La cucina di Santino in Emden

A warm atmosphere – pure dolce vita – Italian joie de vivre. We ate very well, laughed a lot, and danced. Make sure you make a reservation in advance – if you don't, it's your own fault 😀

I can't confirm that it's available without an extra charge, but it was one of the tastiest gluten-free pizzas I've ever eaten, so we went there two days in a row. :) There were also vegan options, and the service was friendly.

A really nice restaurant. The gluten-free pizza was delicious and the service was friendly!

Unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. The dish I ordered was so oversalted that I couldn't eat it, despite being very hungry. After a while, I even lost my appetite. I informed one of the staff members, who was very polite throughout the entire service. The chef personally came to the table and offered to remake the dish. But by that point, I no longer had any appetite and didn't want to wait any longer. Unfortunately, I still had to pay for the food—even though I couldn't eat it due to a mistake on the part of the restaurant. That was truly disappointing and not acceptable.

A lovely, small, and cozy restaurant with delicious dishes. The service was very friendly and attentive, and the food arrived quickly and was very good!

A fantastic experience! The food was not only delicious and fresh, but also lovingly prepared. The service was attentive and warm, and we immediately felt at home. We especially loved that the chef later took the time to sit down with us and share a shot of tequila. It was an unforgettable highlight and a testament to the hospitality of this establishment. Highly recommended; we'll definitely be back!

Santino and his La Cucina bring excellent Italian cuisine to Emden. The dishes are beautifully presented, and the atmosphere is calm and convivial. Santino himself is in the kitchen, but still finds time to personally greet his guests. Even the mixed salad isn't pre-made, but is made from fresh lettuce—that's a testament to quality! La Cucina di Santino, love-struck bella Italia in Emden!

Wonderful pizzeria, haven't had such good pizza in a long time. The service was quick and friendly, and the ambiance was also very nice. We'd love to come back!

Very tasty and sometimes quite unusual dishes. Excellent service. An Italian-style ambiance. A place to feel good.

Gluten-free pasta (spaghetti and penne) and pizzas are available. Regular dishes are then prepared with gluten-free versions. Great! I can't say whether people with celiac disease will actually be happy here. But for wheat-free food, it's absolutely recommended. I was very satisfied. There's a surcharge for pizza (€6) – the menu doesn't specify the amount of the surcharge…but you can always ask. 😅

Nice pizza & cold Italian drinks :)

Yes, I highly recommend it. I had spaghetti carbonara. I've never had it as delicious as this anywhere else. It was made exactly according to the original recipe. The gnocchi were also delicious and flavorful. We'll be back on our next vacation and will definitely eat there again.

So if that's the little Italian restaurant at the market in Emden, they have gluten-free options here, it was awesome. #glutenfrei #glutenfree #celiac

Really authentic Italian food! Fresh and extremely delicious 😋

They have good pizza and really good pasta! I’m not from here but if I’m in town I’ll eat here

Lovely Italian restaurant with original spaghetti carbonara that tastes simply sensational.

I expect much more from an Italian restaurant run by Italians. Balsamic vinegar has no place on pizza. The pizza dough was bad, and the tomato sauce was overseasoned with oregano. The lasagna was dry, and the tomato sauce was acidic, which means it wasn't cooked well or the tomatoes were cheap. The quality of the produce wasn't good, but the prices were still as high as in a good pizzeria in Berlin, where rents and service are more expensive. You can probably handle the Emdeners.

Great service and fantastic food at a great fair price

I was there last Sunday; very good food, professional service, and a lovely atmosphere. I'd gladly go back.

This is where you can get the best carbonara in Emden! Good service, delicious food, and a friendly chef!

The gluten-free pizza is very, very expensive. When it was served to my children, they forgot the tomato sauce. Quote from the waitress: "I hope it still tastes good!" Sorry, but that's completely unacceptable. Simply dumping the sauce on top wouldn't have saved it either. And that's for pizzas that cost around €19!

To sum it up, The best spaghetti carbonara I've had in years! Million grazie

Super cozy shop, amazing food, and great staff! I'd love to come back here next time I'm in Emden. :)

A little piece of Italy! This charming restaurant is a real insider tip! The espresso is perfect, the cappuccino creamy and full-bodied – just like in Italy. The food is fresh, authentic, and prepared with love. The warm service is particularly noteworthy – attentive, friendly, and genuine. I'll definitely be back!

Some employees don't speak German and aren't registered. I saw the kitchen, and it's a disaster. They don't seem to know anything about hygiene guidelines. How long can a place like this even continue to operate? Doesn't anyone monitor things like this?!

We were just there, the food was delicious, the service was very friendly... we would love to come back.

Nice atmosphere, nice service and very tasty food. I'd love to come back :-)

Tolles Ambiente, nette Bedienungen, sehr leckeres Essen. Sollte ich nochmal in der Nähe sein, komme ich definitiv wieder :-)

It was a wonderful evening on Friday! Warm, perfect food, many dishes gluten-free! Always welcome, greetings from Berlin/Brandenburg!

Very nice staff, great atmosphere. Unfortunately, the portions of the pasta are very small and the taste is rather average. The pizzas seem to be significantly better.

The food was so bad that I had to give it back, the condition came back with the same plate and the cook to ask what was wrong with the food, it was just bad how I was treated, otherwise they always say why don't they say anything and then the boss said that he had the best food in Emden, unfortunately I can't confirm it and he said maybe the shop doesn't suit me, that's true. I've always been to high-quality restaurants and I'm really disappointed by his behavior

Es tut. mir sehr leid aber das letzte Mal war das Essen nicht gut. Ich hatte Saltimboca alla Romana bestellt. Die Kartoffeln waren total überwürzt und das Fleisch wahr grau und sehnig.

Excellent cuisine, impeccable service, everything good, highly recommended

Everything is right, very tasty food, nice atmosphere, super nice service!!! Everything is great

As soon as we can we return with great pleasure to Santino... we leave from Papenburg on purpose, happy to be able to eat dishes of excellent quality, flavor and combination... it's a bit like being pampered in our land, by our good friends. Tindara, the cook, is fantastic... great kind, generous professionalism, typical Italian lightness and cheerfulness. A very rich menu, with notes that far surpass the usual flavors of "obvious" restaurants.... Italian Haute Cuisine Thanks and best wishes

Very friendly staff, the food is really unique. We would love to come back…

A little piece of Italy in the middle of Emden. We happened to be here for dinner and absolutely loved it. The quality and taste of the food was excellent! We were welcomed with the utmost hospitality and friendliness, making us immediately feel at home and will definitely come back whenever we are in the area. I would highly recommend anyone to visit Sentino and his team. Thank you for everything and also for the delicious homemade limoncello :-) Max and Marisa

Thank you for the wonderful evening and especially the delicious food. It's a shame you're not in Cologne. I would be with you every week. Kind regards and stay as you are. Simply great. Greetings Sigrid

A really great experience every time you visit! The boss is welcoming and friendly - his personality makes the visit something special. The service is attentive and quick, so you always feel well served. The pizzas are simply exceptional, the quality of the dough is particularly outstanding - the pizzas are always perfectly prepared and the ingredients are always fresh. The atmosphere and furnishings are also very successful and invite you to linger. You can tell that the work here is done with love and passion. I come regularly whenever I can and highly recommend this restaurant!

Had a spontaneous meal with 6 people yesterday Great service and food was top. Highly recommended

Meine Nudel mit Muscheln und Garnelen waren gut. Ich habe als Vorspeise Vitello Tonnato bestellt, was ja bekanntlich aus Kalbfleisch besteht. Serviert wurde mir auf dem Teller Roastbeef. Es ist mir also nicht Das, serviert , was auf der Speisekarte gestanden hat. Da ich selber vom Fach bin, kann ich das beurteilen. Ich drücke mich gelinde aus, so geht man nicht mit einem Gast um.

I cannot leave your response to my review uncommented. Your statement that I may have never eaten fresh veal is absurd. I'm 67 years old and believe me when I say I can tell the difference between veal and beef. We wouldn't have had a problem if it had been roast beef, but they would have had to tell us about it. And as for the taste of mayonnaise, the cream tasted like a lot of mayonnaise. The starter platter wasn't about something not to my taste. The reason for the dissatisfaction was that it was definitely not freshly prepared and the quality was also mediocre. This was also the reason why 2/3 of the plate was not eaten and went back to the kitchen. Your statement that everything was eaten is therefore untrue. If you were so confident about your quality that day, I wonder why you or the person in charge of the kitchen didn't comment at our table. In this way, the person could have seen for themselves the poor quality of the food on the plate. By the way, despite our dissatisfaction, we paid the full price. We wanted to save your restaurant from embarrassment in the presence of other guests. The impeccable behavior of your service employee also contributed to our complaints. We're going to assume that there was some kind of problem in your kitchen that day. I wish you all the best and please take my review and statement as an opportunity to think about how you should deal with criticism from guests Review from January 3rd, 2025 Unfortunately, I cannot confirm the many good to very good reviews. We (3 people) had dinner at Santino on December 30th, 2024. We ordered 2 x Vitello Tonnato, 2 x Pasta and 1 starter plate (Tagliere Italiana). The Vitello was, as it should be, listed as having veal on the menu. But there was no doubt that roast beef was served. This would not have been the problem if we had been made aware of it. The very sparse tuna cream also tasted extremely like mayonnaise. The two pasta dishes (Calamarata allo and Linguine Columbia) were flawless, BUT the appetizer platter was an imposition. In addition to olives, blueberries, grapes and tasteless cherry tomatoes, there were also small, sour cucumbers (!?!) on the plate. The three different cheeses were all equally bland and also had drops of condensation. The sausage/ham variations were completely dried out and just as tasteless as the two bruschettas. The pickled onions, the mozzarella balls, the stuffed tomato peppers with some indefinable pieces of fish on them, as well as the jam on the plate were also of low quality. But the absolute negative was the various, completely rotten lettuce leaves. This appetizer plate was the worst thing I have ever been offered in a restaurant. I had the suspicion that this record was from the day before or even the day before. Dear Santino crew, did you just have a particularly bad day or what happened in your kitchen? After our complaints to the service, I would have expected the kitchen managers to comment on this, which unfortunately didn't happen. Conclusion: NEVER AGAIN

Great food. I can only recommend friendly service

The pizzas are really excellent. However, this Italian restaurant does not offer calzones. Very unfortunate.

Authentic Italian cuisine in a fine atmosphere and with great service! The carbonara was divine, my pizza arugula was rich and delicious - but with a floppy and very thin base - there was definitely no baking time! Upon request, the pizza was baked - the rocket and fresh ham were still edible, but far from tasty. Espresso and grappa at the end were worth it.

Very cozy restaurant. The food was very good and really traditional. Highly recommended.

Super great shop, with lovely people and loving food, where you can tell that the service and cooking are passionate. Oh God, that's corny, but that's how it is. We had a great evening

We love the food, the wine and especially the boss and his gifted cook. We always enjoy coming to Santino, the food is delicious, we always feel very comfortable and our dogs are always welcome too. 🙏

Santino - the last real Italian in Emden 😍😍😘

First of all, I have to tell everyone that this restaurant is an absolute must for anyone who comes to Emden. The delicacies of Italian cuisine combined with Nordic products reflect the culinary art and skills of Tindara D'Angelo. A cook with brilliant skills. I have rarely experienced such a pleasant atmosphere in a restaurant. All employees were extremely professional, friendly and had the necessary know-how that this job entails. The menu left nothing to be desired. The lively, young and imaginative cuisine impressed me immensely. The wines reflect a good range of Italian grape varieties. The wine recommendation corresponded to the food ordered and was of excellent taste in every respect. The desserts on offer round off a perfect meal. The ambience reflects a cosiness that rounded off the evening in an Italian restaurant. Finally, I would like to say that this was an evening that was more like an evening with friends than in a restaurant. The restaurant fully reflects the description on the website with my experience. Absolutely clear recommendation! Always my pleasure!!

We ate there in the evening at this Italian restaurant without a reservation and were greeted warmly. The atmosphere is very cozy and the service is very quick. The food was very tasty and filling. The waitress recommended a Lugano wine that was first class. After the meal, the boss asked whether the food was tasty. After our espresso we got a digestif on the house. A clear recommendation. We'd love to come back!

Small, fine restaurant. Very cozy and high quality food (we had beef fillet). Friendly and courteous service. We came on a recommendation without a reservation in the afternoon and enjoyed it.

Top very good Recommended service staff crazy good

As always super delicious :) Today with a dessert creation for my 79 year old companion's birthday!

A nice Italian restaurant on the Neuer Markt. Attractive and large selection of cold and warm dishes. (Starters, salads, pasta dishes, pizzas). Attentive and very friendly service. Very nice pictures and photos on the walls.

Yesterday we ate at La Cucina again because the Bottega was due to... was closed for vacation. Starter, main course, dolce, wine - all excellent. I would particularly like to highlight the current special dish: "Beef fillet (cooked sous vide) with Gorgonzola sauce and wild broccoli" - I would like to give this 10 stars... If I had known that there would also be a fresh salad (carrots, Cucumber, tomatoes, various leaf salads), I wouldn't have ordered pasta as a side dish - even though it was also excellent (spaghetti with pistachio-bacon pesto and walnuts). As always, the service was courteous and very friendly and we like the atmosphere anyway. La Cucina & La Bottega di Santino are and remain our favorite Italian restaurants - even if we have to drive from Leer to Emden every time. Ciao, a presto...

We were delivered 5 absolutely perfect 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕 yesterday? There is absolutely nothing to improve. Keep it up. People who write here that it's a frozen pizza... there's really something missing!

Had pizza. Unfortunately there were only dishes from the oven. Don't understand the good reviews. Pizza was rather poor average. Looked more like frozen goods and not homemade pizza.

Very nice atmosphere and you feel like you are at home.

Had a spontaneous meal there again. The three ladies from the service were very friendly and attentive. Short waiting time from drinks, starters, main course to dessert. Everything was well prepared and very tasty. Thank you for the lovely evening. We would love to come back.

A great restaurant with super friendly and courteous staff. For me, the base of the pizza could be a little thicker and more well-baked.

Good typical Italian cuisine. Service was very friendly despite the stress. Gluten-free and vegan possible!

The pizza tasted okay, unfortunately I waited an exceptionally long time for the pizza.

I came here specifically because of the gluten-free pizza. Unfortunately it was the worst gluten free pizza of my life. With an additional charge of 6 euros! Cheeky (there was nothing on the menu, didn't see anything) In the end I paid over 20 euros for a pizza that wasn't good. The dough was 100% not homemade. This was more like the gluten-free pizza dough from Knack and Back, very thin and greasy

Very very tasty. We'd love to come back.

Delicious, authentic and diverse. Service was fantastic, witty and kind. Absolutely incredible, would come here again.

Went there for lunch yesterday. Food great. Host super friendly. Prices moderate.

Dear team, thank you very much for this wonderful evening with you. So much warmth, such great service, delicious food and great decoration. Thanks for everything and see you soon!

The ambience and service are very good. Still, I had a gluten accident. Apparently contaminated. Unfortunately, my gluten-free pizza was white and flaky on the bottom. Please be sure to point out contamination during preparation. As a celib, I forgot that in good faith.

I speak neither German or Italian well, but this did not discount the fact that my evening spent here was excellent! Food was great and menu was large, service was witty and friendly, it was splendid all around. Would come here again!

Plates perfectly prepared, prices fair

Atmosphere, as if you were on vacation in Italy. Service very attentive and the food delicious! We'd love to come back! Also a large vegan selection.

Top boss and always an experience. The food is always great!!!!

Great authentic Italian restaurant. The food was very tasty and the staff was very polite and accommodating. The cook was very personable and came to her guests. We recommend! We will come back in any case!

In addition to the pizza classics, an unusually authentic Sicilian cuisine. I wouldn't have expected to eat homemade black tortellini filled with wild salmon in an aubergine-almond sauce or stuffed swordfish with orange fillet in Emden. Thank you for this very tasty courage. I'll definitely be coming back with anticipation.

The best Italian in Emden!!! Santino is a warm host. We'd love to come back. Thank you

Great food, friendly and attentive service. Great ambience. More than recommended.

Wohnen seit einem Jahr in Emden und waren schon oft dort zum essen. Freuen uns immer wieder aufs neueste! Super Ambiente, sehr netter Chef und das Essen ist einfach super. Absolute Empfehlung dort essen zu gehen! Vielen Dank und macht weiter so! 5 Sterne mehr als verdient!

Heute in Emden unterwegs und Hunger auf eine gute italienische Pizza gehabt. Die Erwartungen wurden sogar übertroffen. Sehr leckerer Teig/Boden und reichlich belegt. Sehr lecker! Der Service ist sehr freundlich und man wird schnell bedient. Meine Geschmackssinne waren für einen Augenblick in Italien. Topp

Spitzenmäßige Pizza. Tolles Ambiente sehr nettes Personal. Wir kommen wieder

Wie gut das die lokal nicht jeder kennt. Mit Abstand das beste italienische Restaurant in Emden. Krabben mit Nudeln der Kracher.

I don't like to exaggerate but this restaurant is amazing. The service was perfect, and the food was great! And don't get me started about the desserts. They were delicious and the plating was beautiful. If we are ever in Emden again I wouldn't hesitate to come back.

Das Essen war sehr lecker. Einen großen Dank an die Küche. Glutenfrei war kein Problem. 👍

Wir waren heute zum Mittag dort. Die Atmosphäre und die Bedienung waren in Ordnung, das Essen hingegen war unter aller Kanone. Ich hatte die Lasagne bestellt, die allerdings den Namen nicht verdient hatte. Sie bestand eigentlich nur aus Soße und Käse, eine Schichtung von Platten aus Nudelteig oder gar Béchamel Sauce dichtmacht vergeblich. Das einzige was ich fand waren ein paar Fetzen Nudelteig. Meine Lebensgefährtin hatte Bandnudeln mit Tomatensauce und Hackfleischbällchen. Nudel und Bällchen waren naja, die Tomatensauce hingegen hat geschmeckt wie eine Tomatensuppe aus der Tüte. Schlicht und ergreifend bin ich froh das die Betreiber der italienischen Restaurants zu Hause ihr Handwerk um Längen besser beherrschen.

Das Essen war hervorragend, in sehr angenehmem Ambiente.

Ich liebe das Essen hier und kann es unter weiterempfehlen.. absolut tolle Küche und nettes Personal

Das Essen war sehr gut, aber leider hat die Bedienung mich ca. eine halbe Stunde vor dem leeren Bierglas sitzen lassen. Man schaute zwar immer mal zu unserem Tisch, aber es kam leider keiner fragen ob man noch einen Wunsch hat. Die Gaststätte war nicht übermäßig voll. Schade, so musste ich durstig nach Hause gehen.

Wow. Spontan hier eingekehrt. Sehr freundlich. Hervorragendes Essen. Tagliatelle Mafioso und Espresso aus der Handhebelmaschine. Preise angemessen.

Wir sind abends in Emden angekommen und wollten spontan Essen gehen. Wir wurden (vom Chef) persönlich und sehr freundlich begrüßt und an einen freien Tisch begleitet. Auch die anderen Servicekräfte waren freundlich und aufmerksam. Das Ambiente war eine Mischung aus Italienisch und Ostfriesisch, da das Restaurant an ein Hotel angeschlossen ist und diesem wohl auch als Frühstücksraum dient. Wir hatten eine tolle Tomatensuppe, garniert mit geriebenen Käse und etwas Basilikum. Wir haben dann jeder eine durchaus italienische Pizza bestellt (mit Lieferpizza nicht zu vergleichen), welche einen schmackhaften und knusprigen Boden hatte und stimmig belegt war. Zum Nachtiach hatten wir das Zitronensorbet und Tiramisu, beides können wir sehr empfehlen. Wir würden jederzeit wiederkommen.

Hatten viel Spaß bei einem wunderbaren Essen

Ich hatte vorweg das Bruschetta Classic, dieses war Sehr Gut und auch eine Ordentliche Portion. Kam aber anders da her, als Erwartet, und ich hatte noch die Schinken Pizza mit extra Champions war auch sehr Schmackhaft. Beides war kaum zu Schaffen, hatte zum Glück Hilfe 😄 Gerne wieder!!!

Mega italienische Küche und super freundliche und tolle Bedienung!!! Sehr empfehlenswert!☺️

Super essen, super Service und auch die Location ist super! Leider halt evtl. für manche Laut wenn man es nicht mag an der Straße zu sitzen😅

Waren spontan während eines Kurztrips hier essen und konnten trotz Konzertveranstaltung auf dem Marktplatz einen Tisch ergattern. Die Wartezeit aufs Essen war vor diesem Hintergrund hervorragend und nicht länger als man es bei normalem Betrieb erwarten würde. Die Pizzen waren dünn, knusprig, gut belegt und lecker! Kleine Probleme bzw. Missverständnisse bei der Rechnungsstellung hat der Chef persönlich schnell und unkompliziert geregelt und noch einen Grappa aufs Haus spendiert. Wenn wir nächstes Mal in Emden sind, kommen wir wieder!

Che dire .... la Vera cucina Italiana in Emden, Santino & Tindara ed tutto lo Staff einfach " Klasse " . Sehrrrr empfehlenswert 😊😊😊

Glutenfrei Essen auch ohne Anmeldung möglich

Sehr gute Speisen zu guten Preisen. Auch wenn es keine Kinderkarte gibt, besteht die Möglichkeit die Portionen kindgerecht in der Menge zu reduzieren. Flotter und aufmerksamer Service. Schönes Ambiente mit Sitzmöglichkeiten draußen.

Tja Leute.... eigentlich sollte man es nicht weiter sagen.... aber es war klasse. 😋..... Gerne kommen wir wieder.

Wir waren auf der Durchreise und sind spontan dort gelandet. Wir wurden höflich empfangen und haben auch ohne Reservierung einen Tisch für 4 Personen bekommen. Die Mitarbeiter waren freundlich und aufmerksam. Getränke wurden schnell serviert und auch die Wartezeit bis das Essen kam war akzeptabel. Die Atmosphäre war gemütlich und einladend. Die Pizza war ausgezeichnet. Der Teig dünn und knusprig und der Belag ausreichend und lecker. Würde ich dort in der Gegend wohnen wäre ich bestimmt öfter da.

Sehr sehr guter Italiener, super leckeres Essen, extra Stern für glutenfreie Pizza und Pasta. Sehr netter Service von allen Mitarbeitern. (Grün/gelb ist glutenfrei)