Pizzeria Il Montino

Overall great food and nice staff! Had cecina for the first time and it was delicious (although I did have to blot off excess oil for my personal preference) — perfect texture and clean simple taste. Also got the Pisan pizza which had the perfect balance of cheese and tomato sauce (not like how overly heavy it tends to be in the US). The bottom was crispy yet the bread was still very soft. I don’t normally like capers but they were great to offset the saltiness of the anchovies. Would recommend!

We stopped at Pizzeria Trattoria Il Montino while visiting Pisa and tried their famous chickpea flour flatbread called cecina, which is made with chickpea flour, olive oil, and salt water. It was really good, warm, simple, and crispy on the edges, but after watching the pizzas come out of the wood-fired oven I truly wish I had ordered one instead. The oven itself was amazing and the man behind the counter, who only spoke Italian, told us through our guide that the fire inside has not gone out since the late 1800s and that the dome is still the original to the location. He even said it is the oldest wood-fired oven still in use in Italy, which made the experience feel so special and authentic. The pizza looked absolutely incredible and I could tell it would have been worth every bite. I really wish we had stayed in Pisa for another day so I could have come back to try the pizza. If you are anywhere near Pisa, definitely stop by for a slice of history and what looks like some of the best pizza around.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review of Montino Osteria-Pizzeria, Pisa 🇮🇹 Some meals are delicious. Some are memorable. And then some — like what I experienced at Montino Osteria-Pizzeria — feel like a rite of passage. Tucked away in the heart of Pisa, this wood-fired haven came highly recommended by the person I’m renting from, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. Let’s talk about the star of the show: cecina. I had never tried it before, but now I’m wondering how I’ve lived this long without it. Cecina is a thin, golden flatbread made from chickpea flour, olive oil, water, and salt — then baked in a blazing wood-fired oven until it’s perfectly crisp on the edges and luxuriously soft in the center. A dusting of black pepper is all it needs to make your eyes close involuntarily on that first bite. Oh, and did I mention it only cost 2 euro? That’s not a price — that’s daylight robbery in your favor. A dish this iconic, this flavorful, this transportive — for less than a cup of coffee? It felt like Pisa was giving me a warm, golden edible hug. Sure, the wait was long. But the air was thick with the scent of toasting chickpea batter and smoldering olive wood — a perfume that made time stand still and hunger turn into poetry. Montino isn’t just a place to eat. It’s where Tuscany whispers its secrets through flavor. Don’t miss it. Don’t question it. Just go — and order the cecina. Twice.

Pretty awesome place. The owners were kind enough to give us an indoor table on a rainy day (indoor section was not open yet). The pizza was awesome and we also got a corn based dish (can't remember the name) which was great as well. Nice cozy place. Loved the artwork on the wall as well sculptures made out of old circuits. As an engineer this was pure Bliss for me :D

Great place for Pisa type pizza.

Went twice over 2 days as it was highly recommended by a local friend. I love the oven-baked pizzas (we tried the magarita, 4-cheese, and sausage with mozarella) here and the cecina was to die for. Will come again if I'm ever in Pisa

It was terribly salty. Worst pizza ever I have had in Europe. Also service was bad. They took 20m just for one pizza. And they automatically add tip in bill without ask. In addition, they made us pay for water. Crazy. Don’t go please. i dont know the reason, why this is popular. There are many places much better than here. Please do not go here.

The food here was delicious! Ordering the food was a bit confusing though. We arrived right when the restaurant opened according to Google maps, but the staff were only starting to set the restaurant up. They began putting out tables and chairs, etc. a line formed so we lined up but as we got to the front (which took a while since the line was long) they told us for dine-in eating, we had to find a table outside. Since we spent all our time in line there were limited tables but we managed to find one. After that, it took a while for the servers to get to us and give us our food. They were nice about it and attentive, but the service was just too confusing and not well explained for someone who is not a local. Overall, the food was really good, not too salty, very flavourful and felt authentic for the pisa area.

Delicious real pizza all Pisa (without mozzarella)! Great little away-from-the-tourists spot not far from the Tower. I recommend bringing your appetite, sitting and staying a while.

All the reviews for this place are on Trip Advisor now so I'm going to add some kudos here. This was recommended by the (Italian) friend of a friend and specifically the cecina sandwich (fried chickpea fritters). I had mine with just veg, no cheese, and it was amazing. It's sort of like what the Clover chickpea fritters (Bostonians would know) are trying to emulate. Was it crowded and was there a wait? Sure, but it's expected for its popularity. Short line even at opening. Since there was a mutual friend in common we had a fun chat with the owner. Sono americana e un amico di un'amica ha detto che questo posto è buono per i panini di cecina. Era vero. Ho preso una cecina con melanzane, senza formaggio, senza carne. È perfetto per il pranzo.

Can't say I'm a huge fan of Pisa, but I can say I'm a huge fan of Pizza. We discovered this tucked away spot in attempt to get away from the crowds. The crust and sauce is just exceptional. We had mushrooms and prosciutto as our toppings. Wood fired of course. They didn't speak a lick of English to us, which is fine, since we're in Italy. They take cash only, which is fine because we're in Italy. Seems to be popular with the locals too. We haven't moved on yet... We may just get another one.

We came here to try one of the oldest pizza joint in Pisa. The sausage pizza we ordered was okay, not a big fan. It's something about the spongy dough, we think NY pizza is better.

So the history behind this place. My wife's family has come here since 1977. The quality has not changed this is a great thing. The calzone was great. Cooked ham and loads of cheese perfectly cooked in a wood burning brick oven. This is great place to grab a quick bite. Heads up always packed. Students locals and tourist. Good sign of good food. But hard place to find.

We had a great meal here at a reasonable price. We were not charged a cover or hidden fees. Just great sausage pizza and a pannini. The tomato sauce was delicious and the sausage had some bite. Did I forget to mention a perfect, cold beer? Simple, unpretentious, and lots of locals.

We have been coming here for years. If you want real, authentic pizza, this is the place. A multi-generational family run business that know their business. Recently remodeled and consistently amazing pizza.

We stopped by here very late (9:30ish) after visiting the tower on the recommendation of our Airbnb host. Food and service was good (pizzas), not great, and I would recommend it based on the food alone. However, we were subjected to a very pushy street musician who hung around the outdoor tables for over 20 minutes singing to each individual table and then being very insistent about receiving a tip. The management ignored this practice. At the end of our meal our bill reflected "coperto" (0.50 euro/person) and service (10%) charges. Enough of these hidden fees, have some integrity and charge a fair price up front! Oh, also be aware that this establishment only accepts cash.