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    Embe Eatery and Lounge

    4.4 (216 reviews)
    ModerateLounges, American
    Closed Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

    Embe Eatery and Lounge Photos

    EMBE EATERY AND LOUNGE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Embe Eatery and Lounge

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    Reviews With Photos

    Inside of Embe
    Jayray F.

    Okay so we were hungry. The food was so good we forgot to take pictures. We had chicken tortillas soup ( hearty lots of chicken, black beans etc in a wonderful creamy broth). Queso &chips perfect sharing size and a sensible size ham and turkey sandwich. There are lots of interesting sides to choose from including animal crackers or Maui chips or cottage cheese or or or... go ahead and pick your own. The full size are huge we saw lots of folks especially ladies who only ate half a regular size but the sensible one was perfect size for my wife. Bread pudding not to be missed. If you get Linzie your luck has improved as your drink will never run dry and you will have everything you need just when you want it. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Comfy hometown almost Cheers like feeling of welcome.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] So go give Mary Beth a chance to make you happy and a lot less hungry.

    Tortilla Soup - cup
    Jeff R.

    Truly, truly a pleasant experience . . . and unexpected in a touristy area. #1 - spectacular that they have and noted their GF options. My daughter and I are both celiacs. Promoting it on their sidewalk sandwich board drew us in. #2 - Only had the two GF soups; Clam Chowder & the Tortilla Soup. 3 bowls of chowder, 1 cup soup. All three of us agreed. Great flavors. Chowder could have been substantially hotter. Tortilla Soup had great flavor and nice and hot on a cold day. The soup was the winner. #3 - one minor negative for us, was that there was no GF bun or bread option . . . had there been, we would have had full lunches. #4 - phenomenal service and staff. As it got a little busier, server was slighty less attentive (when it came to getting the bill) but that was understandable, as food was coming up . . . not many people like to turn tables and get on to the next thing, as we do.

    Damien E.

    Amazing amazing amazing amazing best thick cut brisket sandwich you will ever have in your life. The other sandwiches are amazing too. I didn't get a photo of the brisket, we did get a photo of one of the other hot sandwiches before it was gobbled up. You could see how much meat they put in it.

    Bread pudding

    Spinach salad with chicken was excellent. Best I've ever had. The bread pudding is ridiculously good and their coffee is also excellent. Big shout out to Taylor, Hanna and McQuell.

    Cream of mushroom
    Ericka B.

    Went here for dinner on a Friday night and we were kind of surprised that it wasn't busier. We were able to pick our table and the waitress was quick to come get our drink and food orders. We ended up getting the Embe cream of mushroom soup, the Embe, Embe's cuban, and a tiramisu martini. The soup was the standout with the additions of sundries tomatoes and artichokes that you don't normally see in a cream of mushroom. They added some great extra textures. The sandwiches were both pretty good, but the Embe with chicken was super messy. It was good that our waitress brought a stack of napkins to the table ahead of time. They have a bunch of specialty martinis and the tiramisu was nice and creamy. More of a dessert drink. Overall, nice staff, very laid back atmosphere, and good food. We recommend it as a stop.

    Seafood chowder soup
    Alexandra A.

    GET THE SOUP!! I am still obsessing about their cream of mushroom soup and fresh bread. It's fresh, flavorful, well balanced and very delicious. My fiancé and I were here on a Monday later afternoon. There aren't many places open to dine in on Mondays in downtown galena however I'm very happy embe IS. The environment is more of an 'upscale' dive bar setting, bench seating, wood decor everywhere and a few TVs. It's on the small side, can fit about 20-30 people. There was only 1 person working while we were there and I was very impressed with how she handled everything. Host/server/bartender/manager she did all of it!

    Me I.

    This little gem is fantastic, my mom and I stop here every trip we make. The moscow mules are fire, the bread is amazing, salads.... I wish it were closer, I'd frequent this place more!

    Seafood chowder, soup - amazing!
    Heather M.

    I heard really good things about Embe while visiting Galena and this place did not disappoint! Because I enjoyed this place so much I went twice while there! I really enjoyed the vibe/ambience there. The bartenders and staff were all very friendly. The various martinis that include tiramisu, turtle, Keylime pie, etc. were all amazing! (Yes all three were tried while visiting there). The turtle one was the best though! The pomegranate one was good too. The pulled pork sandwich was very good. The chief salad was fresh and delicious with homemade blue cheese that came with egg, turkey, and ham and ample for two people. The seafood chowder was outstanding and highly recommended! While this is not a dinner place as they serve various sandwiches etc, it was still fantastic nonetheless! I will definitely be back next time I'm in the area!

    Screaming MB's. One with a side of Cole Slaw. One with a cup of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
    Pete T.

    From great reviews and friend recommendations, went here tonight with a friend to eat dinner. We both ordered the Screaming MB and I had mine with kettle chips and my friend with cole slaw. I also ordered a cup of the cream of mushroom soup. Great friendly service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Excellent atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food tasted delicious. You can tell that love goes into the ingredients and into the making of these dishes. Although we were almost full, we shared an order of bread pudding. Excellent! Must try! We plan on going back to try more of the menu. See you there!

    Chips

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    Review Insights

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    22 days ago

    Place is fabulous for their sandwiches and soup. Killer southwest soup and hospitality at its finest.

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    24 days ago

    Good food. Sandwiches were delicious. Service was excellent. Nice little place Great for lunch or late night dinner.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Embe Eatery and Lounge

    Is this place kid friendly?

    No, this is not kid friendly as it is a low-key smaller bar with a darker ambience catered to adults (with amazing martinis). They also do not have a children's menu.… 

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    Paradise Bar and Grill

    Paradise Bar and Grill

    2.5
    (137 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Not sure why they have a big sign that says Family friendly dining! Completely opposite of that and…read moreI will also disagree with the bloody Mary's. Not the best in town either. Family and I decided to check out galena for the first time and decided to check this place out since the galena brewing company was closed. Not sure why because the sign said open and it was 11:15 am. The food here was alright, wings didn't come out with the celery and we felt rushed. We asked for menus and he said we needed to wait till after 11 am! It was 11:15 am lol. Food is nothing to brag about, but it did the job after a 3 hour drive. I should've read the reviews before going into this place. Not a top choice if we go back. Be aware this place only takes cash and checks. No credit card payments. Found that out at the bar when I had to go pay my bill because the waiter didn't mention anything! Lady at the bar said the ATM is at the front. Terrible way to start a Galena visit. Here are some pictures of our food and hopefully this place has better management and nicer staff.

    With this restaurant being located in such a charming little town such as Galena, IL, I was a…read morelittle disappointed in the service. From the get go, the lady taking our order was in a bit of a rush. My family was with me and we had a couple questions regarding the menu. I felt that our server's response was abrupt and felt like she was brushing us off to get to the next customer. The food was meh. I mean it wasn't terrible but it was pretty basic. The hubby got a cheeseburger, my daughter got the grilled cheese meal, and I got the buffalo wings. The menu said that celery and carrot sticks came with my order but I just got the wings. When I was able to finally flag down our server to inquire about my veggie sticks and dressing, she said "oh we're out of those" and was about to walk off until I quickly asked her what about the ranch? She then quickly pointed to the little square ranch container that was in the middle of the table. I mean maybe offer other things to accommodate for what's missing or at least tell me that off the bat would have been nice. We pretty much just ate our food and was ready to go right after. The name Paradise Bar & Grill is an oxymoron as we did not feel like we were in paradise.

    Photos
    Indoor shuffleboard
    Indoor shuffleboard
    Grilled cheese
    Grilled cheese
    Menu outside

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    Menu outside
    Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill

    Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill

    4.1
    (176 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    I am not normally a fan of Irish cuisine and I can't say I've ever had Bangers and Mash but I am…read morenow a huge fan of this dish here. Wow! Wife said Shepherd's Pie was good also. There was a live singer with guitar. Waitress was attentive.

    Checked out this Irish pub located in a hotel in Galena. Frank O'Dowd's certainly is an appropriate…read moresetting for the guests here. It has a lot more room than expected with enough space for live music. As for the drinks and food they're good stuff also. The prices can be high but it's not crazy for the atmosphere and quality. Basically this is one of the first places one encounters when entering town from the east. It's located in the Irish Cottage Inn & Suites. The hotel itself is very nice and has lots of amenities of its own if wanting to stay there. As for the restaurant itself it's one of the highlights. It's about $8 for an Irish coffee, which is a classic in the morning, evening, or whenever. Amazingly they have non dairy options including Bailey's Dairy Free Toffee Cream. It's about $18 or more for an entree which is a lot. We were able to find a few plant based options. I got the Roasted Squash Bowl. This has broccolini, farro, heirloom tomato relish, pickled red cabbage, and white beech mushrooms. An earthy flavor. She had the Vegan Shepherd's Pie. An alternative made with faux beef and mushroom gravy There's also plenty of meaty options like beef medallions. For sure it's one of the nicer restaurants around here. It's closed Mondays. They amazingly have a few things for vegans and vegetarians.

    Photos
    Bar
    Bar
    Cute but substantial (and very tasty) house salad
    Cute but substantial (and very tasty) house salad
    Black death

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    Black death
    Highlands Restaurant and Lounge 289

    Highlands Restaurant and Lounge 289

    3.5
    (35 reviews)
    5.9 mi

    We dined here on a Wednesday at 11:15 or so, shortly after they opened (middle of May). I mention…read morethis because I'm certain the season and time of day matters in terms of wait times, etc. That said; I recommend you try eating here, if for no other reason than the food. The place itself is a clean open area with a wall of windows to enjoy the views of the golf course. Service was friendly and prompt but we (my wife and I) were one of two or three tables (approximately 10 people total dining at the time). The food was the star of the show! One word to describe the food: Fresh. We started with a cheese curd appetizer, and that was awesome! Fresh white cheddar cheese, lightly breaded and fried. Yum! We then had steak tacos and a margherita pizza (both pictured). The tacos were spilling over into freshly made tortilla shells and the pizza was brick oven baked. Both, based on the great flavor, were clearly made with fresh ingredients! Note: I love pizza, BUT I don't love thin crust pizza (which is how this pizza is prepared). However, they pulled it off with a great tasting dough that was absolutely perfectly baked (not cardboard from over-baking, and not a floppy mess from underbaking). We will be back!

    We were somewhat reluctant to dine here, but so glad we did. Nice ambiance. Views were lovely…read more The menu was seasonal which I enjoyed. Any restaurant that changes its menu to incorporate seasonal ingredients is a major plus. I ordered the sausage trio. Our server highly recommended this dish. Omg. Three links including elk, venison, and Bison. Delicious flavors of wild game seasoned just right. Mouth watering. The German style potatoes and sauerkraut were perfect accompaniments.

    Photos
    Faces the General Golf Course
    Faces the General Golf Course
    Sausage trio.   A must.
    Sausage trio. A must.
    The evening dinner menu

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    The evening dinner menu

    Embe Eatery and Lounge - lounges - Updated August 2026

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