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    Ema

    4.1 (203 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Recommended Reviews - Ema

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    Grilled Chicken Kebab
    Shelah S.

    So, my family and I decided to give a Ema another try despite my previous experience... My! My! My! What a change regarding customer service! This time around, we decided to head down there for dinner with our 7:15pm reservations. First off, it was super busy but we were promptly and warmly greeted by Ms. Ava who told us that they were clearing some tables for us. The interior decor remained absolutely stunning and I love the sounds of hustle and bustle alongside ambient lighting. When we got seated, our waiter, Taha, introduced himself and immediately put in my request for two Strawberry Rose Palomas, Lemonade, Moroccan Onion Dip in addition to the Hot Honey Holumi. Taha was kind and our drinks and small plates and hot mezze were delivered at the speed of light. I also want to note that we were constantly being checked up on, our empty drinks were filled up again, empty plates were taken away without us having to say anything. This alone deserved a gold star from me!! But I digress. The Strawberry Rose Palomas were strong but sweet at the same time. They weren't so watered down and were light and refreshing. My mom loved her lemonade although the caveat here would be to be a little lighter on the ice. Mmm.....the Moroccan Onion Dip was fantastic per usual. Tangy, succulent, all the same. The pita bread was so good as well. It was fresh and warm and we couldn't get enough. The Hot Honey Holumi was alright but I wasn't big of a fan. Besides the topping, it didn't really taste of anything and I think I could have done without it. When it came to the main meals, my dad and i ordered the grilled chicken kabob plate and my mom got the grilled branzino. When we received our food, my dad could not stop raving about how good the chicken kabob was. The rice was plentiful and the chicken was juicy, well portioned and big. Seeing as though I'm definitely a spicy girl, I ordered some extra harissa and it was delicious. Spicy and added a great kick to the chicken kabob plate. To continue on this savory journey, my mom absolutely loved her grilled branzino. It was so flaky and flavorful. It had been deboned and with the additional squeeze of lemon, it was absolutely delicious. It made my heart huge to see how satisfied my parents were with their meals. I, of course, loved my grilled chicken kabob. The chicken was cooked well with it being juicy, succulent and tender. It paired well with the rice which again was plentiful. The harissa was the perfect compliment. **Chef's Kiss** We finished the night off with the warm sticky date cake which was not too sweet but sweet enough. It was soft and gooey all at the same time. It paired nicely with the whipped cream on the side. I, as well as my parents, enjoyed it. With my overall experience this time around compared to my previous one was night and day. Honestly, the customer service this time around was light years different from my first experience which was not great and very unfortunate. Because of tonight, I could tell right away that this was an establishment who actually cared about the dining experience of its patrons. To me, a place could have the best food in the world but if the customer service lacks, your whole dining experience is lost. Although my initial experience here was not the best, this experience showed me that errors can be rectified and experiences can be turned around. Our overall experience tonight was great and I will definitely be back, bringing along others with me. The price here is pretty up there but like I always say; you get what you pay for and this experience is definitely A1 and well worth it. Shoutout to Jordan, Taha, Ava and the rest of the crew! Thanks for turning our dining experience around and we hope to see yaall again soon! Highly recommend coming here if you're into a modern, classy and high end dining experience with a fun little Mediterranean flair!

    Classic Hummus
    Annette M.

    This time we visited on a Saturday afternoon when they serve the brunch menu. Jose was a most excellent and attentive server. I enjoyed the food that I ordered. My husband's short rib sandwich looked terrible and he couldn't even eat it but brought the meat home for the dogs. Management called and reviewed this with him. The restaurant has such a beautiful ambiance that I really love.

    Saturday Lunch/ Brunch
    John M.

    Updated review. Went on a Saturday afternoon for lunch since we had a few gift cards that were expiring. This is our second time at this location and luckily we had a reservation since it was very crowded. They serve their brunch menu till 3pm on weekends but we stayed with a few of their classic entrees as well as a few new menu items Our server Jose was fantastic. I received an email from Ema for a complimentary Classic Hummus for joining their email club. It was amazing. They even had GF crackers for my wife We also had their Sweet Potato Latkes (GF) since we enjoyed them so much the last time . For our main entrees we tried something new..my wife had the Grilled Halloumi which is Greek Cheese with dates and red onion covered in a spicey Red Zhoug sauce served with basmati rice.They only give you 1 kebab tho for 19.95. I had the Braised Short Rib sandwich with hummus and purple cabbage. I would not recommend this at all! The meat was not short rib. Basically overcooked pot roast with no flavor. I didn't taste or see any hummus and the purple cabbage was just thrown on top of the pita. The za'atar fries tho were amazing. If you are looking for small plates with an emphasis on Hummus and Spreads in a beautiful setting,give Ema a try.

    Ema dinner energy!
    Joseph L.

    Exceptional Mediterranean in River North While on a Chicago college tour, my daughter made the executive decision for dinner--and it turned out to be a great call at Ema. The Food The kitchen is doing some truly creative work. We started with the Honey Crisp apple dish with Urfa pepper oil; it's a really interesting mix of flavors that worked surprisingly well. The pan-roasted cauliflower was excellent, and the grilled octopus was cooked just right--I really love octopus! The lamb and beef kefta was flavorful and satisfying, easily one of the standouts of the night. Also worth mentioning--the bread was fantastic. The Vibe & Service It was a busy Thursday night and the place was packed, which gave it a lively, energetic feel. Even with a reservation, we waited about 5 minutes for our table, but it wasn't a big deal given the crowd. Service was friendly and welcoming throughout. Drinks took a little longer than expected, but the staff stayed positive and attentive, which made a total difference. The Verdict Overall, a really solid dinner and a great atmosphere. Apologies for the lack of food photos--we were too busy enjoying the meal!. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

    Kesha B.

    We came by for lunch during restaurant month but shockingly enough didn't hear anything about it. But we got a few dishes to share and enjoy. To start we got the Moroccan onion dip, it was much sweeter than we anticipated but on the alternative we got the lamb ragu hummus. The onion dip was delicious, as was the hummus. The pita had pistachios and various spices on it so a fair warning for anyone with allergies. We got a side of the Brussels sprouts and the vegetables to share along with the spicy halumi and the short rib sandwich. The Brussels were delicious, the potatoes came with a small container of sauce but we weren't sure what it was. It was rather dry as well. The halloumi was delightful, we devoured that dish quickly. The short rib sandwich was also really dry, and a bit salty to our taste. But we brought it him to give it a second try and still thought the same. Overall the restaurant was stunning, and most of the dishes we tried were delicious. For the prices I would say we'd probably come back to try other dishes.

    Jesse M.

    I had such a great experience at Ema! The food was really good. We ordered the chicken kefta kabobs and the chicken kabobs, and both were packed with flavor, perfectly cooked, and honestly some of the best I've had. On top of the food, the restaurant itself is beautiful inside. The atmosphere is warm, modern, and just a really nice place to sit and enjoy a meal. You can tell a lot of thought went into the design. Definitely a spot I'll be coming back to. Highly recommend if you're in the area!

    Marina B.

    This place randomly popped up on Google Maps while I was looking for somewhere to meet my friends. The photos were so beautiful that I saved the location and went there at the first opportunity to see what it's like in person. The place is truly beautifully decorated. It reminds me of some other spots I've visited that have a tree in the middle of the restaurant. The service is excellent--the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. And now the most important part--the food! I have no complaints at all. We ordered a few appetizers just to try things out, and I can say they were amazing! I especially loved the mushroom escargot--it was absolutely delicious. For my main course, I had the Faroe Islands salmon, and it was excellent. The flavor was a bit unusual, but truly phenomenal. All in all, a very lovely place, and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

    Crispy potatoes
    Seth K.

    Beautiful restaurant! I was there with 10 office mates for a retirement dinner. I enjoyed a Double Clutch Brewing Company Hefeweizen. Then came the food including charred eggplant, crispy potatoes, blistered green beans, and chicken kefte. Charred eggplant delicious. Crispy potatoes were entire quarters of baking potatoes beautifully crisped and salted. Blistered green beans very tasty. Chicken kefte is ground chicken on skewers with herbs and spices, succulent.

    Monic L.

    I've heard great things about Ema and finally checked it out during restuarant week. A group of friends and I had reservations and our table was ready around the reservation time. Parking is easy as they have their own lot. Once you step inside you are transported to a classy, lowkey Mediterranean vibe. Our server was very attentive. I ordered their mocktail, spinach and feta dip and the spicy brisket kefta. The pita that comes with the dip had me from the go, it was so delicious. I tried a few of the hummus because they have small plates which are meant to be shared. From start to finish service was great and food was well done

    Winnie C.

    I came here with my parents and ordered from their restaurant week lunch menu ($30) which came with one appetizer and one plate. Ema is the sister restaurant of Aba so everything resembles the restaurant in Fulton Market. We ordered a bunch and honestly the food is fine but all lack wow factor. My parents thought the chick shawma was a little dry. I personally liked the spicy corn hummus and pita bread as always but could use a larger portion. The servicer was a little slow, and no body checked on us for the first 10 minutes until I grabbed someone. But once we got our server, it was all good. There's a parking lot in front of the restaurant given it's in suburb.

    Nikhita T.

    I've been to the downtown Ema location, but this one is even bigger and the ambience is beautiful. We were a party of 25 people, and it was great because they have a private area that easily fit our large group. The service handled us perfectly. Everything was delicious. We started with the spicy hummus and the housemade labneh (which was so good!). I'm usually not a fan of eggplant or Brussels sprouts, but Ema's versions were actually really tasty. The sweet potato latkes and green falafel were also highlights. Since I only eat chicken, I tried the chicken kefta kebab, and it was definitely my favorite! The grilled halloumi kebab was also excellent. My coworkers loved the shawarma-spiced skirt steak, too. We ended with the honey cake and warm sticky date cake, both were amazing. They have a lot of Greek wines that paired perfectly with the Mediterranean food. I absolutely recommend this place for a group dinner or just a nice night out!

    Aiya J.

    Loved the experience here! Food was great and the space was beautiful. Hope to come back again soon.

    Matea P.

    We headed to Ema for my birthday. After our first visit last summer, a return trip was long overdue. The drinks here are amazing. I love their cocktails. The food is good, some dishes were better than others, but the food is very expensive for such a small portion. This is not the place to go to if you want a full meal. The ambiance and service is wonderful, but I'm thinking Ema is more of a place to have drinks, and maybe one or two appetizers if you're wanting to snack a little.

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    Food was extremely well put together, the service was quick and prompt and the prices were way better than I expected. Highly recommended

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    Ask the Community - Ema

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    Tavern on The Glen

    Tavern on The Glen

    3.8
    (28 reviews)
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    Appetizers were the best part of the meal. The grilled calamari was cooked to perfection, very soft…read moreand delicious. The roasted potatoes served with them were marvelous. The sweet kale salad was very large, easy to share, and had a nice dressing. The crunch potatoes straws were also a good touch to the dish. So far a great start to the dinner. For entrees we ordered the grilled chicken giardiniera and NY strip. Both of these were subpar and did not live up to our expectations. The NY strip was bland and did not have a nice texture to it. Moreover, the grilled chicken dish was way overcooked and very dry. The chicken itself lacked flavor and did not have much seasoning on it. The only flavor came from the peppers on top. The positive parts of the entrees were the large portions and side of potatoes. The chicken dish came with 3 chicken breasts and a healthy amount of potatoes. Our server was kind, and the restaurant had a nice vibe to it. When I went, only a couple of tables were occupied so it was pretty quiet when I dined in. Overall a decent addition to the Glen but would only come back for the appetizers. The entrees could be revamped and this place would be awesome.

    The server was inattentive and did not get anyones order correct…read more The food was acceptable but ordered a salad with chicken. No chicken. The other two got the wrong sandwich. Not recommending

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    Social Inn

    Social Inn

    4.3
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    Social Inn has been on my to-try list for some time.  My husband and I finally had a chance to…read morecheck it out on a Monday evening recently.  I made a reservation via Tock that I already had an account for years, so that was simple. On a weekday evening, as expected, the restaurant was not busy.  We were promptly seated at a 4-top table (2 × 2-top) against the right wall, with some other 2-tops on both sides.  Like many reviewers had mentioned, the venue was beautiful, modern and chic. There were 7 tables occupied, including us.  The music that they had was not too loud, just that customers' conversations were amplified by the box shape open dining area.  If we focused enough, we could hear every conversation if we wanted to.  This was obvious when a table of about 6 women got seated at a table near the front door, some of them laughed and talked very loudly.  My husband and I just found it funny and didn't let that bother us.  However, when the restaurant is filled on busier days, it might be a different story. Our server, Patrick, was very nice and attentive.  Since they did not list drinks on their menu except those with alcohol, I asked him about non-alcoholic drinks.  After a brief "discussion", he asked me to leave it to him to make me a drink with mango.  He came up with a beautiful drink that was good and refreshing, with some mango flavor.  It was Virgin Paloma on our receipt for $8, which was reasonable.  He was very polite and checked in on us several times at appropriate times during our dinner.  The pace of the dinner was good, we spent a total of an hour and 15 minutes in the restaurant. Patrick might be the only waiter serving all the tables that evening, though. I also ordered Grilled Octopus ($22) which was very good, tender and flavorful, but was a little too salty to my taste.  The small pita bread wedges were warm and fluffy with some crispy edges, the beet hummus was creamy, and everything was delicious and tasted fresh.  I generously shared 2 little bites of octopus with my husband and I finished the entire plate, it was so good!  My husband really liked his Spiked White Fish ($29) and I shared a bite of that too.  He also had a House Salad for $6, that was a very good value.  He enjoyed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc Crossing ($12) too.  We also shared an order of Crème Brulee ($8), that was creamy and cooked perfectly.  We ordered a takeout order of Rigatoni with Sausage ($23), that was a good portion, and was still delicious and al dente the next day after being microwaved. I am so happy that we found Social Inn - a hidden gem in Plaza del Prado, it's not far from home, with comfortable and beautiful ambiance, excellent service (from Patrick), an attractive menu with enticing food (fresh ingredients and appealing plating), and reasonable prices, we will definitely be back!

    It's been a while since I went to Social Inn. They used to be open for lunch as well as dinner, and…read morethat was easier for me to get to. We were in the area late in the day and remembered Social Inn was open, so we went. We ordered a variety of items. I had the Social Burger (at least 1/2 pound), we also ordered their chicken dinner salad and the beet hummus. Everything was delicious. I did order my burger medium and it was delivered well done, but it was still good. They also have one of the best gluten-free buns I've ever had. I do wish they were open at lunch time still, but I understand they need to be open for their busiest hours. Social Inn is a great option when you are in the Glenview area.

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    New Village Gastro Pub

    New Village Gastro Pub

    4.7
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    2.8 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Minority-owned & operated

    The food and service is always great here! Nice place to gather with friends and chit chat…read more 9/10: bulgogi and beef brisket is always a solid choice 8/10 silken tofu soup was okay - more of a mala hot pot style 9/10: so tteok so tteok a classic! 5/10: fried dumplings were meh

    We came on a Sunday evening for an early dinner with a large group (~20 people) and squeezed into…read more~4 tables. The restaurant was much smaller than I expected and filled up quickly. Our group shared the following: popcorn chicken, stir-fried chicken gizzards, fried eggs with Spam, corn cheese, truffle French fries, seafood pancake, bossam (pork belly, shrimp paste, lettuce wrap), rose tteokbokki, steamed egg souffle with cheese, spam and kimchi fried rice, station noodles (beef broth, veggies), and strawberry bingsoo. My favorite of the night was the rose tteokbokki. The tteokbokki was perfectly chewy and I enjoyed the flavor of the sauce. The popcorn chicken was also good and paired well with the sauce it came with. The bossam was on the dry side and the seafood pancake was pretty standard. The fries were good but wouldn't pay $10 for a basket of fries if we came back next time. The corn cheese was also good but the plate was small. There was a call button at each table which was convenient. Food came out individually as it was ready instead of all at once which was to be expected for our party size.

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    Wildfire

    Wildfire

    3.6
    (715 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    I find it hard to believe Wildfire has a 3.6 rating. As far as I am concern it is 5 stars…read moreall the way. The food is delicious, service is top-notch and the restaurant is beautiful and comfortable. I like it's darker than most restaurants. My most recent visit was lovely. My sister took me there for my birthday lunch that's later this week. Our server, Vito, was outstanding. My sister had the BBQ ribs and I had the skirt steak. Both were delicious. I love their sides including mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and au gratin potatoes. Serving sizes are generous and the menu offers a great variety of options.

    We have always had a great experience at this restaurant, and have a standing res every New Year's…read moreEve. I had a very Non-typical experience last night. Our server seemed to be rushing us once it was obvious we weren't dong salads or apps. He took our drink order, and returned a while later with our drinks. Not 40 seconds passed before he returned to take our orders. Realizing his faux pas, he left us to talk for a while before returning to take our orders. After a terrific dinner, we asked for the bill. As we were paying cash, we asked that the 3% surcharge be removed, we also had slightly less than $35 left and Lettuce Entertain You gift certificates as well as a $15 birthday discount. I included enough cash to give a 22% tip. We were at the restaurant for another 15 minutes or so as our family was finishing their drinks, and the waiter came up to me and whispered that I only gave him a 13% tip, and if he felt that the service that he delivered was inadequate,he understands, but ", if not, it should've been $20 more. I was shocked that he was so brazen, and asked him to bring back the Bill so I could show him what I did. He did so, and discovered that he credited $20 less cash than I actually gave him, and apologized for the error. What made this even more irritating was that we were seated, for a special occasion, at the staging section right in front of the kitchen. That enough alone was enough to keep parties rotating the tables quickly, we did not need to be pushed by our server. We really enjoy this restaurant, and this will not prevent us from returning, however, we will request that we never sit in the section again, and hopefully will not have this server again in the future.

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    This is the main dining area, nice For special occasions!

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    This is the main dining area, nice For special occasions!

    Ema - mediterranean - Updated July 2026

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