We visit Galena frequently, and always plan a lunch at Embe. My husband and I share two of their fabulous cream soups (mushroom, seafood, bleu cheese) and a bread pudding. It's always a home run!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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.
Hope D.
The seafood chowder had many big chunks of moist, very fresh white fish and a creamy homemade base. We also enjoyed the Pico de gallo and hot cheese dip with chips, and were impressed by how promptly the waitress brought us extra Pico de gallo to fill out the homemade tasting cheese sauce. We finished with bread pudding, that was better than any pudding I had growing up on Cape Cod Casual, very friendly service, we found the kitchen and waitress very cordial and welcoming. Great wines by the glass!
Lauren Isberner
Neat atmosphere. Great venue for any type of gatherings.
5 stars is not sufficent.If ever I rated anything about as perfect as can be this place is it.Food excelent.2 servers working a full restaurant and going about it like perfectly.They are helping each other and prioritizing the customerFood is served efficiently and presented like a Michelen 5 star presentationIf any eatery ever deserved 10 stars this is it.P.S.I am the general manager of several restaurants in the Chicago area so I do know what I am speaking about.THIS PLACE IS TOP NOTCH!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Drew C
Great cozy spot for excellent food and drinks. Started with the seafood soup of the day, then pastrami sandwich and chicken salad with oranges and cilantro dressing. Sangria and beer were great. Atmosphere great, service great, drinks great, food great and prices great. Can’t find any faults here, best hidden joint in Galena. Coming back here everytime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder
Ken Witz
This is my favorite bar & grill in Galena. It's a smaller place that has tons of charm and is always busy. Lots of wood and portraits of rock legends!Excellent food and nothing deep fried! Great staff and the owner is always there. A few things highly recommend are the seafood chowder, bread pudding and Embe Lager! Go there!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James Andersen
What a great after hours place, (open til midnight). We were at Concert in Turner Hall and when it ended decided to stop at Embe Lounge. Arrived late, say 10:00 p.m. and was greeted by the bartender Ryan. What a great Welcome! I felt like I'd been there before .. but it was our 1st time in. Had a great glass of wine... And ordered some fresh fish chowder soup..... It was D E L I C I O U S!Parking: Free Street parking out front, or on Bench Street out back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder
Carrie L.
Cute, quaint, awesome service and awesome food! We went on a Thursday, so I imagine it was not the usual busy crowd (which was super nice). The bartender was very accommodating, and the cilantro salads we had, we both loved. I will be back.
Stephanie Sojka
Cute place for a bite to eat or drink. We came on the night around 8pm the night before Thanksgiving when everything was closed. Embe's was open and very welcoming. Very fast service and prices very reasonable in today's economy! Good tasting food too.
Third time eating here and another great experience. Soups, sandwiches and the bread pudding all excellent and the service also on point! Thanks for a great encounter!
James K.
The cream of mushroom soup was unbelievable but the bread pudding was the real surprise. Cool place and service was great.
Majestic Miles Travel
The best sandwich in all of Galena. Been doing reviews for over 5 years can't say enough of this hidden gem. Ryan is excellent and very friendly. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is coming to Galena. Travel photographer from Galena.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Ham and Turkey Sandwich
kasi h
Went here on two separate occasions on back to back days. We sat at the bar in both visits and enjoyed various martinis and had a sandwich and soup. The bartenders were quick and made very tasty, fun cocktails. The menu is quite limited and focuses on sandwiches that have pastrami, turkey, corned beef, etc. I indulged in a hot ham and cheese paired with their tomato soup that day. It was the perfect chilly weather lunch. There isn't a ton of seating but tables seem to turn around rather quickly so getting a seat isn't too much of a pain. Large TVs to watch games if that is an interest of yours.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ham and Turkey Sandwich
Suzanne D.
Awesome place.ambience, food quality, great people! Always a favorite...service is the best too!
We visit Galena frequently, and always plan a lunch at Embe. My husband and I share two of their fabulous cream soups (mushroom, seafood, bleu cheese) and a bread pudding. It's always a home run!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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.
The seafood chowder had many big chunks of moist, very fresh white fish and a creamy homemade base. We also enjoyed the Pico de gallo and hot cheese dip with chips, and were impressed by how promptly the waitress brought us extra Pico de gallo to fill out the homemade tasting cheese sauce. We finished with bread pudding, that was better than any pudding I had growing up on Cape Cod Casual, very friendly service, we found the kitchen and waitress very cordial and welcoming. Great wines by the glass!
Neat atmosphere. Great venue for any type of gatherings.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Beer IPA Lagunitas, Clam Chowder
5 stars is not sufficent.If ever I rated anything about as perfect as can be this place is it.Food excelent.2 servers working a full restaurant and going about it like perfectly.They are helping each other and prioritizing the customerFood is served efficiently and presented like a Michelen 5 star presentationIf any eatery ever deserved 10 stars this is it.P.S.I am the general manager of several restaurants in the Chicago area so I do know what I am speaking about.THIS PLACE IS TOP NOTCH!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great cozy spot for excellent food and drinks. Started with the seafood soup of the day, then pastrami sandwich and chicken salad with oranges and cilantro dressing. Sangria and beer were great. Atmosphere great, service great, drinks great, food great and prices great. Can’t find any faults here, best hidden joint in Galena. Coming back here everytime.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder
This is my favorite bar & grill in Galena. It's a smaller place that has tons of charm and is always busy. Lots of wood and portraits of rock legends!Excellent food and nothing deep fried! Great staff and the owner is always there. A few things highly recommend are the seafood chowder, bread pudding and Embe Lager! Go there!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a great after hours place, (open til midnight). We were at Concert in Turner Hall and when it ended decided to stop at Embe Lounge. Arrived late, say 10:00 p.m. and was greeted by the bartender Ryan. What a great Welcome! I felt like I'd been there before .. but it was our 1st time in. Had a great glass of wine... And ordered some fresh fish chowder soup..... It was D E L I C I O U S!Parking: Free Street parking out front, or on Bench Street out back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder
Cute, quaint, awesome service and awesome food! We went on a Thursday, so I imagine it was not the usual busy crowd (which was super nice). The bartender was very accommodating, and the cilantro salads we had, we both loved. I will be back.
Cute place for a bite to eat or drink. We came on the night around 8pm the night before Thanksgiving when everything was closed. Embe's was open and very welcoming. Very fast service and prices very reasonable in today's economy! Good tasting food too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Third time eating here and another great experience. Soups, sandwiches and the bread pudding all excellent and the service also on point! Thanks for a great encounter!
The cream of mushroom soup was unbelievable but the bread pudding was the real surprise. Cool place and service was great.
The best sandwich in all of Galena. Been doing reviews for over 5 years can't say enough of this hidden gem. Ryan is excellent and very friendly. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is coming to Galena. Travel photographer from Galena.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Ham and Turkey Sandwich
Went here on two separate occasions on back to back days. We sat at the bar in both visits and enjoyed various martinis and had a sandwich and soup. The bartenders were quick and made very tasty, fun cocktails. The menu is quite limited and focuses on sandwiches that have pastrami, turkey, corned beef, etc. I indulged in a hot ham and cheese paired with their tomato soup that day. It was the perfect chilly weather lunch. There isn't a ton of seating but tables seem to turn around rather quickly so getting a seat isn't too much of a pain. Large TVs to watch games if that is an interest of yours.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ham and Turkey Sandwich
Awesome place.ambience, food quality, great people! Always a favorite...service is the best too!