Great new cornerstone for the updated dining options in Glenview. Have eaten here three times now and each one has been excellent. Great, attentive service, (twice for early dinner, once for brunch). Portions aren't huge but ideally you're coming to share plates and explore the menu - it's not cheap, but for a nice night out - not sure you can find a better alternative within a 15 mile radius. read more

Lovely place, not a great brunch the idea of a brunch. They removed the lovely specials menu and substituted a mediocre brunch menu. Not a pleasant experience. Go there during the week for a good lunch not brunch on weekend it is a ripoff. very costly and not as good as during the week. read more

Started off with the cocktail, 6/10. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to drinks, but I felt as if mine was quite watered down and could not taste the guava at all. Onion dip came out second, and was the best thing my boyfriend and I enjoyed this night, 8.5/10 (would love to taste some more onion flavor!). The green falafel was the most underwhelming dish of the night, 5/10. Very basic falafel--some earthiness that I appreciated, but was dry and a bit overcooked. I was looking forward to the beet tzatziki, but it wasn't anything to write home about. With the combined dryness and blandness of the falafel itself, it made for a rather disappointing dish. The chicken kebab took over 20 minutes to get to us after we had finished our starter dishes. The chicken was extremely dry, although the seasoning was great. The accompanying rice was good. The dish was acceptable due to the lemon flavor and seasoning that offset the dryness. 6/10. Our server was nice! Although kind, she checked in once when we asked about the chicken kebab that we had not gotten yet. Other than taking our order, no check in (probably due to being understandably busy). The ambience was great--not TOO loud but a comfortable volume to talk without being self-conscious or having to speak loudly. Interior design is very pretty. All in all, 6/10. For the price point and also having a reservation booked in advance, I thought the wait time as well as flavor was just okay. Would probably not visit again. read more

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Ema's dining room is modern and attractive. The atmosphere is lively and fun. The service is friendly and attentive. But all this pales in comparison to the food at this new Mediterranean restaurant in Glenview. The exceptional food here puts Ema among the best three restaurants I have ever eaten at. No visit to Ema is complete without trying some dips. I am partial to the eggplant dip with pita crackers. The garlic flavor is well balanced--not too intense, but just enough to be perfectly flavorful. The hummus, too, is outstanding. I love the salty, toasted pita bread they serve with the appetizer. I also recommend the halloumi. To the uninitiated, halloumi is a delicious type of cheese (kind of similar to saganaki). This halloumi is drizzled in hot honey. It's a little spicy, but mostly sweet, so that the rich flavor of the cheese is not overwhelmed. Culinary fireworks abound. Dining at Ema without ordering this scrumptious appetizer would be a mistake. The kabobs here are fantastic. Served with rice, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of olive oil, the mushroom kabob in particular is grilled to perfection. But save room for dessert! The honey cake here is a towering, 10-layer dish of perfection. It would be worth dining here just for this cake alone. For special occasions, there is no better choice in Chicago's northern suburbs than Ema. I look forward to dining here again very soon. read more

Ive been to Ema in the city so I was super excited to find out it was here in the suburbs. This location is very open and bright. Our waiter was great had amazing recommendations but was a little slow. Im unsure if it was the waiter or the kitchen though, our meal was 2 and half hours. We started with the hummus with lamb ragu and hamachi. Then ordered the chicken kofta and shrimp kabobs. We asked which chicken dish was better and our waiter suggested the kofta and we were so glad we asked they were so good! Then we ended with the triple chocolate torte. I would highly recommend the hamachi, the chicken kofta, and shrimp! read more

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Just a quick review and I hope the restaurant sees this. We had dinner there on Sunday and the food and atmosphere was amazing and I do not have anything negative to say except for one thing that turned me off. The servers and bar backs wear aprons and they are filthy!! Either have the staff wash them after each shift or supply ones that are a darker color. It was gross to see the bar back carrying clean glasses to restock the bar and he was holding the glasses against his dirty apron. read more

Good experience overall. The service was great and everything was handled well. The staff was helpful and made the process easy. The only reason for giving four stars instead of five is that the space felt a bit too crowded and things were packed close together. Other than that, everything else was very good and I would still recommend it. read more

I think they may still be working out the kinks as they're newly opened, but the food is delicious and lives up to the Chicago location. I wish they had more gluten-free bread options, it would be so much more delicious to have their dips with an actual bread. Their skewers were delicious and flavorful. And I liked their cocktails and wine service. The atmosphere is very comfortable and I love the decor. read more

Food was good but the management not at all.. We were at Ema last week, we had a reservation for 2 but we had to wait for our table for a while because they said that there was nothing available at that moment. The manager who was standing there I think his name is Andres, did not care to help us.. After we got seated (about 20min later) we ordered food and drinks so everything was good as far as serving. Me & my husband noticed that the same manager after a while was standing in one of the servers station and was laughing with some server while the restaurant was very busy and servers needed his help.. We owned a small business so seeing things like that in such a huge company makes no sense & is definitely sad. At end they didn't not take care of any items at our bill neither offering any dessert.. This is not that kind of hospitality and we are definitely not coming back! Lettuce you need to train your managers better or hire people who really care read more

Amazing ambience, and cocktails, and food the best!! Thank you for coming to Glenview

The service is fabulous (I expect nothing less from Lettuce Entertain You). Ambience and decor, gorgeous. The food is sadly beyond underwhelming, obviously precooked and overpriced. You can get much better Mediterranean food at Pita Inn and for a fraction of the price. It's unnerving to have kabobs show up at your table minutes after ordering them and BEFORE your cocktails. Plus they were rubbery, apparently sitting under the warming lamps, waiting for orders to come in. Hummus for $14-18 is insane. Interestingly, we had the exact same disappointing experience at Ema in Chicago. I noticed the Glenview location was initially crazy busy but it seems to have died down. If I had to guess, people are realizing it's not worth the over the top prices for mediocre, inauthentic Mediterranean food when the real deal is close, reasonable and much better. Super disappointing, felt like a total rip off. read more

Went for Valentine's Day and was disappointed. I came with a vendor few months ago and it was great. Today meh. The eggplant was lack luster, we sent the octopus back as it smelled fishy from across the table. The lamb was dry and the food didn't come out at the same time. With the amount of money we spent I expected more. read more

Went here over the weekend with the wife the celebrate our Anniversary. Had been wanting to try it since it opened. It is very tough to get a reservation as it is very popular. I booked the reservation several weeks in advance and we were both very excited. The Ambiance is fantastic. It's a stunningly beautiful restaurant. The Service was also very good. Friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about all the dishes and ingredients. The food was not as good as we were hoping it would be. First of all, nearly everything we ordered was WAY TOO SALTY. I have a pretty high tolerance for salty food and I prefer food that is over-seasoned rather than under-seasoned but this was too much. The flavor profiles of everything were exceptional but just way too salty especially the Pita Bread which was cooked perfectly (warm and fluffy) and had tremendous flavor with mediterranean spices but it was so salty that we couldn't eat more than two triangles of pita bread. Normally, if you put a basket of warm pita bread in front of me I will devour it and ask for seconds and thirds but at EMA, I couldn't get past two pieces. We ordered a brussell sprout salad which was good (nothing remarkable) and that was the one item that was not too salty. It was cool and refreshing and we actually used it as a palate cleanser after a few bites of everything else that was too salty. The Green Falafal was delicious and not too salty but was a bit dry and really needed a sauce of some kind other than the chunky red beets that it came with. Scallops were perfectly cooked, great size and very high quality but, again, way too salty. Perhaps it was a just bad night in the kitchen but it was enough to make me not want to come back. read more

Good food. Interesting choices on menu. Just be prepared to spend a lot. Really nice, respectful servers. read more

The food was terrific as was the service. Very attentive server. The venue is beautiful! We arrived at 5:30 and by the time we finished we couldn't hear each other! Very noisy when busy, read more

Beautiful ambiance and not as loud as the downtown location. Menu is full of delicious sounding things - favorites were the green beans and the eggplant; the bread that comes with dips is delicious! Service was super friendly and we never felt rushed. read more

Beautifully designed interior. Great place for girls brunch/lunch or date nights. Service has been absolutely top notch both times. They recommend 3-5 plates for 2 people to share. Must try: spicy hummus or corn hummus. But honestly you can't go wrong with any of the hummus dishes. The pita really takes it to a whole other level. One of the best I've had. Brussel sprouts is a must try. Also the stracciatella was refreshing and delicious! The kebabs were okay. Nothing truly special and the octopus carpaccio was delicious but also I felt like there was just too much going on in the dish. There were too many flavors mixed on plate that I felt like l it took away from the refreshing citrusy bite of octopus. I definitely want to go back to try many other dishes. Next time I'll have to leave room for dessert. I've heard great things about their frozen yogurt. read more

I ordered via DoorDash, and the food was packed and labeled very nicely. All food was correct temperature. We tried the Moroccan onion dip, brussel sprout & apple salad with grilled chicken, crispy potatoes & the hot honey halloumi. I liked everything but the onion dip - just not my taste. Everything else was delicious. The salad was one of the best salads I've ever had! The grilled chicken was super flavorful and the dressing was incredible. read more

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Update to my review last week. Ema's manager reached out to me today and very kindly listened to my concerns. Great customer relations and Jordan is very professional. Thank you will be back at Ema's. read more

Very Disappointing - beautiful restaurant, but I'm afraid that's it. Had a reservation for 6:45pm on a Tuesday - didn't get seated until 7:10pm Water at table tasted terrible. All 4 of us at the table agreed it was bad. I live in Glenview & tap water here does not taste like that. We asked for bottled water - only 1 option. Ordered a glass of wine, which was good, but the 2nd one, which wss supposed to be the same was completely different. I have no idea which glass was the one I really ordered. After appetizers, we ordered 2 vegetables dishes and 2 meat dishes. Vegetables dishes came out in 15 mins. Meat dishes took 35 mins. We finished one of the vegetables dishes, but the other was cold by the time the meat got there. Kitchen doesn't seem to try & time what is ordered for the table so it comes out together. Just comes out when they make a batch. Wait staff appear very attentive, but maybe too much. Had 3 different plates snatched off the table before we finished them. Would be good if they asked before assuming we're done. Overall ambiance good. Very well decorated, but acoustics poor for hearing the people sitting at your own table. Will not be back. read more

Food and decor are great for a restaurant in the burbs. However we had 2 issues. 1.Our table was not clean. Then my beer glass had leftover food stain. Guy next to us also asked for a new glass because his was dirty. 2. I reserved on opentable and wrote dinner was for my wife's birthday. Our server greeted my wife happy birthday when we sat down and again before we left. Table across from us received a complimentary dessert for someones birthday from our same waiter, but we did receive one at all. I may give it one more try, but if the cleaniness is not better I will never return again. read more

The food, drinks, and service were all great! Many vegetarian friendly options- falafel, veg, salads, and most-notably: mushroom "escargot!" The whole table was surprised by the mushroom escargot dish and would come back for it! The only note is that the crispy potatoes were not crispy, so I would skip on that next time! read more

Stopped here for a quick lunch on a weekday. There was a short wait but service moved quickly. Beautiful dining room with a California feel. We only had a couple dishes but everything was well seasoned and tasty. Drinks were nicely prepared as well. Would definitely go back! read more

Ema - Hummus w/ Lamb Ragu - Mediterranean Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

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Beautiful space! Cocktails and apps were great. The housemate pita was excellent and the hummus was too. Had the brussel sprout salad as well and it was delicious. Service was top notch. I want to try the egg plant next time. read more

The food was tasty. The California salad was great. The lemonade was good but a bit too sugary. The service was good but I felt a bit rushed. The ambiance was amazing. read more

So glad Ema opened in glenview...beautiful location and the food and service were both fantastic. Will definitely be back again and again. Hope more restaurants from the city continue to branch out into the suburbs. read more

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A beautiful restaurant, like being in an oasis. Unfortunately our waiter did not explain the different menu items.. I was thoroughly confused. Fortunately the birthday girl, my daughter in law ,was comfortable and ordered the side dishes for us. Because the food is prepared to order, we waited a very long time before anything appeared. I had a difficult time understanding our server. I skipped the side dishes , but thoroughly enjoyed my half sandwich( which I split with the birthday girl) . It was enormous, and very tasty! A lovely place for the younger crowd. I am glad for the experience , even more glad that my son paid the high bill, not Dad. Mrs B J F read more

Dined here for the first time last night Tuesday, 3-25-2025, with my cousin and her husband! Overall, it was a GREAT experience! The food, ambience and service (thanks to our awesome server, Ashley), were EXCELLENT! We started out with drinks: I had the Thirst Trap, my cousin had a glass of white whine, and her husband had the Slow Cheetah -- all were fantastic! For our dinner, we had the Hot Blistered Green Beans, California Chopped Salad, Hot Honey Halloumi, Spicy Brisket Kefta, and Octopus Carpaccio-- EVERYTHING was incredibly fresh, flavorful and delicious! For dessert, we had/ shared the Honey Cake, Sticky Date Cake and Vanilla Panna Cotta-- those were all really good tasting as well! We would definitely come back for more! This place reminded me of a brighter lit, white interior version of another favorite restaurant I dined at last month in Chicago-- Aba! Both places were amazing, but I'd probably return to Ema sooner, since Aba is in the city, and I'm not into schlepping such a long distance for similar cuisine I can get at Ema in Glenview! (Interestingly enough, both restaurants have the same owners!) Our total bill came out to $208 (including tax). We were happy we could get and use our Lettuce Entertain You points if we wanted to! Again, great experience with Ema! Highly recommend! read more

Ema - Desserts! Left: Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta; Center: Honey Cake; Right: Warm Sticky Date Cake! - Mediterranean Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

Pros - fabulous ambience and attentive, friendly service. Brussels sprouts veggie side was amazing! Cons - small portions at overly high price points. 5 small pieces of Falafel which were dry and flavorless $14. The spoonful of hummus was exceptionally tiny for $17. Chicken kabob had 4 pieces of chicken with a thimble size cup of tzatziki sauce for $19. The added 3% surcharge was just another "gotcha" from an already overpriced menu. It only hurts the waitstaff - much rather give them that extra 3 percent on their tip instead of putting it in Rich Melman's pocket. read more

Ema recently opened and people are excited. We came around 1pm and the joint was jumping. The space is large, open, sleek, modern and EXTREMELY LOUD. There was a 30+ minute wait so we went to the bar, which is subtly bright in a sophisticated way. I'm not sure I can better explain what that last sentence means but it was and is my impression. The menu was varied; salads, appetizers, small plates. Tapas. There did not appear to be anything unique or especially enticing, which was a bit disappointing. In the end, we got hummus and thoroughly agree with the earlier Yelper. It was nothing special. Nothing more to say except, perhaps, we should have chosen something else. If you want a beautiful space and are fine with good but nothing special food, come here. We remain a bit confused because Yelp says it is a breakfast and lunch place but their hours are 11 AM to 11 PM. We would come back to try breakfast, if there is a breakfast menu. read more

Great food and service, highly recommend hummus with lamb ragu, lamb and beef keftka. Brussels sprout was too sour for me

I received the email on a Wednesday, and I immediately went to OpenTable to see if I could snag a reservation. Unfortunately, all the reservations were booked, except for late evening timeslots--it's a very popular restaurant. I called the restaurant and was able to secure a reservation around 6:30 PM. My wife had just gotten home from work, so we headed over to Ema to see what all the hype was about. As soon as we arrived, I noticed the building was modern and cute. The setting was very comfortable, with lots of natural light. The place was absolutely packed with people--all North Shore types. Although my reservation was at 6:30, they were able to seat us about 20 minutes earlier. People just kept pouring into the restaurant. It was like a revolving door--there was never a moment when the place seemed to slow down. Our server greeted us warmly and was very friendly. She explained that their concept is small plates, and that they don't take orders separately--everything must be ordered at once, including appetizers, small plates, and entrées. She left to give us a few minutes to look over the menu. I decided to share the tahini salad with my wife. We also ordered the halloumi cheese with hot honey and the roasted potatoes with feta cheese. Both my wife and I ordered the chicken kebabs over basmati rice. I would have preferred if all the dishes came out at once, as some of them I would have liked to enjoy alongside the chicken kebab. The dishes did come with warm pita bread, though. The first dish to arrive was the tahini salad, which was tasty and refreshing--something I'd definitely order again. Next came the hot honey halloumi. Unfortunately, the flavors weren't really there, and the texture was extremely hard. I don't think I would order that again. The potatoes were tasty but nothing special. Flavor-wise, they were very average. The chicken kebabs were tender and juicy, but the rice didn't have much flavor. I've definitely had more flavorful meals at other Mediterranean restaurants for half the price. The entire meal took about an hour for all the dishes to arrive. Our server mentioned that dishes usually fly out of the kitchen, but that wasn't the case for us--though they were clearly very busy. By the end of the meal, I was full. The overall food was pretty good, but nothing I'd rush back for, and definitely not worth the $130 price tag. It seemed more like a North Shore hangout for locals to schmooze with each other. I think I'll stick to my local Mediterranean restaurants over this one. I give Ema in Glenview a 6.5 out of 10. read more

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Is it normal to write five paragraph reviews now? These Gen Z'ers man, I just can't keep up. Anyway, this place is Midwest fine - food is consistently good, the service is hit or miss (we've been three times now) and the prices are hilarious even for the North Shore. Little bit of attitude at the front with the host/hostesses, but they may be defensive with all the Important People who come in wanting to be seated immediately. Great vibe and design, which is part of what you're paying for I guess? 50-60% of tables were either tables of six+ girls nights or birthdays, do with that info what you will. More like a 3.8 but rounding up to 4. Not rushing back but kinda fun if you just exhale and ignore the cc bill you sign. read more

My husband and I came here for a little date night and we were so impressed! The Mediterranean small plates were fresh and flavorful. The atmosphere was beautiful but still relaxed, and the staff was attentive without hovering. Everything came out quickly, and the portions were just right for sharing. This location has such a nice energy -- feels upscale without being stuffy. Definitely coming back, maybe next time with the whole family! I would recommend for a larger group honestly as shareables are nice. read more

We just had a great time at this new place closer to home. Had great food, great service, great ambiance... read more

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I love the ambiance and food. I would want to go there over other aesthetic restaurants in the northern suburbs since there aren't many. Lunches are less busy than dinner. I would recommend. read more

Ema had a beautiful ambiance, and the drinks were thoughtfully crafted and perfectly strong while being well balanced. The food was good, but the standout was the mushroom hummus, which was absolutely phenomenal. I also ordered a salad, and while I know the restaurant specializes in small plates, I finished it in just four bites..so keep in mind that the portions are very small. read more

We visited Ema in Glenview for the first time after loving the downtown location, and while the space absolutely impressed--beautiful decor, great ambiance, and excellent service--the food was a bit hit-or-miss for us. The corn hummus and honey cake were both delicious, but the rest of our dishes lacked the flavor we were hoping for. It might have just been an off night or not the best choices, so we're definitely planning to go back and give it another try. It's such a fun and inviting place that we're hopeful our next visit will be more in line with the great experience we had downtown. read more

Great upscale place using light and plants to create a socal environment. Great service and owner very accommodating and engaging and friendly. Drinks awesome and food Mediterranean inspired, fresh and delicious! I'll definitely be back. read more

Ambiance is great and so is the friendly staff. Food was also good. I def will be back.