Food was decent. The reason for the poor review is the end with the bill. All I have to say is check over your bill carefully.

This is one of our favorite restaurants. We love the food, the staff is great, excellent service and awesome ambiance.!! read more

This place is awesome. Full stop. The menu has a ton of options -- all of which are great. The sangria is really good, too. I've been here multiple times and tried all of them. This place can get busy, so reservations are recommended. Edit: all of this still stands. One piece of feedback I'd add is that learning from COVID, I hope Emilio's decides to add contactless QR codes or ApplePay to pay for the bill instead of handing off your credit card. A lot of restaurants are moving in this direction and it feels more comfortable. Just a suggestion. read more

I was 17 or 18 when I last came here about 13 years ago. I think the typical age range that I notice is usually 30-60 years old. Which is probably what kept me away for so long...(I'm old now so I fit right in lol) I don't remember the food at all the first time. The only thing I remembered about this place was my sister telling me about the guy sitting behind her who was on a blind date set up by co-workers and for whatever reason he kept talking about how he really enjoyed having sex....lol..at 17 this was straight hilariousness to me. (Is this what I have to look forwarded to when I grow up? lol) Being that this is a 5 min drive for me. Yelp kept throwing it as the number 1 spot in my face every time I searched with the app...so they got me to look lol Read something about Happy hour and figure why not update my experience with this place. The food was amazing. Sharing 10 tapas across two people for only $20 was pretty sweet deal to me. I'm always disappointed I can never find a place within a 5 min drive that basically isn't everyday fast food joints. So I'm very ecstatic that I've rediscovered this place. I think the happy Hour is a great way to test out the food to give you an idea of what to order for lunch/dinner. I'm pleased with this place where I'm already thinking about coming here for my birthday....8 months from now. About 3 minutes after ordering I asked for one of the tapas (garlic potato salad) to be replaced with a different tapas. When the food was brought out I was for sure that tapas had not been replaced. Although my waiter assured me it wasn't the potato salad. I was still skeptical up until trying it out while she stood there and I was wrong lol my fault. What surprised me was the waiter brought out the potato salad free of charge just to point out the difference and why it was good. (and it was) I had the peach margarita that I thought was good and refreshing. Not everyday you see peach on the menu. Wanted a mango for 2nd drink but was told they had ran out. Most specialty drinks cost $9.Beer about $5 The only slight drawback I had with my drink is that I thought the highball glass was small for a margarita. for $9 I was expecting a 24oz glass not 14oz (not a bartender so I'm guessing don't quote me :D ) read more

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Emilio's Tapas jumped out with the great rating when I searched for a new place for lunch within the driving distance from my work. And my coworker has tried it before and liked it. I have not tried Tapas for 6 or 7 years and thought it is the time to try again. Last time I had Tapas was at Café Iberico(?) on Laselle st. I walked for miles from Lake shore to there on a windy Friday night and waited for about an hour to get in there as my friend said I had to try it. I could not remember what was good there. But I was so hungry so I probably thought everything was great. After that, I have decided to stay away from Tapas as it was too popular for my own good. Once we walked into Emilio's, I was overwhelmed by the busy and chaotic Spanish decor with all kind of frames, plates, things on the wall with the floral curtains. We were seated close to the windows where I could see the outside patios is without awning. Our waitress was pretty cute and nice. We ordered the popular garlic potato salad, Veal sandwich, stuffed mushrooms, Marinated octopus, and Chicken croquettes. She brought out a complimentary appetizer which was mini bruschetta. The bread was crisp and tomato top was mild and delicious. The potato salad was really garlic and really yummy which two of us finished in no time. Marinated octopus has refreshing and strong flavor. Veal sandwich has the best crusty bread. Stuffed mushrooms were nice too. Chicken croquettes was fine but I'm not a big fan of the fried stuff. So everything was pretty good but nothing was exceptional which I will be craving later Another problem was that we didn't order according to the cold weather (40f+). They were all cold dishes except Chicken croquettes which was lukewarm. So in the end, we were just cold inside and out. The services were right on the point except our waitress made a tiny mistake on the bill. It was not a problem and she fixed it right way. Oh one final note, the sign on the lady's room says "DAMAS" which I didn't know. read more

I'd go with about 4.5 stars here. It's a quaint, colorful place for tapas. They have a couple of colorful dining areas and service was quick and efficient. They have the full selection of tapas you might expect. I thought the paella was a bit pricey though at $18.95 per person, but the serving size is quite large. A serving for one could easily serve 2-3. It's a fun place for a social outing. read more

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The standouts were the bacon wrapped dates, goat cheese and lamb chops. We also all shared a 3-person order of paella that was savory and delicious, plenty of food after sharing the smaller dishes. I would highly recommend getting a diversity of tapas and possibly not doing the entrees. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Paella A La Velenciana - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

I've been going to Emilio's for years. He used to be over on Belmont and Ashland in Lincoln Park for the longest time. I thought he disappeared or went back to Spain. Thank goodness he didn't! I found him out in the boonies in Hillside and made a special trip with a group out to go see him. Emilio's food is that good. The man is a magician with octopus. Do his octopus, and you will never go back to the Greek style of octopus. All his seafood is fresh. I know, it's Chicago and good luck with getting any fresh seafood, but this guy and a scarce few other restaurants are actually very meticulous about obtaining their seafood. Emilio also happens to be a very nice guy and a very gracious host. Prices are very fair and reflect the quality of the ingredients, while the food is expertly prepared. Please come back to Chicago, Emilio! read more

We have been following Emilio since the early 90's when he was the chef at the cafe Babareeba. It was nice to see him branch out on his own and the clear winners were all of us fans of his fare. Emilio's is a wonderful place, good food and ambiance. We have an anniversary or two here and every time we make it back to our beautiful Chicago it is a must to stop by and shake his hand. What a great success story. If you are not familiar with Spanish Cuisine, go ahead and be adventurous, try anything in the menu. His tapas are all good and the paella rocks !! Visit Emilio's and enjoy !! read more

Soooo annoyed right now. I don't know if I should be annoyed with Yelp or the business. I'm all excited to taste the food that has rave reviews and I place the order for take out and I ask for the pork medallions with potatoes dinner. When I get home I have something totally different, so I call and it seems the host doesn't know the menu so in addition to trying to find out what it is I have, I'm being placed on hold several times..... why she finds out why I didn't get what I asked for. I kind of blame myself because I should have checked before I left but she should have told me that they didn't have it when I ordered it. I don't even know how the food tastes because I'm soo annoyed right now that I don't even want to eat it. I don't get an apology just, "the menu I ordered off of is an old one and they can make me what I asked for if I I want to some back and get it. They lost a customer before even getting one. Nothing like being hungry and paying good money for a meal you don't want eat. read more

Emilio's Tapas - This was supposed to be pork medallions with Spanish potatoes in a garlic sauce. - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Always a fun and lively atmosphere to be had here! Last visit tried the cava sangria--delicious!! Sat and watched the very talented guitarist over several plates of deliciousness. Favorites were tuna cannoli and the grilled octopus. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Cava sangria! Cheers to us! - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Selection was overwhelming, but the dinner specials menu offered just enough options to give a choice without overwhelming. Ambiance was quiet enough for normal conversation, and lighting was low. White table clothes (with white paper covers) and attractive place settings lend a refined feel. Dress was casual--more towards business causal than T-shirt and shorts, however! Service was excellent--empty dishes were instantly cleared, and at no time was our conversation abruptly interrupted by a server. The courses came out at a good pace--bread, cold tapas, hot tapas, desert. My coworker and I shared 6 tapas (3 cold, 3 hot), and we each had our own dessert. Honestly, this amount would have fed three, but was just right for two hungry men. No two tapas were remotely similar--the variety was truly wide-ranging. The Spanish Tuna Salad over avocado was a surprising standout among cold tapas--topped with a hint of lemon and a large shrimp, it made a flavorful mouthful from ingredients I wouldn't have imagined in the same meal, let alone the same dish. The roasted salmon over artichokes was another standout--this one among the hot tapas. I would have this for the salmon alone, but a bit or two of artichoke was definitely complementary. Fish was crisp on the outside and moist in the inside, and crusted with a very mildly spicy rub. Finally, the flan was the genuine article, flavorful and sweet without overwhelming the tastebuds with excess sugar. A gem of a restaurant, and on a Thursday evening the place was buzzing, but not so busy we had to wait for a table. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Flan Caramela with decaf. - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

So good! I was am very fortunate to have an amazing family that loves food as much as I do. My cousins drove in from the city to take me out, one snowy Saturday night. Luckily they made a reservation. The place was still busy at 8:45pm, but it was the day after Valentine's. 1. QUESO DE CABRA AL HORNO - baked goat cheese in tomato sauce w/ garlic bread 2. PATATAS CON ALIOLI - potato salad was way TOO GARLICKY...you know when it's actually spicy, so there's no way anyone would even consider kissing you? 3. DÁTILES CON TOCINO - dates wrapped in bacon. I'm usually not a huge fan of dates EVER, but these were AMAZING! Sweet dates - crispy outside and soft inside and crispy, salty bacon that are accompanied by a perfect sauce. 4. PAELLA A LA MARISCOS (for 2) - **This was ordered first, since it takes 30 minutes to make. Worth the Wait! Loved the seafood. It was really unfortunate, the three of us were pretty full when the paella arrived. I wished I had saved room for more. The sangria was disappointing. 3- 2oz. tastings for 10.95? not worth it. I've had sangrias all over the country. The ones I tried were how to put it??...boring. I had the red, white, and raspberry - all simplistic and one-dimensional. read more

I came for dinner and drinks and was very pleased! What a hidden gem in the suburbs. The service was excellent, food was delicious, and the ambiance was relaxing. We ordered 5 plates for 2 people and that was more than enough. My favorite was the bacon wrapped dates followed by this other dish that was like bruschetta (I forget the name). The total came to about $110, including 2 drinks each. I'll definitely be coming back soon! read more

BOTTOM LINE: Good food, strong sangria--never disappointed! We would go more often if it were a little cheaper. Food: Excellent! We've tried many different items on the menu over the years. Sure, some are disappointing, but not because they weren't prepared well--just personal preference. The garlic potato salad and bacon-wrapped dates are musts ... MUSTS! Other than those, we order different things all the time. Service: Always friendly, helpful and attentive. Atmosphere: It's a nice place! White tablecloths, dim lighting, but certainly not overly fancy. Prices: It's not cheap, especially if you order 5 or 6 tapas plus a pitcher or two of sangria--but the quality of the food and drinks are appropriate for the price. Can't really complain. Kid-Friendliness: Good enough! There is no kids menu, so you really have to look for kid-friendly tapas, which isn't hard if your kid isn't picky (ours seems to stick to the garlic potato salad). The staff certainly seems to welcome children, and we have never felt uncomfortable bringing our little guy to dinner with us. TIP NO 1: If you want to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night, make a reservation! It gets insanely packed and we've even been turned away when we've showed up without a res. TIP NO 2: Emilio's is on restaurant.com. You can buy a $25 gift cert for $15--but it's only good for FOUR or more diners and only SUN-THURS. read more

Unbelievable - first time here for happy hour and Im told there is no room at the bar! They were expecting some folks and told me to sit at a table! read more

Emilio's Tapas - Bar at Emilios empty but I wasnt allowed to sit there! - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

favorite restaurant!! every time I go, i leave stuffed and happy :) the staff is so friendly! emilio walks around talking to tables throughout the night which really makes the environment thrive. They have tons of options on their menu, and everything is phenomenal. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone in the area read more

I've been to Emillio's in city many times, especially the location Ohio street many time. I must admin i'm not a fan of that location. I was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy Emillion's in Suburbia!! My favorite was sautéed scallops in tomato saffron sauce, what a amazing combination! Everything we ordered was delicious. Ambiance isn't world class, and from first look restaurant might appear small, it's pretty big with back room which isn't visible at first. Staff is very friendly, they noticed our group liked extra spicy food and sent a plate of grilled peppers on the side. We also received one tapas which wasn't on the menu as complimentary to try from the chef. This type of service, taste or friendly staff is unheard of at any Chicago Locations!! I'll be returning to Emillio's in suburbia if i'm in the area again! read more

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You could very easily miss this wonderful place if you're not looking for the small yellow sign. But it's well worth it. The atmosphere is very Spanish with a bar, another room of tables, and some outdoor seating. Great casual ambience for a date or talking with friends. The service is very attentive, and there is constantly someone taking empty plates from your table or filling your water. I've been here twice and I highly recommend the sangria (any of them. They have like 5 kinds), or the unique Spanish beers they carry that you don't see very often. In terms of food, I adore tapas. I always want to try everything on everyone's plate anyway, so this gives me a socially acceptable excuse! I love that there are always plenty of little plates piled in the middle of the table so you can switch out whenever you need a new one. First, if you love garlic (I do) get the garlic potato salad. It is garlic extreme, but it is also amazing! The grilled shrimp are great, the cannoli with tuna that also had other ingredients mixed in was fantastic, and came with a very mild, yet complimentary vinaigrette and tomato pieces. Basically, both times I've been here, I was never disappointed. I don't think you can go wrong with selections. They do also have nightly specials, which we got the smoked salmon with dill sauce, capers, red onions, and toast points. Fantastic . For dessert we had the puff pastry filled with vanilla ice cream and covered in some sort of heavenly chocolate sauce. Along with that we both had the cafe cortado. The espresso was wonderful with great flavor. In summary, if you're anywhere near here, this place is wonderful, relatively inexpensive, has great service, a great bar, and is a very tasty dining experience you won't forget. read more

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

If you are traveling through the Hillsdale, IL, area and you would like to enjoy an enjoyable meal of Spanish cuisine, with excellent service, stop in and enjoy a meal at Emilio's Tapas. read more

Loved it! Our first visit here and every moment was special: the atmosphere, outstanding service by Axel, food, decor. Wonderful options for food make it difficult to save space for dessert. Loved figs in bacon, flan, even coffee tasted great. We'll definitely be coming back. read more

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Delicious! Tapas and other small plates are all delicious. Must get a paella to share. Kid friendly! Many regulars but ok if you're new. read more

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

Delicious food and Great service! And so enjoyed Emilio's Margarita! Will definitely go back and highly recommend! read more

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

Over as Salteadas salsa azafran were amazing. Limo de Verdi al ajillo was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Salomillo con patatas was very good as well. The Paella was ok. It was a little more on the strong tomato flavor side. Overpowering the dish. read more

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

Our favorite tapas place in Chicago is temporarily shut so we decided to venture out to Hillside to try Emilio's tapas, which had great reviews. We were not disappointed and I believe we have a new favorite tapas place! The staff did a great job making us feel comfortable dining on the patio-we saw them disinfecting tables and chairs in between every guest. Our server, Alfredo, was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu and was very pleasant to talk with. We ordered the pan con tomato y jamon, grilled calamari(pictured), montaditos, and flan for dessert (pictured). This was the perfect amount for 2 people and we left extremely satisfied but not too stuffed. I have to say, the calamari was my favorite dish. I don't know another place near Chicago that serves the squid whole like they do. The dish was very authentic and reminded me of how my family in Spain likes to cook their squid. I'm definitely looking forward to returning soon to try other tapas on the menu! read more

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Well, this is the place what you expect more, but is not bad the all. I think the most good thing was the dessert and the sangria, the service was good to and atmosphere good to. Definitely I recommend this place, but for myself "I expected more." read more

A lovely tapas restaurant! The food was very tasteful and the service was excellent!! They had a nice variety to choose from and the waitress was very knowledgable. I would definitely visit again when traveling to Chicago! read more

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

Loved this place! Glad my friend made reservations. We got there at 6:00, the place was empty, and without 30 minutes it was full! I'm pleased with everything we tried. We were a table of 8, so we tried a lot of different things- ham, chicken, shrimp, goat cheese, all great!! I'm really not sure Louis G ate at the same places. We all loved the patatas bravas and loved them! I had a flight of sangria, since they have 5 flavors: that was fun, but I still preferred the red one. :-) We ordered a selection of the desserts too, all fantastic. I would say this place is family friendly because of the atmosphere and the noise level (high) but the toddler that was with us didn't like the food too much, picky phase maybe. All the grown ups loved it! I'm definitely going back! read more

they overbook everything and there is nowhere to park. We left without being able to even get in. f in ridiculous. I hope they lost money.

The most delicious tapas in Chicago!!! Love the sangria. You'll love everything about it! Ann-Marie and Emilio -- creators and visionaries of Emilios - are so kind, generous, and amazing! You'll wonder why you don't go more often. read more

Easy parking, convenient locale. Just west of Roosevelt and lagrange rd's. Hillside il. We were seated and waited on promptly. The decor is very spanish, and sets the mood for paella. This place is known for tapas. But the paella is a show stopper. Real deal saffron rice with seafood and veggies. It's perfect. It's made to order, so it takes a bit of time getting to the table. Well worth the wait. Allows time to sample the excellent small plates. Super good place! read more

Wonderful birthday dinner experience last night! Excellent/ delicious food with more vegetarian options on the menu than it's sister restaurant (Meson Sabika) and friendlier service by far. Other surprises- complementary chef's appetizer for the table (caprese skewers) and unsolicited birthday balloons in addition to the complimentary birthday dessert & candle and singing waitress for my daughter (even other diners on the patio joined in the singing). What it's patio lacks in space and overall outdoor ambiance (compared to Meson Sabika) it makes up for in so many other ways. We'll be back!! read more

Too far from my house, which makes me unhappy, but always thrilled with the selection and recommendation of tapas and the sangria I could drink in a tire pitcher myself read more

Best Tapas I've found in the south west suburbs. The good: I feel like at a Tapas restaurant is when reviews come most in handy since you're buying several items some of them are bound to be great and some not to your liking. My favorites were the warm tapas on the specials menu; Lamb Chops and Goat Cheese on Eggplant. The Lamb Chops had good fat marbelization that made it especially tender and juicy. I really like the combination of goat cheese and eggplant because they are both so soft. The orange sauce they put around it is delicious! Could have been better: There were a few tapas that were not so great either. I was not a big fan of the bruschetta served on a yellow tomato although it would have been better at the start of the tapas rather than after all our meats. I liked the cold tapas Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese but thought it was a bit much for $16. Although the marinated octopus was good I felt like the veggies and sauce around detracted from its flavor. I am not a big fan of the décor although I don't' think it detracted from our experience, it reminds me of the wild style at Bucca di Beppo. Desert: I'm really into chocolate and thought the chocolate raspberry dessert was to die for. The chocolate is fluffy like a mouse and goes well with the raspberry puree around it. Overall great place will definitely be back again. read more

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We dined outside and found it to be a good experience. The flowers were nice and the service was excellent. The food was tasty but as goes with the Tapas they get to be expensive. We had the soups and a couple of Tapas each. The grilled shrimp were my favorite. I would return if I ever didn't mind spending $45 per person and not walk away really full. read more

we went there for Mother's Day 5 of us my sister surprised us we had a reservation for 4 . it was humiliating at first they said no way even though there were several open table and continued to be open the entire time so my husband and I were going to have to sit at the bar after awhile they said ok so three of us were sandwiched on one side even though there were open tables that could have accommodated us. dropped 300.00 not including the bar bill while we were not allowed to sit. honestly food was ok but truly disappointed they way we were treated will not go back read more

I moved out to Hillside 10 years ago and finally got a chance to eat there on a spur of a moment a while ago. The place always looks like it's closed but the place was packed when I went (it was valentines day). The ambiance was romantic, the food was excellent, and the service was fine. But, as always...tapas are always known to be kind of expensive so this would be a more of special occasion type of place for me. read more

Spanish tapas and sangria are the best. Try the curry potatoes and seafood items. Desserts are awesome too. Definitely a place to go back to over and over. 5 stars. read more

For years I have been blessed with the best tapas! The service and food are incredible!! My family and friends will ALWAYS be loyal ...

love this place , so close to home and authentic delicious food. staff is friendly and sangria is the best. Have been there a few times and really enjoyed it. read more