappropriate & made us uncomfortable.
Although Franco was soft-spoken, he constantly hovered around our table, lingering & inserting himself unnecessarily into our experience. It felt invasive & intrusive, as if he were monitoring us rather than simply providing service. This significantly detracted from what could have been an enjoyable evening.
Overall, while the setting & food were pleasant, the service left us feeling uncomfortable due to this overly intrusive behavior.
Dec 20, 2025
on Google
3.0
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
on Google
5.0
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!
Nov 30, 2025
on Google
5.0
Site parfait avec de l'histoire. Repas délicieux & en plus un stationnement avec valet! Je recommande!
Nov 29, 2025
on Google
5.0
The new owner is such a blessing wow what a great ristorante so authentic
Nov 20, 2025
on Google
5.0
A must for authentic Italian lovers. Atmosphere, service wine selection & food. Everything was amazing
Nov 16, 2025
on Google
5.0
I love this place! I've been twice & the waiters are always so friendly & food always so good 🥰
Nov 9, 2025
on Google
5.0
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.
Oct 25, 2025
on Google
5.0
Went today with my girl, had been a while I hadn't been to Da Emma. We chose the bar, we got served amazingly by the bartender tonight. Great experience & will come back just for this. The food was great & the drinks too.
Oct 23, 2025
on Google
5.0
What an amazing dinner wow. Excellent service. You're started with some bruschetta & then get bread with olive oil & balsamic. The soup of the day was delicious & I'm still thinking about it a day later. We each got a pasta & then shared a main meat dish but must say the meat dish wasn't needed. The pasta is super filling. Loved the blue cheese ravioli - such a rich yet balanced sauce. Highly recommend for a special dinner out.
Oct 11, 2025
on Google
5.0
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.
Sep 29, 2025
on Google
5.0
Ambience, Ambience, AMBIENCE
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.
Sep 24, 2025
on Google
4.0
Can't beat the ambience! Our server was great but over-assigned so not as attentive as I like. Very nice & friendly tho. The food though varied was smaller in portions but the suckling pig was to die for! The meatballs were as tasty as I remember though this time a tad dried out. I will go back to try again as the food has been better before & as I said you can't beat the ambience.
Sep 6, 2025
on Google
5.0
Fantastic experience. Food was fantastic I had the lamb & it was phenomenal, service was excellent our waiter Franco knows what he's doing, making us laugh the whole night & giving excellent service. Would recommend
Sep 6, 2025
on Google
5.0
I was recommended by a friend, the server Michael was amazing 🤩 would definitely go back , food on point ,
Aug 26, 2025
on Google