Hands down my favorite restaurant in the area and I order from here probably every week. I like almost everything on the menu. Can't believe this place is in Hillside.. it's awesome. read more

Awesome food and experience Service is fantastic. Food and sangria were excellent. Would highly recommend beyond a doubt. read more

Food is below average for tapas. Some things were just downright not good. Service was excellent though. The same tomato base sauce was used in many of the dishes and it's just wasn't that great of a sauce to begin with. read more

Excellent food provided by a friendly staff that treat you like family! Amazing tapas and Sangria, our favorites were the Grilled Octopus, Baked Goat Cheese w garlic crostinis, Alioli Potatoes, Bacon wrapped Dates, Marinated Olives, and the Cherries over ice cream dessert! Expect to be surround by tradition Spanish music, pottery & paintings, and there is even entertainment on certain days! You must go! read more

Have finally gone back to this GREAT place! Began our night with awesome negroni cocktail, followed by small plates of delicious fried calamari and then asparagus with manchego cheese and prosciutto in a delightful sauce. The skirt steak entree was awesome! A glass of Spanish cerveza, Ambar 1900, went well. Service was THE BEST! Gracias, Arturo! And being seated with complimentary tomatoes/fresh mozzarella sure got us started right! The only downside: too full to try those mouth-watering desserts! Next time!!! Santa says: "Definitely on the Nice List!" read more

Great as always, best tapas, from service to food, very authentic. Patatas con alioli, gambas a la plancha done to perfection, pan con tomate jamón y queso, my favorito..! Thank you Emilio for your hospitality. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

I was heading home from Oak Brook to Chicago and traffic was over an hour, I yelped and this was the closest location. The parking lot was full and the flowers on the patio outside got me really excited for what the food could taste like. I was seated right away. I went to the washroom before I sat down. They were clean nothing out of the ordinary. Seemed out dated. My waitress was really nice and attentive! Had an accent as well. Gave me two menus one was for the specials and the other was the regular one. On fridays they have a live band playing. That added greatness to the atmosphere! Unfortunately the food was not delicious for me. I ordered the queso de cabra con nuecess. The idea behind it was great but they added way to much honey on everything, it became to sweat. I splurged and then order some scallops... my favorite! Unfortunately everything on the plate was over cooked. I did eat all the goat cheese, the 2 scallops, and potato. I don't like to waste food by any means. That's just how I was raised. I did not communicate this to the server because I did receive a phone call and had to leave right away. I do apologize for not sharing my insight on the spot. The owner has reached out to me and apologized for my experience which goes a long way in my book. read more

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Great food and atmosphere! This was our first time getting tapas together and this place was absolutely incredible. Their menu is very extensive with tons of variety of hot and cold tapas as well as entrees and paella'sWe ordered the patatas con alioli, calamares con ajo y limon, championes rellenos, and paella a la Valenciana. We absolutely loved everything we ordered. My favorites were the patatas con aioli and the championes rellenos. The patatas had amazing flavor and tasted really great over the bread and the mushrooms were very well made as well. The paella was also amazing and had lots of fresh seafood. The inside of the restaurant is very nicely decorated with lots of interesting things on their walls. They also have outdoor seating along with live music (They has a band playing soft tunes when we dined there). We also ordered Emilio's Sangria and that too was fantastic and perfectly infused with fruits. For dessert we ordered a Crème brûlée with bittersweet chocolate at the bottom - a very great choice after all the tapas and paella. We weren't sure about how much food to order but those 3 tapas and paella left us very full by the end. They have a decently sized parking lot and they do take reservations via open table. We did see a sign that they were moving locations so be sure to make sure you have their most up to date location! We look forward to coming back to Emilio's to try many of their other tapas! 2/28 Another great night at Emilio's. They had a live band and couples were dancing. Such a great atmosphere and no other way I'd choose to have celebrate my boyfriends birthday. We ordered our favorite tapas and some sangria and it was a perfect night! Our server was fantastic really nice and helpful her name I think was Martha? Overall fantastic night, we will definitely be back. read more

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Maybe you're wondering, is it really worth driving X miles out to a suburb you've never been to for tapas? Well turns out, the answer is yes. Emilios nails the atmosphere and cuisine of a family style Spanish restaurant perfectly, right down to their wall decor and musical performances. The food is fresh, varied, and (if you come during happy hour), inexpensive. I can honestly say that I haven't had more authentic tapas anywhere in the Chicago area (sorry Iberico and Ba Ba Reeba, I still love you). We ordered from their happy hour menu, and got 9 plates for about $32. Each plate was delicious in its own way, with my personal favorites being their chilled shrimp with 3 sauces and their chicken croquettes. But really, there wasn't a single disappointing dish. I haven't experienced anything like it outside of Spain itself. There are still a ton of items that I would like to try. I'll be making the trip out again. read more

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Great place! Service was excellent, & food was on point! Place was full, crowd was lively, had a Great Time! read more

Emilio's Tapas - Anchovie special - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

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Our friend who used to live in suburban Chicago took us to this restaurant. Wow is my first reaction! The servers were friendly, gracious and attentive. The food was the star!! I have never had such delicious food for tapas - it wildly exceeded my expectations! The garlic potato salad was amazing! The grilled artichokes with sautéed spinach were fantastic, tender and well seasoned. The bacon wrapped stuffed dates were delectable. The wine list was excellent and featured many delicious Spanish wines. The chicken skewers were tender and delicious. I would happily drive a long way to go back to this delicious restaurant that made us feel like we were dining in someone's welcoming home. Bravo Emilio's! This was a fine dining experience with reasonable prices! read more

We have been coming here forever and it never disappoints. We were there this past Sunday to celebrate my mother's birthday and we're impressed with their handing of Covid safe procedures. They had a Happy Birthday sign in the table when we arrived and balloons at my mother's seat! That is so extra and we did not expect it. The service has always been extremely friendly! I love tapas in general and they have so many delicious ones. My favorite include the Casserole of chicken, the artichoke dish, the bacon wrapped dates and the ham croquettes. Those are definitely worth a try! Their wine flights are a lot of fun too. read more

Delicioso! Great vibe and it feels like you're in Spain when you dine here. The paella, tapas and sangria variety are the staples. You cannot go wrong with any dish here. read more

We had gone to the zoo and decided to get dinner afterwards. This place popped up so we figured we would take a chance and I'm glad we did! This place has truly authentic Spaniard cuisine. The owner and chef greets his guests and does his rounds which I personally love. It shows he is proud of his craft and cares about the customers. Everything we had was fantastic. Super flavorful. The sangria was pretty good as well. read more

We went a few weeks ago and everything we had was delicious. Server was also very friendly and helpful.

I've been here before. It was right after they just opened. The food quality is okay? but paying downtown Chicago prices. Yelp had $1.95 tapas at the bar. They only had 2 items on the menu that were $1.95. The discount on Yelp didn't mean anything. The Happy Hour menu said $1 off for any of the beers and we had to ask for them to be counted. I would probably not come back again just because of the quantity and price. I would rather go downtown for better Tapas. read more

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Food is great as well as service. Consistency is great. Sangria is the best as well as everything on the menu and the paella

We've been here several times for dine in, but this was the first time ordering for pick up. We ordered several small plates and an entree. All were very good, service was great, quick. The was a pleasant experience ordering out from Emilio's! read more

This is just a great, colorful party of a place with delicious Sangria, wonderful olives and time-honored favorites. In the drive in the way there, it starts. My family calls out their favoriThe goat cheese. The bacon-wrapped dates. The lobster bisque. The potato salad. The desserts -- will they have the cream puffs with chocolate? The bizcocho borracho? The great thing is that you can always count on something delicious and familiar, yet there is always something new to try. The centerpiece of the party is Emilio himself. He is kind and welcoming. He clearly adores his staff and treats them well. I've loved that guy ever since he described the Spanish "12 grapes" tradition on New Year's Eve. Emilio's is quite simply one of the best places I know. Great decor, great food, great vibe. Just welcoming and relaxing. read more

Wow! What a gem in the suburbs! This is *THE* most authentic Spanish restaurant I have been to in the states since living in Seville, Spain. We ordered the tortilla española, papas bravas, bacon wrapped dates and solomillo a la plancha. They were all superb! So good! I would come back here in a heartbeat! read more

Service , food and ambiance wonderful ! When we hold the hostess it was our first time I believe she was excited to welcome us. The decor is beautiful . The food and sangria was excellent . read more

Emilio's Tapas - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Best tapas in the Chicago area. we go there whenever we get a chance to be in that part of Chicago.

Food is as great as ever. Been coming here well more than 20 years. Unfortunately they have a hostess that is a B on wheels. Stopped us after 3 drinks and said she needed the table for new guests. We were ordering and eating along with the drinks. Cut us off as if we were alcoholics. At the same time she is sipping a martini at the bar. We moved to the bar and could get served. 50 minutes later. Table is still not occupied. Dont going she is there. read more

Just because it's popular doesn't make it the best. The food was ok. The menu is very large and we spent a lot of times deciding with only one dish really scoring top marks and that was the duck leg. Average and surprisingly not horrible is the best way to describe this place. The atmosphere is quite fun and all the oldies get a very nice long stemmed rose at the end of the meal. Nice touch but I'd rather leave dreaming about the food I ate. Best Tapas is still hands down in Seattle, WA. read more

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Great food and service. Lovely place. Recommend the garlic potato salad, dates, chicken brocette, venison pate and save room for desserts!

I decided to bring my wife here for dinner on Friday July 19, 2019 as we both love tapas. As we arrived to the restaurant my wife wondered if it was connected with the one that was at Clark and Fullerton in the City. Fortunately we met Emilio as he appears to always be present based on other reviews I have read. As I told Emilio that it was our first visit to the Hillside restaurant that the food was spectacular and that my wife had a question for him. Turns out that yes it was the same Emilio who was also at Clark & Fullerton until 1998. Which my wife told Emilio that she was a frequent guest at the City restaurant and glad to find the Hillside restaurant. The only problem that my wife and I ran into was the fact that there is live entertainment every Friday night which made for a more noisy restaurant. Alfredo was our server and we ordered the red sangria as we continued to review the menu. The first thing we received was the Canelon Frio De Atun which is a cannoli filled with tuna, asparagus, basil plus tomato and smothered with a creamy white wine vinaigrette. We split it in half and dug in. The taste was amazing as I felt I was eating a tuna salad sandwich stuffed into a cannoli. The creamy sauce added to the amazing flavor and everything else just blended so perfectly. Quite a first tapas to start out with. I believe the 2nd course was their special of scallops with asparagus and red peppers. Another amazing course as the scallops were perfectly cooked and the asparagus with pepper plus red onion all blended well together. We also had the escargot that were served on croutons which was a lot better than being in a escargot pan and wanting bread to soak up the traditional garlic butter sauce. Being on croutons made it all in one and the escargot melted in my mouth and was as good and a bit better than the way I have normally enjoyed escargot. We also had the Pulpo A La Gallega or Spanish octopus. It was grilled and again had amazing flavor. Just the right amount of seasoning, served over some arugula salad with potato sticks. So yummy especially if you get everything into one bite. The best part as well is that you have decent size pieces of the octopus that you definitely want to cut each piece down into smaller bit size pieces. We also had a shrimp dish that was just as spectacular as the other four tapas that we enjoyed. We also were presented with a strawberry rhubarb crumble a la mode that was quite tasty as well. My wife and I both look forward to returning to Emilio's soon and bringing our boy/girl twins and hopefully sit outside on their outdoor patio. Definitely one heck of a meal for us!!! read more

Emilio's Tapas - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

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Excellent service and food. The scallops were perfectly prepared and the sauce was absolutely incredible. I drove 45 mins just to try this place and will definitely drive further if I'm anywhere close. read more

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Yummy yummy in my tummy! If you like tapas, this is the place to go! Lots of terrific options to tantalize the taste buds and servings easily give 4 people a decent taste of the treat. Go hungry and go often because there are simply too many options for one visit. read more

Set among nondescript industrial yards in Hillside, IL Is a true gem that stands out among its fast food neighbors. As a visitor spoiled by the Southern California restaurant scene, my rather low expectations were pleasantly contradicted by the quality of the food and attention to detail. The high quality was manifest in the reserve Riojas with age and depth available by the glass, a caprese salad made with fresh mozzarella and top-quality luscious locally-sourced heirloom tomatoes, a good quality paella made with seafood flown in from far away, and a dessert previously unknown to me made of marinated prunes and lemon sorbet doused with oloroso sherry. Service was friendly and efficient, ambience energetic, filled with an appreciative clientele. If chef Emilio expands to Southern California, I'll be there. read more

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Delicious tapas and great service! Love going on their flamenco nights with live music and dancing.

This place was absolutely amazing. Let's first start off by saying I went during happy hour, sat by the bar, and ordered off the happy hour menu. It was not nearly as extensive as the full menu, of course, but still had quite a few options. They were smaller, cheaper versions of the main menu. Worked out well though, as I tried several different things. The waiter was friendly and attentive without being obnoxious. The food was fantastic. The flavors were so unique and worked off each other so well. The place was clean. I highly recommend. read more

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This was the greatest dinner I've had well I can't remember. I went here just to get a bowl of Gazpacho soup because that cold soup is great on hot days it's so refreshing. I ordered a bowl of Gazpacho Andaluz soup which was superb. This 7/14 date happened to be Emilio's 31 year anniversary and they had music s and a pair of Flamenco dancers for spectacular entertainment wow. I decided to order a seafood Tapas also. I ordered Tostadas De Mariscos which was marinated Shrimp, Scallops and Fish on top of Country bread with avocado purée and manchego cheese served with mixed greens. It was fantastic just what I wanted. And when I was paying the bill the great waiter gave me a package of wild Spanish Sardines from Emilio himself the final touches to a fantastic dinner out. read more

This place is spot on like some of the places I ate at in Spain. They took the time to explain some of the differences in his dishes. The entire staff was very friendly. Service was quick and the food did not disappoint. There's some great outdoor seating if the weather is good. If I lived closer I would be able to come back and eat here more often. read more

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We came here on 12/2/18 with a large group of adults and children. I was pretty excited to try Emilio's and the restaurant was packed for a Sunday night. Some of the folks in our party are vegetarian and Emilio's has a variety of dishes to accommodate everyone. However, there were a few misses along the way. First, I'll talk about what worked. The wait staff was friendly and accommodating. And, we especially liked the Veleta Cabernet Sauvignon ($43/bottle). I think we probably had 3 or 4 bottles of that! Solomillo con Patatas Frias (grilled beef tenderloin sautéed with tri-colored peppers, onions, and amontillado sherry sauce, served with fries) was delicious! The beef was tender and seasoned well. We ordered several plates to share. Some of the things that didn't work were the sangria and the chicken croquettes. The sangria was so light and just didn't taste quite right. For $37/pitcher for the red sangria I expected more. The croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes served with tomato basil sauce) was just OK. Overall, this is a nice restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. It's a bit of a hike for us so we probably won't be back anytime soon. read more

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Always a good time. Good food, good drinks. Good friends always a party. The garlic potato salad is fabulous- all chopped up for an even taste thru out. Waitstaff very focused on customer service. Been dining here since it opened and always give star performance. read more

Delicious food, casual but nice atmosphere, and friendly wait staff. I love the vibe of this restaurant. Our favorite menu items are the chicken croquettes, grilled octopus, and goat cheese baked in tomato sauce with garlic bread. We've heard of the famous garlic potato salad here and will definitely have to try that next time! read more

Welp what can I say... The hype is real ..... Damn... This place rocks!!! Decor service food --- amazing !!! I'm so happy we found a restaurant that's worth the trip.... We were seated right away by the hostess -- love the Spanish wall decal..... Mosaic tiles... Colorful pottery... Lots of Spanish mauresque style dish.... Love love love it.... Service was awesome.... Luz, our server... Was friendly and gave us lots of recommendations ... We started with a Tapas Frias ( cold tapa appetizer ) Cecina de vanado $10.50 -- lightly smoked venison w cranberries manchengo cheese cherries 5/5 This is delicious... It's carpaccio style.. Refreshing and no game-y taste at all... Then we got a couple of Tapas Calientes ( hot appetizer ) Queso de Cabra Al Horno $8.95 -- baked goat cheese 4/5 ... We love different kinds of cheese... Goat cheese is one of our favorites ... Baked goat cheese is just a whole upscale level Caracoles Emilio $7.95 -- escargot on croutons 4/5... Tad bit salty for my taste but definitely tasty Datiles con Tocino $7.95 -- dates wrapped in bacon 5/5.... Anything with bacon is good right?! Paella a La Mariscos $19.95 -- seafood 5/5.... Anything that's flavorful without being salty is impressive to me... Btw... This needs to be pre ordered... Takes 30 mins to cook -- perfect timing though.... If you order maybe 4-5 small plates before expecting this dish to be served.... For some odd reason .... The timing of all the plates were served perfect timing... We were not rushed at all.... Then we ordered Delicia de tres satires $7.50 ... Three layered chocolate mouse of some sort with raspberry sauce on the side --- light and decadent 4/5 Cappuccino was good with this dessert... Our bill was $103.... With a Castillo de Monjardin wine bottle --- not pricey at all... Noticed that 95% of their guests are Caucasians ..... We were the only minority.... Me being Asian and my BF being black ( half Italian ).... Very interesting .... We do not go to Hillside much... Don't know the demographics ... Just an observation though .... Everyone was friendly here --- both the servers, managers and guests.... I cannot wait to try everything else... Will be back!! read more

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I like tapas. The whole idea of sharing food with others over conversation and pitchers of Sangria always appeals to me. So on a recent Sunday I stopped into Emilio's in Hillside to check it out. Funny. I have driven by this place countless times yet I never really noticed it before. The whitewashed building with the patio on the side was tucked in between all the other businesses on this stretch of Roosevelt and a bit hidden. Our server was prompt- coming over to take our drink order and to bring us a complimentary tapas- chilled mushroom caps with big chunks of garlic. Talk about garlic! One bite and I was done for the evening although one of my dining companions seemed to like them (I think I could still smell it on his breath days later!) We ordered a range of hot and cold tapas. We had a "picky eater" in the group so know that some of these choices were not ones I would have made if I were alone. Most were pretty good- there were a couple of losers in the bunch that I've noted. The cold? Serrano ham with manchego cheese (delicious!) Mozzarella and tomatoes (eh- you can get this anywhere and the tomatoes were not ripe) Chilled shrimp with 3 sauces (one of the "safe" choices) The hot? Grilled beef brochette with cracked pepper Dates wrapped in bacon (everyone's favorite) with red pepper sauce Goat cheese with tomato sauce Grilled calamari with lemon Scallops For our entree- we split the seafood paella. This was the biggest disappointment as there were way too many green and red peppers in it, and it lacked the richness of other paellas I've had. And because we split it- it was difficult to get a flavor of all the seafood as one person got the clam, one the mussel and another the lagostine. If you go with the seafood paella- don't split it beyond 2 people. The nice part was that they did split it for us table side. My favorite part of the dinner (after the Serrano ham) were the profiteroles that we had for dessert. Rich and creamy they deserve mention. The ambiance is simple- there is the mish mash of Spanish items scattered about and blue and white tile mosaics around. But there was also some "smell" in the place that was just not good. I kept wondering what it was as it smelled like "stale air" so I wonder if their ventilation system was working properly. Watch your ordering as the costs add up quickly. Dinner for 3 with all of the above was about $140 before tip which is beginning to get pricey. Parking is free with a lot located to the east of the building. All in all- the food was okay and the service prompt and friendly. I just personally prefer other places in town to get tapas. read more

This is an amazing place! If you like garlic, you MUST try the potato salad... which might be more appropriately called potato garlic salad. We ate well of tapas and left sated. We'll do thus again and again. read more

I really enjoyed this place. Perhaps it was a combination of the company, food and the patio. Either way, I'm sure they'll take their 5 stars any way they can get it. I'll start by saying the menu is humongous. There are way too many items to choose from. Seems like we spent 15 minutes reading the menu like you were trying to find the answer to the teacher's question before everyone else did. If you did not participate on class, just play along. ....We almost fell into the trap of ordering way too many because everything sounded so good. It's a relief that we narrowed it down as not to ruin the rest of our evening with stomachs tight enough to pop. Friday night dinner date. We arrived around 8p and the place was packed. There was a ten minute wait or immediate seating available at the bar or on the patio. We chose the covered patio and hoped for no drizzles. After all, the forecasters could be right some of the time. The weather was ideal and the soft music piping through the outside speakers was a real treat. Here's our list: Traditional Paella = 4 stars Chicken, chorizo & mushroom = 5 stars Grape leaves w/ rice = 4 stars Tuna salad and avocado = 5 stars You are given bread, butter and marinated mushrooms to start. I only tried the mushrooms and they were knock your socks off good. read more