One of the best restaurants in Chicago. Been going here for decades. Love this place so much! Best…read moretapas restaurant I've ever been to. Great value too. It's pretty squished in there though. Lots of tables because they want to seat as many as they can, because it's so popular! Highly recommend reservations.

Great HH specials, ensure you sit at the bar…read more This place is huge. There's multiple sections and I made the mistake of grabbing a table at the back instead of the bar area for the HH. A nice mistake, since I ordered the espresso martini. It's beautifully done. Great foam, taste is gorgeous. Would get it again when I come. The HH foods unpictured were delish as well. Multiple options. Nothing bad, everybody had their favorite. Carbs to meats to veg. Staff understand if you arrive early that you're waiting for the Hh and seat you promptly. Great place to relax after a work day

I really enjoyed my visit. The ambiance was good. And the food along with the service was great…read more Please note that they specialize in small plates. So the prices you pay isn't designed to have piles of food hanging off the plate. It's not that type of establishment before you rate it negatively. You should know that beforehand. The Half Duck was to die for. And I don't even eat duck like that. I'd recommend & will certainly go back.

This was a very mixed experience, which surprised me given the overwhelmingly positive reviews that…read morebrought us here. To start, the hostess was rude. It took her a while to acknowledge me standing there, and when she finally asked how she could help, I mentioned I had a reservation and began giving my name. She cut me off with, 'Please wait, I'm very busy.' After another five minutes, she finally took my name and asked my family and me to step fully outside, saying someone would come get us. We were finally seated fifteen minutes later--only after watching another party of three walk in without a reservation and get seated immediately. The appetizers and entrees were good, and our waiter was attentive, even apologizing for the rough start at the host stand. Things seemed to be turning around until we tried to order dessert. Despite being more than forty minutes from closing, our waiter returned to tell us, 'The chef refuses to make any more desserts.' This was that rare restaurant visit where the food itself was solid, but we won't be back. The service made it abundantly clear that our presence was an inconvenience.

OMG sexy, gorgeous delicious fun. ENCHANTING is how I would describe this place. This gorgeous…read morerestaurant is a total standout. it is take your breath away beautiful! You should sit on the gorgeous patio if you can. Have your birthday party here if you can and eat everything off the menu if you can! We had it all! The server said the portions "were small", ummmmm... they are not. You can share the delish skewers between two or even three people. The small plates are not that small. I thought the portions were very, very generous and we came home stuffed! TOO MUCH FOOD! We were so inspired by the menu that we ordered way too much! I love the new app in which you used to pay with, especially for a large group. Fancy! This is one of the most romantic restaurants I have been to. It's perfect for a fun group of people or a really romantic date night. We had so much fun. We didn't want to leave to go to our next destination. GO!

Strong delivery option. Excellent appetizers, solid main…read more Hummus all 4.5/5 Smoky garlic: standard hummus, fun twist with garlic and chili Muhammra: original, spike kick. Charred eggplant: good oil level Green falafel: wife loved, super crispy Crispy potatoes: wife would order again Grilled cauliflower kebab: 3.5/5. Lovely date. super charred. Like the red onion and wished for more. Chicken kefta kebab: 3.5/5. Wild chicken. Per the website: ground chicken, eggs, grated zucchini, green onion, cilantro, mint, and spices. Really fun with tzatziki and rice. Sticky date cake: 4/5. Nice cake texture. combination with whiskey caramel and whipped cream worked great.

Boqueria was our next stop and the perfect place to meet up with some old friends while we were in…read moreChicago. Such a neat restaurant with a great atmosphere, and the service was excellent. At this point in our food tour we had already eaten A LOT, so we gave our server the assignment: pick two of your favorite dishes for us. He absolutely nailed it. He brought us the Patatas Bravas and Pintxos Morunos -- marinated lamb with pickled shallots and salsa verde -- and both HIT.

This is a beautiful restaurant and the staff was kind and helpful. We came on a Friday at 5:30pm…read moreand we seated right away for our reservation. The server kindly let us know about the happy hour specials and we ordered some items and mostly enjoyed them. The sliders were good, the patatas bravas I enjoyed, but have better, the croquettes with ham were not enjoyable, too creamy and not much flavor. We then ordered the gambas de ajillo, the bacon wrapped dates and the meatballs. The gambas were delish, just needs more bread. The server brought us some which was really nice. The dates were just too sweet, but we enjoyed the meatballs with goat cheese. Overall, this was a nice place but the food was hit or miss.

Came for happy hour with a group of people and it was the perfect place for it. They have three…read moresangrias on happy hour (red, white, cava) which are $5 a glass and I definitely recommend getting one! They also have other beverages on the happy hour menu if that's not your thing. I loved the options for food on the happy hour menu, they have your classic tapas including the patatas bravas which were perfection. You can also order singular deviled eggs, chorizo wrapped dates, and sliders which I think is such a great option and something I don't see many places doing. There is a large amount of space inside the restaurant and outside on their patio. The decor is fun and interesting and our server (despite bartending at the same time) was so great the entire night. Definitely recommend stopping by for happy hour or otherwise!

Great cocktails, tapas, and service. We came here for our anniversary dinner with our kids. We've…read morebeen to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba before, and this is very similar, just smaller. Same great menu. We ordered a bunch of tapas and everything was great. The only issue was water dripping from the ceiling onto our table. We told the staff and they moved us, but it was still dripping and ended up on my husband's shoulder. There was also a group next to us getting dripped on too. It definitely put a little damper on the night since we were worried it would drip onto our food or drinks. The restaurant was very nice about it and comped the three desserts we ordered. The Basque cheesecake is my favorite! Cute spot with good food so would come back again.

Attentive service…read more Fresh seafood, delicious tapas, and quality steak. The shrimps and octopus were so tender. We were seated by the window so could also watch the fireworks from Grant Park. A perfect meal!

My wife and I came here last Sunday with another couple for dinner. It was our first time here…read more Most of our party hadn't experienced a tapas style restaurant. Our waiter Antonio was fantastic in recommending various shared dishes from the menu he thought we would enjoy. He nailed it. From the bacon wrapped dates to the skewers, everything was fantastic. We were a bit rushed because we had to catch a show after our dinner, but all of us wish we would have had more time to explore the menus. We will absolutely be back when we're in the area again. Both the food and service were great and highly recommend you give this place a try.

If I were to pick one bar to go to every time I'm in Chicago it would be Arbella! Drinks were…read moreabsolutely phenomenal. Everyone enjoyed their drinks and they had a fun menu by the chef and we ordered off of both menus. Drinks were reasonably priced. Bartenders were great and explained what was going on. They were chill and the booths were comfortable. They had music on but not too loud so we could converse comfortably. Best bar I've been to in the city! Also wish I had taken picture of all the drinks.

October 1, 2026 TL;DR: Arbella was this close to a five-star…read moredate-night experience. The atmosphere was fantastic, our server struck the perfect balance between attentive and giving us space, and both cocktails I tried were creative and delicious. The truffle fries were pretty mediocre, but even that wouldn't have stopped me from giving Arbella five stars. What did? Discovering afterward that a 5% "service charge" had been added to the bill. I really dislike this growing practice of restaurants and bars adding percentage-based fees rather than simply pricing their menu accordingly, and it was enough to cost an otherwise excellent experience two stars. Ambiance: 5/5 Arbella absolutely nails the atmosphere. I came here on a date, and it was a great choice for that. The music was good, the lighting and decor created a really intimate vibe, and our booth was comfortable enough that we could settle in and actually enjoy the evening. There was energy in the room without it being so loud or overwhelming that we couldn't have a conversation. Even the menu design and presentation fit the experience. If you're looking for somewhere that feels elevated, interesting, and still comfortable for a date, Arbella definitely checks those boxes. Service: 5/5 Our server was fantastic. This was one of those rare occasions where someone found exactly the right balance between being attentive and not constantly interrupting our date. We never felt forgotten about, but we also had plenty of space to enjoy ourselves and talk. I especially appreciated the recommendations. Whenever we had a question or wanted guidance on what to order, our server was knowledgeable and genuinely helpful rather than simply pushing something on the menu. Excellent service from beginning to end. Drinks & Food: 4/5 The cocktails were easily the highlight. I tried the First You Take The Graham and the Trankilo Melon, and both were really good while also being different enough from what I would normally order to make the experience more memorable. This is exactly what I want from a cocktail bar: drinks that make me curious enough to try something new and then actually deliver. The truffle fries, however, were mid at best. They weren't terrible, but compared with how impressive everything else felt, they were forgettable. I'd absolutely come back for the cocktails, but I'd choose something different to eat next time. About That 5% Service Charge... This is unfortunately where Arbella lost me, and ultimately why I cannot give the experience five stars. I didn't notice until reviewing my bill afterward that a 5% service charge had been added. I strongly dislike this increasingly common practice of restaurants and bars adding percentage-based fees to the bill. If operating costs have increased, I would much rather an establishment incorporate those costs transparently into its menu prices so I know what I'm agreeing to pay when I order. Calling it a "service charge" also creates unnecessary confusion, particularly when customers are still expected to decide what to tip their server. At a cocktail-focused establishment, where you may be ordering multiple drinks throughout an evening rather than paying attention to every line of the check, I think fees like this need to be extremely clear and prominent before ordering, not something a customer discovers afterward. For me, it feels like an extra charge for simply using the establishment in exactly the way it was intended to be used. Overall: 4/5 The frustrating part is that without the service charge, this probably would have been a five-star review. Arbella gave us a genuinely great date night: beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, creative cocktails, and a space I otherwise would have happily recommended and returned to. Instead, that 5% fee left a sour final impression on what had been an excellent evening. It may seem small, but transparency around pricing matters to me. Arbella did so much right that I want to come back, but the service charge is significant enough that I would think twice before doing so.

Stopped in for dinner before a show at the Chicago Theater and highly enjoyed it. Service was…read moreprompt and our server Arianna rounded on our table often. She kept the drinks refilled quickly and had great special recommendations. We had a couple of the daily specials which were amazing. My favorite was the Piñones con Mariscos - the octopus, scallops and shrimp were so flavorful! Our favs were the tostada con Pato (duck), Queso de Cabra, and Pipirrana de Buey. The steak melted in your mouth and the duck was smokey and the confit was creamy and delicious. I was surprised by the boar sausage with sweet potato puree (Salchicha de Jabali) but in a really great way. The texture was good and the combination of sweet and savory was excellent. The inside had great low lighting and a chill vibe. The bathrooms were very clean which was also very nice to see (they had mouth wash in there too)! The complimentary valet was so efficient we had just made it towards the door and already saw our car pulling up - before we even asked for them to bring it. I was honestly really impressed haha Would definitely recommend this location along with any/all of these dishes.

The food here is absolutely delicious! I was impressed with the Remolacha (beet salad) and the…read moreChuleta de Cerdo. Table next to me got paella and I will definitely be back for that. Service was friendly but a little slow. I had to wait for the host for more than 5min and for the waiter as well once I got seated. Could be that I was solo dining but overall too long of a wait time in my opinion. It's a lovely location and I sat indoors where there was a live musician which created a Spanish plaza vibe. I recommend dining here!

Ema is special…read more It's Mediterranean with a California twist. Everything is very flavorful and each bite is memorable The pumpkin hummus was really good. It tasted almost like a pumpkin pie filling The bhel hummus was great too. With a ton of toppings. It has a citrusy flavor which was really pleasant The baba ghanoush was also incredible. Super smoky and flavorful. The pita that comes with the dips are also incredible. They've got zatar sprinkled on top The Greek salad was great. Tomatoes feta and olives with cucumber The halloumi kebab was really good. I was so full at this point I couldn't eat much but it comes with a really spicy sauce that is outstanding and also perfectly cooked basmati rice

I first tried Ema back in 2022 when I visited Chicago for the first time to attend the Northcoast…read morefestival. For some reason, I overlooked reviewing it then, but I never forgot it, so I was ecstatic when I found out my company's annual offsite team dinner would be hosted at Ema. Our group of 35 was pretty large, so we were split up amongst several tables, but it was nice getting to chat in smaller groups. Our drink orders were taken not long after we were seated, and the food and bevvies started to arrive in short order. I got to try way more during my business trip than I did 4 years ago, but regardless, I noted the quality of food that was served remained consistent over the years. Highlights for me included the salmon, Greek village spread, pita bread, chocolate torte, and honey cake. The salmon was so mild and tender, the Greek village spread taster local and refreshing, and the pita bread was seasoned to perfection and hands down the best I've ever had. The desserts were a surprisingly delicious end to the meal. I didn't think I could stomach more food, but somehow I rallied. I don't even like chocolate that well, but the chocolate torte really hit the spot, and the honey cake was a new-to-me decadent dessert. It reminded me of the flavor of honey grahams but in cake form. I've never had anything quite like it and am really glad I got to try it. Coming back to Ema after 4 years was better than I expected. I love Mediterranean food, and after 5 total trips to Chicago, I must say Ema is so far my favorite restaurant here. I'm not easy to please, but Ema serves up some of the best this city has to offer.

Great small restaurant with good food. It was quiet enough to have a conversation while enjoying…read morethe food. We did the patata bravas and chorizo. It was more than enough for two. Wait staff were busy but friendly. My husband said he would go back so that is two thumbs up.

Our server was great. Very cool, respectful person. Food was such a comfort. I've been looking for…read morea good tapas restaurant here in Chicago since my initial travel to Spain. Finally! Great dishes. Everything is worth trying. After I try it again it may become a 5