My friends and I had a lovely brunch! Favorites were the brussels, homemade stracchiatella cheese, blueberry clafoutis, and charred eggplant dip. The lamb shakshuka was just okay - I prefer traditional with less meat and more tomato sauce. We got 8 dishes to share for 4ppl and definitely over-ordered - would have done 6 + dessert in hindsight.Service was top tier, with toothpicks identifying whether each dish is allergy-free for the party.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
BHASKAR RAMACHANDRAN
Nice place in downtown for a Tapas type of experience. The staff is is excellent, but the prices are a tad higher (maybe due to the location). Worth a visit, we will go there again whenever we visit downtown
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kebabs
Lisa Barker
Outstanding evening sharing (mostly plant based) small plates at Ema. Beautiful airy space (especially when open to patio on the warm day), impeccable service and delicious food. Bridget did an excellent job with the delicate balance of giving us space and time while also being attentive - checking in unobtrusively as we were talking.The new hamachi crudo (with strawberries and rhubarb) was delectable, and the new "Bhel" hummus sounded a bit crazy when we read the description, and ended up being our favorite dish.Taking a pause and looking across the dining room we could see the team working together - even managers helping to serve - to ensure everyone had a seamless experience. Going out to eat is as much about that and the atmosphere as it is the food - and Ema delivers on all 3.Vegetarian options: great dips, salads, cauliflower steak, vegetable sides
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Eggplant Dip
Andre Baker
This is now one of my new favorite Mediterranean places. It was somewhat crowded The service was above average but the food was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
mohd sami
Worst service for takeout they don’t let you know how long is it going to take!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Leonardo Lombardi
Food in our set menu was pretty good, ambience was nice and staff was attentive.It was a corporate dinner so I can't comment on price :)
One of the best food we’ve had in Chicago! had the carpaccio, falafel sandwich and lamb/beef kofta; everything had a clean, crisp taste. Must try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
rupal kalariya
Horrible service! We are visiting from Philly and wanted to try this place for lunch. The service was terrible! Our waiter was never to be seen again after taking our starters. We had a hungry toddler and she was going crazy bc there wasn’t anyone to take our order. Finally another waitress came and took our order but that food was super slow to come out so the GM came over and comped some items. Then we couldn’t find anyone to get our check! It was a birthday lunch and regret coming here!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Edward Fielding
We had a great time at Ema. As visitors, we met some locals who had been before and they choose a bunch of dishes to share. I can't even recall what all of what we had but it was all delishious! The fig dessert was really, really good.
Ate here solo at the bar when in town for work and it was delicious. The Brussels sprouts are a must-have! The starter spreads and pita was perfect. I wanted to try everything but had to make some tough choices. Food was prompt, and service was friendly and attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vidhi Shah
Not recommended as falafel was dry and sweet and did not have salt in it basically not like falafel at all.did not even have spicy sauce personally I did not like the taste at all of anything.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Scott Robinson
Great foodManager came over to check on us to ensure experience was goodthey definitely care about what they do
Food: 5
Lyndsay Coleman
Everything is delicious!!!! Don’t skip out on the frozen Greek yogurt
We went for a team dinner so it was a pre-determined multi course meal. The staff was fantastic and the food was delicious. We started with multiple apps. The pita bread was perfectly spiced. The Brussels were sweet and crispy. The lentils with the salmon, omg. I thought the lamb was perfectly cooked and my favorite desert was the honey pie. Would 100% come back.
My friends and I had a lovely brunch! Favorites were the brussels, homemade stracchiatella cheese, blueberry clafoutis, and charred eggplant dip. The lamb shakshuka was just okay - I prefer traditional with less meat and more tomato sauce. We got 8 dishes to share for 4ppl and definitely over-ordered - would have done 6 + dessert in hindsight.Service was top tier, with toothpicks identifying whether each dish is allergy-free for the party.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Nice place in downtown for a Tapas type of experience. The staff is is excellent, but the prices are a tad higher (maybe due to the location). Worth a visit, we will go there again whenever we visit downtown
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kebabs
Outstanding evening sharing (mostly plant based) small plates at Ema. Beautiful airy space (especially when open to patio on the warm day), impeccable service and delicious food. Bridget did an excellent job with the delicate balance of giving us space and time while also being attentive - checking in unobtrusively as we were talking.The new hamachi crudo (with strawberries and rhubarb) was delectable, and the new "Bhel" hummus sounded a bit crazy when we read the description, and ended up being our favorite dish.Taking a pause and looking across the dining room we could see the team working together - even managers helping to serve - to ensure everyone had a seamless experience. Going out to eat is as much about that and the atmosphere as it is the food - and Ema delivers on all 3.Vegetarian options: great dips, salads, cauliflower steak, vegetable sides
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Eggplant Dip
This is now one of my new favorite Mediterranean places. It was somewhat crowded The service was above average but the food was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Worst service for takeout they don’t let you know how long is it going to take!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Food in our set menu was pretty good, ambience was nice and staff was attentive.It was a corporate dinner so I can't comment on price :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Eggplant Dip, Greek Salad, Crispy Brussels Sprouts
One of the best food we’ve had in Chicago! had the carpaccio, falafel sandwich and lamb/beef kofta; everything had a clean, crisp taste. Must try.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Horrible service! We are visiting from Philly and wanted to try this place for lunch. The service was terrible! Our waiter was never to be seen again after taking our starters. We had a hungry toddler and she was going crazy bc there wasn’t anyone to take our order. Finally another waitress came and took our order but that food was super slow to come out so the GM came over and comped some items. Then we couldn’t find anyone to get our check! It was a birthday lunch and regret coming here!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
We had a great time at Ema. As visitors, we met some locals who had been before and they choose a bunch of dishes to share. I can't even recall what all of what we had but it was all delishious! The fig dessert was really, really good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Top Mediterranean place in Chicago!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hummus w Lamb Ragu
Restaurantji Recommends
Ate here solo at the bar when in town for work and it was delicious. The Brussels sprouts are a must-have! The starter spreads and pita was perfect. I wanted to try everything but had to make some tough choices. Food was prompt, and service was friendly and attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not recommended as falafel was dry and sweet and did not have salt in it basically not like falafel at all.did not even have spicy sauce personally I did not like the taste at all of anything.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Great foodManager came over to check on us to ensure experience was goodthey definitely care about what they do
Food: 5
Everything is delicious!!!! Don’t skip out on the frozen Greek yogurt
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Octopus, Crispy Potatoes, Spreads, Pan-Roasted Romanesque Cauliflower
We went for a team dinner so it was a pre-determined multi course meal. The staff was fantastic and the food was delicious. We started with multiple apps. The pita bread was perfectly spiced. The Brussels were sweet and crispy. The lentils with the salmon, omg. I thought the lamb was perfectly cooked and my favorite desert was the honey pie. Would 100% come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Honey Pie, Garlic Hummus