DON'T settle for crappy tourist food. Just down the road from the field of miracles entrance is this gem. Like many other reviews mentioned, the menu is in Italian, but the staff will help you make your choice. You can probably figure it out on your own if you've spent a small amount of time in Italy. The portions are huge and the quality is top notch. All plates come with fresh homemade bread. I went with the carbonara with truffle - excellent. Pro-tip: Try the cheese and prosciutto appetizer. The wine is reasonably priced with a nice available selection. PS - hide your stuff when you are near the tower. There are pickpockets everywhere. Most of them are young girls who are very fast. read more

La Taverna di Emma - Carbonara with truffles. - Italian Near Me - Pisa, PI

Just loved this restaurant!! They only have menu in Italian, but there are English speaking staffs-although they talk fast and look little bit inpatient, they are basically helpful. However I recommend to learn some Italian words related foods in advance, that will enhance your joy of selecting yummy dish of the night. We had steak tartare to start which was served with little sweetened sun dried tomatoes, some kind of cottage cheese with lemon juice. Yummy!!! It was last thing on first page of the menu when we went, ask for steak tartare. Then we had ravioli with burrata cheese, and roasted duck with zucchini fritter. So happy with all the food we had!! And inexpensive Italian wine. There were more dishes we wanted try but we were too full. Worth to visit Pisa again to dine there! read more

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We were hungry in Pisa, rejecting touristy pizzeria after pizzeria, when we decided to rest our weary feet and regroup. The bench we found seated only 3, so one of us wandered a few feet away, and lo and behold, stood in front of Emma's. We opened the door, and Emma, with broom in hand, literally swept us out, saying "10 more minutes!" The aromas wafting from her kitchen put us back on the bench, mouths watering in anticipation. Emma opened the door, ushered us into the larger of 2 small rooms, brought us menus and a paper bag filled with warm bread. Next came a starter of prosciutto with tiny greens that looked like 2-inch bok choy and tasted like heaven, and 6 hearty slices of 3 cheeses to die for ($30 worth of similar, but less tasty, cheeses at my local coop back home). In the center of the cheese board, a tiny dish with a tiny spoon held a peppery, spicy, sweet conserve. One of us said, "It's cherries;" another said, "No, it's peppers." We never agreed on content, but we did agree it was delicious. Through Google Translate, I let Emma know that I am gluten-intolerant, and she took my phone to type "there may be some cross contamination" because she makes all her bread and pasta in the same kitchen where she prepares the rest of the food. Nevertheless, I opted for her beef carpaccio salad with garlic grilled tomatoes, roasted walnuts, and cheese, on a bed of the tiny green "bok choy." A zesty, peppery olive oil, and balsamic vinegar stood nearby. The room was now filled with eager diners as I experienced some of the best food and wine of our 10-day sojourn in Italy. In fact, for presentation and flavour combination, I rank my carpaccio salad in the top three of my lifelong quest for deliciousness. One of my traveling cohorts, Bill Money, has also reviewed Emma's. read more

La Taverna di Emma - Emma's window menu. If you enlarge. You will see price are VERY reasonable. - Italian Near Me - Pisa, PI

Delicious...a gem found on the outskirt of the tourist hubbub and typical street cafe fare surrounding the tower. Rustic indoor setting, cozy atmosphere--but the reason your here is the amazing dishes! read more

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This place was amazing, found it trough yelp and foodspotting. The service to begin with was great the menu was only in italian and handwritten so difficult to comprehend but the girls tried their best to translate. The food was so amazing first we tried the cheese plate and carpaccio with truffle. Both the best we've ever had. Then a pasta with sun dried tamatoes. After that tagliata with lard and radiccio beautifully made and for desert mascarpone with fresh strawberries and melted chocolat. All of this accompanied with the house white and after some coffee, for only 65 euro. To good te be true? Also the chef came by our table to check if everything was great, a very nice touch and we praised him for the great food. From all the restaurants in Pisa this is the one you want to visit! read more

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Sublime! First off, if you pick this place for a meal, you better bring your appetite! The course is ample but delicious, flavorful, and simply heavenly! There is no salt or pepper on the table because it was in perfection! I can't applaud the chef of this place enough. Being vegetarians, our choices were made super easy as we had the only two vegetarian items on the menu. It is one time, I longingly glanced and salivated over the non-vegetarian dishes passing by my table to other tables! They looked simply delicious! I have no doubt it must have tasted supreme! Our dishes were simple yet delicious, it felt like I could taste the layers of taste in the food. And the ingredient though simple were very delicious and fresh and perfect! I wished we had room for dessert as those looked wonderful as well! But after the Prosecco, the cheese as an appetizer which I forgot to take a picture of! It was that good! I was totally engrossed in my meal, the main course and the port with biscotti and an espresso after, I had no more room in my stomach! I cannot recommend the wonderful staff of this place too enough! They were very friendly, kind without being overly patronizing, and served us at a pace completely suited to us. We know it wasn't done, but we thought they deserved a healthy tip, so we left him one to show our appreciation. I regret that we leave Pisa tomorrow. The university students are very fortunate to have such a wonderful place like this near them! Thank you for a most delicious meal! read more

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We walked in at opening without a reservation and we were cramped in a small table at the front dining area. I suppose reservations are required to sit in the main dining hall. The menu was entirely written in Italian but thankfully, some of their staff can speak English. It seemed as though they only make so much pasta each day because we were only offered 2-3 options. I swear, their menu looked much bigger. Anyhow, we got the Carbonara and the Duck Ragu. Portion wasn't very big but you'll get full. As a matter of fact, I was stuffed! The Carbonara was AMAZING but the Duck Ragu was disappointing. The meat didn't even taste like duck. Bleh. Overall, I was not impressed. I've been to better restaurants in Italy. read more

This is a clear 4 and I would rank it a five if I spoke Italian and could read the menu. Our server helped but as noted by others the menu is a hurdle. But don't be dismayed!! The food and table wine are superb. The service is great -- remember this is Italy. Go and enjoy!!!! read more

La Taverna di Emma - Italian Near Me - Pisa, PI

I arrived with a group in Pisa later in the evening - our host suggested this restaurant right down the street from our B&B. We weren't disappointed! As foreigners who speak virtually no Italian, they were accommodating in explaining the menu, making recommendations on food and drinks, and creating a welcoming atmosphere. We sat down to a bag of fresh homemade bread with several varieties within it. Yummy. Our main courses were delicious also and we finished with a local liqueur courtesy of the restaurant that was lovely. We also shared a custard dessert that was rich and top it off. I wish we had been sat with menus translated to English, so that was my only discomfort. However, I suspect that the menu is updated often, so this may be why. Their graciousness in explaining the menu made up for it! read more

We were afraid to get stuck in a tourist trap, but Yelp helped us to find this gem! Despite the language barrier the Server guided us perfectly , and the food was amazing! It was the most creative presentation of lasagna we've ever seen , and most delicious! Smoked tuna with mushrooms was magnifico, we kept stealing food from each others plates. When we finished, our waitress remembered that we liked mushrooms and asked if we wanted to try something else. We were thinking of dessert, but she had fried mushrooms in mind. We slightly hesitated, so she brought the chef out with the plate of fresh wild mushrooms. How we could say no?;-) He left to prepare them and I chased him to the kitchen for pictures! ... Looked like it was gonna be to much to eat, but we made them disappear. Our only regret was we did not try dessert , because our friends were waiting for us. If it was not for that tower, we've never would of gone to Pisa. The tower was cool alright , but La Taverna di Emma is an even more worthy destination . Go there. read more

This came on good recommendation from a native Tuscan -- said it was one of the few places in Pisa she would eat if looking for a meal out. And it was one of the most memorable meals we've had together. The staff was friendly and helpful. The owner/chef visited with patrons, often delivering plates to the table himself. The menus were small, but it seemed a deliberate choice to offer quality over quantity. Our anti pasta could not have been better -- highly flavorful meats with fried bread -- Paccheri Lardo. A bottle of regional Syrah. Panzerotti Pasta. Fritto Calamari which needed nothing more than a little lemon. Polpo Arrosto, grilled octopus with potato. And finally, two well-brewed espressos. read more

We were pleasantly surprised to eat freshly made Italian food in such a tourist area! We were served a bag of fresh bread to eat with olive oil! Our lunches were mushroom ravioli served with pesto sauce and sausage ravioli served with a Bolognese sauce and a bottle of wine. Service was pleasant and efficient! Perfect! read more

Amazing Italian restaurant! If you're looking for fresh truffle dishes, go here! We started with the carpaccio with truffle shavings. Delicious! But the carbonara was to die for. House cured bacon and black truffle accompanied fresh, homemade pasta. It's ruined all American pasta dishes for me! Wish I could go back once a week :) read more

Didn't find place for two at 20.50 so I arrived an hour later. As an appetizer I got panzerotti with prosciutto and salame, very good start. The taste was delicious and the size big enough to feed two persons. For second course I ordered "Tagliata" with rosmary and mustard. The dish well displayed. The meat though wasn't so tender, I had to cover the taste with a lot of mustard. The price at the end was fair. 47 euros for appetizer + 2 x main courses + .5 liters of wine + water + coffee read more

Brilliant! Menu is in Italian, but the waitresses were helpful with regard to suggesting options. Best pulled pork sandwich I've had in my life! Not to mention that the homemade bread was incredible. Definitely recommend eating there. read more

They should say they close at 1. We showed up at 1:30 and they said they had stopped service and the restaurant was already half empty. I'm sure the food was good just make sure you go early. read more