Da Emma

What a dining experience! After hearing many people rave about Da Emma for quite some time, I decided to give it a go. Located on De La Commune in the western part of the Old Port, what once was a women’s prison is now a charming Italian eatery. Where to begin?
I decided to split the tortelloni with my wife. Stuffed with 4 different cheeses and minced prosciutto topped with a Gorgonzola sauce, this pasta plate is NOT for those who are lactose intolerant. Very rich, very creamy, very good!
Next was the meatballs in a marinara sauce. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves italian meatballs like their Nonna used to make them.
Finally, I had oven roasted lamb which was cooked in it’s own juices with white wine and olive oil for over an hour. The house specialty. The meat was succulent, melt in your mouth goodness! Each bite was better than the last. For a meat course, this is the way to go.
For dessert (yes I decided to stuff it all in!), I shared the tiramisu which was the perfect way to end a great meal coupled with a beautiful cappuccino.
Great great meal, and the lobby filled with Hollywood A-​listers clearly agree.
***Note to all future diners: be prepared to walk it off. Luckily it is located by the waterfront with a beautiful view of the city.

The pasta was amazing, the service was incredible and meeting Emma was such a joy. I couldn’t believe how amazing every bite was, I’m just sorry couldn’t eat more but even ordered a second plate of pasta to take home.

I tried to like the food but it was just not possible… ordered the Petto, wasn’t impressed, meat was veiny. Side dish of pasta too al dente & i am being kind, much like barely cooked. Waiter was clumsy and kept coming back to ask what was the order and still managed to get it wrong! Won’t go again.

Amazing food ! And romantic atmosphere ! The mushroom goes with pasta is very delicious. Salmon is fresh and tasty also. Definitely worth to try !

Great food but the prices are a bit too much considering this is a former prison. Popular because a bunch of celebrities have frequented the place so if you’re into Leonardo or Angelina this is for you. I ordered the roasted piglet and it was amazing but the pasta side dish that accompanied it was lackluster. And a single meatball a la carte was $ 8…

Ordered the salmon and veal with tirimisu for dessert. Very good food, dessert was to die for. A little pricey but the fact that the food is consiatantly good makes it it. The location is very nice As well. Definitely a romantic setting.

I love this place. Probably my favourite Italian restaurant. The food is simply amazing! When alone, or with a friend, I really enjoy sitting at the bar. The bartenders are cool and you always end up meeting regular clients.

I am my friend were directed here by the concierge at our hotel for an Italian meal. Once we arrived it was in the old stone building that had once been a women’s prison which is interesting from a historical
first our waiter was a bit rough and standoffish but is the meal one on he warmed up and we found them to be quite interesting. My biggest disappointment was an Italian restaurant that did not make its own pasta in house.

Great food, wonderful experience. Meatballs are my favorite. You’ll spend the night pointing out the stars on the wall full of pictures with celebs

Pleasantly surprised by this place! Was staying at the W and the concierge recommended this place and managed to get our party of four a last minute reservation. We arrived at 8 and the restaurant was quite full but we were seated promptly. The setting was interesting, it was in the basement of what looked like a cellar but the atmosphere was classy and rustic. Service was excellent, the waiter came by and explained the menu which was written on a blackboard that was circulated around the restaurant and made some recommendations. Our party ordered several dishes to share and everything was quite good. The caprese salad, swordfish, and lamb pasta were my favourites! The place was a little pricey but well worth it. Overall, great experience and would come here again!

Outstanding authentic Italian food in a beautiful setting. Emma is a great chef and a very nice person. She takes the time to talk to her customers. Most of all, she has a true talent to make every dish feel like it was made at home by the best nonna ever.
Everything I’ve tried on her menu was good. One tiny note: the salmon carpaccio is not actually raw salmon. It is simply a plate of smoked salmon and arugula. That was the only plate I found ordinary, but still good.
The green peppercorn steak is a must and so it the tuna steak with tomato sauce.

Apart from their beautiful setting and impeccable service, Da Emma does meat very, very well. In fact, when you order from the meat menu, you’ll get exactly what you order. A plate of veal chop, for example, is a plate where sits a (seriously big) veal chop, all by its glory self. Worry not, it does come with either vegetables or pasta, but those are served on a separate plate. Thus, you can concentrate on your veal chop and give it the full credit that it deserves. I tried a bite of their roast pork and it was delicious too (though the veal chop was in a league of its own… so tender… flavourful… despite it being served with no sauce). Also worth mentioning is their pea and macaroni soup, which had a hint of spiciness and came in a generous helping. At $ 5, you can’t beat that in a fine dining establishment! The other dishes aren’t quite $ 5, but for the location and quality of food, I think this place is worth every penny.

If I could, I’d give it 3.5 stars.
The food is pretty good, but nothing spectacular — especially for the price.
The atmosphere is really neat; the restaurant is in the basement of an old prison. Sounds weird, but there’s something very Italian-​wine-​cellar about it, especially the way they’ve turned it around. The service was incredible — some of the best I’ve ever had.
The menus are written on large frames scattered around the restaurant. The server brought one beside our table as we enjoyed pre-​meal drinks and complimentary bruschetta (which was fantastic) and let us pore it over — separated into categories (appetizer, pasta, mains, etc) but just the name of the dish and its price. He then returned and explained briefly what each dish was — there were at least 40. This is part of why the service was fantastic. After going through the whole list, he asked us what we were interested in; from there, we narrowed down our choices and selected what we’d like for the night.
My girlfriend got the lasagna, which was pretty good. Tasty, hearty, creamy — noodles cooked properly, and the portion size was pretty good. I had sauteed steak strips with onion and garlic, garnished with cold arugula. This was nice, seasoned properly and with the right amount of oil to hold its own once the arugula began to wilt and become part of the hot portion of the dish.
The tiramisu was the best I’d ever had in my life — not much more to say about that.
Holding us back was the price. The value just wasn’t there. For $ 150 — two cocktails, two glasses of wine, two entrees and a dessert — it seemed a little much. Just a little.
On our way out, we noticed the pictures on the wall. Emma (the chef) is pictured with many A-​list celebrities — Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Steven Spielberg… the list goes on – but we were surprised. Sure, the place was pretty good, but we’ve had much better Italian food in the past. The price is what threw us off the most; the value was just not there.
One thing we did notice was the age of the photos — these were taken at least a decade ago. Perhaps this place is past its peak.

There seems to be a lot of Italian food in Montréal, and I’m not totally convinced that this is the best. It’s very solid food, authentic, and tasty but it’s a bit on the pricey side. I suppose with all the celebrities touted on the wall, they can rest on their laurels a bit and command a pretty penny for their food. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good, but I think I could find a better meal or better Italian food in Montréal for cheaper.
The ambiance is pretty cool, as it was in what used to be a women’s prison. There are no printed menus, so don’t go searching or asking for one when you sit down — they will bring you a written menu on a chalkboard to your table (all written in Italian), and will explain it to you. They will also bring you a piece of bruschetta to start your meal.
We were a party of 4 and shared all the dishes family style, which I would recommend so that you can try a little bit of everything.
The best dishes were the eggplant parmigana, fettucini with porcini mushrooms, and the shrimp. The eggplant parmigana had really good flavor and was decently sized. The pasta was homemade, fresh, and you could just taste all the flavors of the porcini — don’t leave without getting this pasta. The shrimp was very fresh, large, and really dense. Well seasoned and perfectly cooked.
We also got the caprese (good, but not outstanding), the smoked salmon carpaccio with arugula (good, but I can make this at home), and the veal ravioli (good, but just tasted like a pretty standard meat ravioli to me with tomato sauce).
All in all, good food, authentic, and delicious. Some of the dishes were certainly better than others, It was pricey for Italian food — we each paid about $ 75 CAD and didn’t drink any wine. I enjoyed my meal but don’t think I’d come back here again and again.

We were told this restaurant would be good. But it was actually mouth wateringly delicious! This restaurant is phenomenal and the staff are absolutely lovely. The food portions are beyond generous. I had the swordfish and when I was done, it looked like I had not even made a dent. As we were leaving, I thanked our server for such a great experience. It truly was one of the best meals I ever had. They then took me into the kitchen to meet the owner, Emma! She is 73 and would never know it. Not only was she cooking up a storm all night but she is such a lovely lady. She greeted me with open arms. Her who family is involved in the restaurant and you can tell the all have pride in their Nonna’s restaurant.
Your taste buds will thank you for coming her!

The perfect IItalian restaurant in Old Town Montréal!!! The venue and service is delightful. The food is excellent, especially the homemade pastas. I had the porcini pasta that was so intense with flavor, it reminded me the dinner I had in Milan 30 years ago. At the end of the meal our friend and the waiter took us to meet Mama in the kitchen.

This restaurant is the cat’s meow when it comes to Italian dining in Montréal.
First, the venue. Da Emma’s is in the bottom of a building that long, long ago, was once a women’s prison. But don’t expect to be seated in an institutional-​type setting (fear not, you won’t be dining in a mess hall), as this restaurant instead has more ambiance, charm, character and history than I can remember eating at. It is almost like you are dining in an old wine cellar, with wood beams and brick/​granite — columns/​walls. Actually, it is very romantic and my wife agreed.
Second, the food. Choices are as diverse as they are delicious. Great selection of appetizers, pastas, seafood, and meats. Probably the best veal ravioli I ever ate and the Tiramisu was to die for. Pleasantly surprised to see that the prices were VERY reasonable for a fine dining establishment.
Third, the service. Attentive while not over-​bearing. Never wanted, nor needed, nor had to ask for anything, and this was on a crowded Saturday night.
Fourth, if you don’t want to take my word for how good Da Emma’s is, perhaps the numerous celebrities who dined here will serve as a testament to this restaurant’s reputation; too many to list or remember, but their photos adorn the wall into the dining area.
I cannot find a single, solitary (no pun intended!) fault about our experience at Da Emma’s.
Reservations are an absolute must.

Hands down, one of the best Italian meals I’ve had outside of the kitchen of a family member. If they have it, get the fettucini with funghi porcini, or any fettucini dish, as Emma makes this stuff in-​house. It’s the most fantastic fresh pasta ever.
They start you off with a fresh slice of bruschetta drenched in olive oil. The service is excellent — our waiter was incredibly attentive and helpful all night, and even gave us some suggestions of where to visit after dinner.
It’s not going to be a cheap meal, but your money couldn’t be better spent! It was a nice night when we went, so we ate outside, but the inside of the restaurant is really nice, so if you’re only going to eat there once, I’d recommend eating indoors.

Best meal I’d ever had! And no one serves petto di vitello alla fornara in Vancouver that I can find?!
Three veal breasts done in white wine/​rosemary that melt in your mouth before you even chew it! Amazing! I didn’t care for the salty, mushy broccoli that it came with though.
My husband had the burata with prosciutto and loved it! He was then too full to eat his lamb, but he didn’t care!
Only four stars because the server was neither friendly nor attentive. He did recommend the petto though, so I am grateful, and I would love to eat it again!
Message me if you know a restaurant in Vancouver that serves this dish please!

Simply the best Italian place I have ever been to!!! The ambiance and waiters are amazing. It’s an old school home cook like feel and a little romantic as well. The veal is very good!!!