Da Emma
RestaurantTop Pick
Da Emma
Opens Tuesday at 6 pm
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 6 pm - 10 pm |
| Wednesday | 6 pm - 10 pm |
| Thursday | 6 pm - 10 pm |
| Friday | 6 pm - 11 pm |
| Saturday | 6 pm - 11 pm |
| Sunday | Closed Today |
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Info & Location
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.
Amenities, services & more
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Reviews often mention
Display Allitalian(33) pasta(20) authentic(19) dessert(17) sauce(12) dishes(11) italien(10) recommend(9) tiramisu(9)Page 1 of 1 - 13 Reviews
Steve
We stepped into Da Emma & were warmly welcomed, starting the evening with a Negroni at the bar, expertly crafted & perfectly balanced. The setting, nestled in the stone walled cellar, gave the night an elegant yet cozy charm.
Once at our table, the evening unfolded into a Roman feast. We began with the creamiest burrata atop juicy tomato slices, paired with velvety prosciutto, simple, fresh, & divine. The spaghetti carbonara followed, rich & authentic, with just the right balance of pecorino & guanciale.
For the mains, we shared a medley of dishes: a tender roasted lamb shoulder that fell apart effortlessly, savory roasted piglet, juicy lamb chops kissed with rosemary & lemon, & succulent shrimp bathed in a delicate sauce. Each dish was executed with love & mastery.
We paired it all with a stunning Barolo that elevated every bite. No room left for dessert, but we did close the night with a round of amaros, a perfect finale to a truly exceptional meal.
Da Emma is a timeless spot that honors tradition without losing elegance. A must for anyone who takes Italian cuisine seriously.View more
Deanna
My fiance & I drove from Ottawa to visit Da Emma & we would definitely do it again!! It did not disappoint! Nestled in the basement of a heritage building, the atmosphere brought you back to Italy. The service was on point; very polite & attentive. & the food... was INCREDIBLE!! From the complimentary piece of bruschetta, to the salad, to the homemade pasta, to the desserts, everything was phenomenal! It was an authentic Italian dining experience. We would/will highly recommend this restaurant to anyone!View more
Audrey
Looked forward to having dinner at this iconic Montreal restaurant for weeks. Was very disappointed. Service depended on which waiter you got. We saw other diners who came in much later than we did get their dinners while we waited an hour for appetizers & another hour for our main. We didn't bother staying for dessert. When we finally got our main courses some in our group had to send their pasta back because it was undercooked. Not what I expected spending $100 per person. Very disappointing.View more
Raoni
I didn't like the service. It felt like I they didn't want to serve me with carelike other costumers with their Nona's. It's a shame the food was good, except by the pasta (should be al dente but was borderline to undercooked). Ambient is great tho, unfortunately I didn't feel welcome & cared & it changed my overall experience. I really liked their Tiramisu, it's a must for dessert there.View more
Natasha
A Must Do. What a beautiful historical Space! Service is important to make an experience memorable. Serge our server was attentive. As soon as we were seated, a delicious bruschetta was served. Affordable wine selection is always a bonus, u der 100$. Menu selection is varied & perfect for every palate , also at a great prices. We each had an entree & each a main course & shared a dessert, we were stuffed! Cant wait to go back!View more
Klejdi
Food was top top top notch. Service started out great then became slow due to a large group. Tried to order dessert but waiter never came.View more
Manon
Nous avons apporté des amis & le serveur pas de sourire,se pensait drôle pas de service d'eau nous a même pas demander si nous voulions avoir des dessert.
Mon epoux lui a mentionné que nous aurions aimé avoir du dessert
Il était mal à l'aise
Pour la nourriture mon steack grillé était succulent
L'entrée de procuito & bourratta super bonne
Seulement le service nous a super dessus
& les chaise pas confortableView more
Wendy
Everything was amazing! Food was spectacular & tasted authentic. The simplicity makes it even better. The waiting time between the courses was on point. The service was great, our server Jean-Luc was super efficient, as well as the tall young man who was the assistant server.
First, you get bread & bruschetta on the house. After, we got the ravioli soup of the day with the tomatoes burrata as appetizers. We then got the peppercorn steak & the veal meatballs. We both chose the side of garlic pasta. The dessert put a beautiful period to the experience. We got the pistachio ice cream & the tiramisu.
This place is incredible & we will definitely come back! We absolutely loved everything!View more
Matthew
Excellent meal. The Bistecca Pepe Verde was amazing, the sauce was to die for. Both the Tiramisu & the Tartufo were excellent desserts, I cannot even choose which one was better, they were both delicious. Great service from Jean-Luc.
We will definitely visit again!View more
KathleenLa-495
1 Review
C'est de loin l'expérience la plus décevante que jai eu depuis longtemps... le service manquait royalement de professionnalisme, la nourriture était...corrext dans la.mesure où l'on mange de l'italien donc sans surprise mais ça encore ca va...
Personne de nous 4 avons fini nos assiette car c'était disons..ordinaire. les pâtes au beau sauces a la viande étaient trop cuites, le m'arrête de veau sec au point d'être farineux. Pour un resto soit disant haut de gamme le service ny était pas. Jamais le.serveur nous a offert un dessert, ni ne nous a demandé si c'était a notre goût.
Dommage mais manque de finition
THE_epicurienne
5 Reviews
Ce restaurant nous avait été chaudement recommandé. Je sais qu'il a un historique chargé, que plusieurs vedettes d'ici & d'ailleurs y sont allées & que d'un point de vue purement esthétique, l'endroit est unique (ancienne prison pour femmes). Mais je n'ai pas compris l'émoi d'un point de vue gastronomique.
C'était bien, sans plus. Vraiment. & c'est très cher.
Ainsi, une entrée appelée à tort "carpaccio de saumon" n'était en fait qu'un assemblage rudimentaire de saumon fumé (?), recouvert d'un tas de roquettes sans aucun assaisonnement. Ça faisait plutôt brouillon. À 20$ l'entrée, on s'attendait à beaucoup plus. Ironiquement, la mise en bouche offerte par la maison dès notre arrivée, une bruschetta, était beaucoup plus savoureuse & appétissante. Croûton bien chaud, mie légèrement moelleuse, pas trop imbibée, garniture généreuse & assaisonnement sans faille, c'était simple mais beau. Surtout, délicieux. J'en aurais pris trois comme ça en entrée au lieu du saumon.
Pour le plat principal on ne peut pas accuser la cheffe d'être chiche. L'entrecôte de boeuf avec sa sauce aux poivres est titanesque! La pièce, qui manquait de tendreté, trône dans une sauce goûteuse, crémeuse & bien relevée, c'est presque cochon. Mais à 45$, on regrette un peu que la sauce vole la vedette. Les brocolis servis en accompagnement étaient à mon goût trop gras & trop cuits.
Au dessert j'ai pris le sorbet au citron & mon hôte le tiramisu. Deux classiques. Le tiramisu était très bon & pour le sorbet, bien que le goût était là, la présentation était encore une fois très rudimentaire. Deux boules de sorbet dans un plat en céramique blanche & c'est tout.
Le service était un peu expéditif, mais quand même sympathique.
Somme toute un bon restaurant & une bâtisse unique, mais à 300$ pour deux personnes incluant une bouteille de vin (parmi les moins chères soit 50$), les attentes étaient là. On aurait vraiment aimé plus de soin dans la présentation, plus de raffinement dans les assiettes, plus de chaleur dans le service. En comparaison, le feu Il Mulino était nettement supérieur.
Foodie
2 Reviews
Excellent service!
La carte en italien donne une touche authentique à l'expérience culinaire.
C'est une cuisine simple sans prétention , la soirée fut agréable.
Seul le prix du repas par convive est excessif .
Il faut compter 50$,pour un plat principal , sans vin ni dessert.
Foodie
1 Review
I never write reviews, but I thought I should for this one. The food was extremely average for the price, it started ok with the appetizers, tomato with mozzarella Buffolone, then I ordered the salmon, we didn't get the full regular menu for some reason. My meal came warmish, & extremely disappointed with the presentation, I had salmon in a plate, & 5 minutes later came my vegetables in another plate, I ordered the cold vegetable, zucchini, eggplant & potato salad. You had the choice of warm vegetables as well, cauliflower & potatoes, but the ones who ordered the warm option, only got cauliflowers because they ran out of potatoes, WHAT?! Apparently it's common for them to run out of food on Saturday nights (we had reservations for 8pm). Afterwards, we weren't even offered a dessert menu, or even mention of desserts, we barely got coffee at the end of the meal. So apparently it's a popular place for celebrities & I'm sure they get the regular menu & don't run out of food for them. There are so many other restaurants in this city that are 100 times better, for much less. Oh & no separate bills if you're a group.