This place is super cute to say the least. Seems like a great place to go for a date night or girls night. The service was ok, nothing to write home about. The food was decent. I had the brussel sprouts and crispy potatoes. The crispy potatoes were my favorite of the two. I also enjoyed their house made hot sauce. It was very flavorful and was great on the potatoes. If you're looking for a cute place to go for a night out this place fits the bill, but I've had better Mediterranean food. read more

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This is a fancy, romantic place to go on special occasions! Their lamb hummus and pitta bread has so much flavor, we finished in seconds. Roasted Romanesco broccoli paired with whipped yogurt dip is so good that you will crave more. Chicken kafta and lamb/beef kafta are good but not as amazing as their side dish. read more

Ambiance is great. Very classy and modern but still feels natural/rustic. I ordered the "unbothered" mocktail and that was very good! Don't think it could be made any better so that was a 10/10. I ordered the pan-roasted cauliflower for my main dish, and it was delicious. It came with some yogurt cheese on the side and the flavors and crispiness were just right. The only reason I took off a star is because it was quite hard to eat it. Since it was a giant cauliflower, I had to use a steak knife, and even then I had to carefully cut it and was time-consuming. It was just kind of an hassle that I think could be fixed by serving multiple, smaller cauliflowers. Our waiter was very nice and checked up on us just enough times, filled up our waters frequently, and let us talk. I made an online reservation for 7:15pm at 6:15pm for the same night, and was seated right away when I checked in. read more

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Lovely lunch at Ema. Enjoyed their patio area. Friendly host and server. Chicken was cooked really well and taziki side was very tasty. read more

Ema - Chicken Kefta Kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has a beautiful ambiance and the food is amazing. Each hummus comes with unlimited pita. One of my favorites is their Bhel hummus; you cannot go wrong with it. It tastes so fresh and absolutely delicious! I know their potatoes are very popular, but I thought they were only okay. Not that they weren't good, but that they're exactly what you'd expect--fried potatoes. So I feel like it's totally worth it to try other things on the menu because everything is so so so good! I love the halloumi kebab too--very filling! Also, I do not like dates but their sticky date cake really is all that! This place is a must try, but you'll most definitely need a reservation as they're always booked! read more

There is just something special about the Lettuce Entertainment Group; they have their "Mojo" working on all cylinders. I have eaten at many of "Lettuce's" restaurants and on this night, Ema's was my latest choice. Ema's was as excellent as all of their other restaurants! On this lovely Saturday night on Clark St. you could feel the "end of summer" buzz permeating this area from Whacker Dr. to Chicago Ave. and It looked and felt like New Orleans during Marte Gras. Ema's was certainly part of this festival feeling. This beautiful restaurant in the lobby of Hyatt Hotel was full to overflowing. ema's menu is definitely Mediterranean and their take on this cuisine was different, flavorful and exciting. Us four shared: * A double portion of their velvety delicious Hummus * A scrumptious Kale Caesar salad * Lamb & Beef Kefta that was so good * Grilled Octopus that (for me) was the star of this show * Estrella Damm Ale that I loved * A beautiful White Domaine Sigalas wine that paired perfectly with this dinner * For dessert a Chicken Kefta (I'm not kidding) because we weren't done Everything dish listed above was pretty wonderful. The service was spot on, the ambience was modern and trendy. For the size of this room and the amount of people it held, it was surprisingly not "Head Banging" loud. Will we be back here - Absolutely YES! read more

My first time at Ema was beyond incredible! We went here for lunch and were very impressed. First of all, the ambience is incredible, it is so pretty on the inside. I was also very impressed with the service. They asked if we had any allergies, my friend I went with had a few allergies and they proceeded to be super detailed with what she could and couldn't eat. Food overall was incredibly flavorful. For an appetizer we got the almond spread it came with soft pita chips. 10/10 We shared the salmon rice bowl and brussel sprouts which were definitely my favorite. So much flavor in both!! And then we got two kebabs - the chicken and the lamb. I'd say these were 8/10, very good but compared to the other things I felt it wasn't as inspired. read more

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Cute lil sister restaurant to Aba. Very busy on a Saturday night We had Rebecca as our server & she was sooo sweet !! I was shocked how the food tastes exactly the same as Aba!! 8/10 lamb hummus Okay I usually hateeee lamb but I was shocked by this. It doesn't taste gamey to me and was pretty good! Only giving it an 8 because the portion was realllllyyy small. Even the hummus seemed like half the portion size we normally get at Aba 10/10 crispy potatoes Wow I love how crispy they are but not greasy!! Also love the Parmesan on them. Definitely get these!! 9/10 Brussel sprouts Cooked well, nice sweet flavor 7/10 chicken kabob I had to check my chicken about 12 times because it was pink and seemed undercooked. Other than that the flavor was really good and as always LOVE the rice ! Hubs had the old fashioned and loved it I had the slow cheetah which was fantastic but I found it to be overly sweet. Rebecca was happy to have them remake it for me not as sweet. Definitely recommend this cocktail if you like spicy! My only complaint was we spent $160 and I felt that was a lil high for the smaller portions and the ambiance here. read more

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Had lunch here with some colleagues. definitely fancy but the food lived up to the hype. i would definitely eat here again.

The ambiance is awesome when we first entered the restaurant. Very cute if you're looking for a nice dinner. We ordered hummus, falafel, and lamb and beef kefta. I can say this is one of the best Mediterranean food I have ever tried! We got the hummus and pita bread, and the pita breads were really fresh and hot. It was also very well-seasoned. I highly recommend getting hummus for appetizer because it immediately hooked my palate! The falafel was also spot on with the freshly made flavors and the seasoning. It was not too dry but packed with flavors of freshness. Lastly, the lamb and beef kefta was definitely stronger, so it doesn't suit my taste as much. But I was still satisfied with the portion it came with. read more

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I came back to use a gift card they had given me after their soda machine exploded on me during a previous visit, and unfortunately I had another poor experience. I've worked in many hospitality roles myself, so I completely understand that things can get stressful -- but I've now been unimpressed twice. I was told I needed to use the full $50 credit at once because they would not return the card with any remaining balance after I spent $20. While I understood the policy, the way it was communicated felt rude and aggressive. I ultimately left the gift card because of how uncomfortable the interaction was. To make matters worse, my dry cleaning ended up costing more than the meal itself. If you're looking for good Greek or Mediterranean cuisine with better service, I'd recommend Avli or Sinya Mediterranean instead. . read more

Mediterranean place in River North! Our server was incredibly nice and the vibes were gorgeous - loved the plant/vine themed decor and the natural lighting. We ordered the grilled chicken kebab, the avocado toast, and the beef/lamb kefta and eggs. The grilled chicken kebab was a tad bit dry, but still very flavorful and paired well with the citrus infused rice. The avocado toast was classic and had a nice touch of pomegranate seeds, and the beef/lamb kefta (spiced ground meat shaped into a ball) had a similar base to the grilled chicken kebab, but with more raw marinated veggies and a runny egg. read more

Ema - Avocado Toast - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What is this abismal frozen treat that has olive oil and salt. If you must try it, wait for th me deal when it's $1 to scratch it off your list. Not worth the money. read more

So. Freaking. Delicious. My only disappointment was that the waiter said the salad and dip portions were small. Not true at all. As a result, we over-ordered, but I'm not angry, because man, every bite was delicious. The crispy potatoes were a little bland, but the crisp factor was spot-on. The BHEL hummus was INCREDIBLE. As was the almond and garlic spread. I had the salmon kebab with Brussels instead of rice. My only regret is not saving room to order dessert. read more

Ema is a great place to go with people to enjoy many different dishes. Their pita and hummus is some of the best I've tried at a trendy spot. The restaurant itself is lovely with plenty of seating. Their drinks are just okay I thought. Food, overall, is really good! If I had to nitpick, I would say that the crispy potatoes need a little more flavor and the cauliflower tasted like brussel sprouts except the charred pieces were so good! I will definitely go again for the hummus and pita but as far as the other dishes go, not much to offer to vegetarians. We had people at the table who tried the lamb and they really enjoyed the cook and flavor on it. Service was also good! We had a birthday at the table so they gave the dessert on the house :) it was delish! read more

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Great food. This place is special. So many great dishes. Ambiance is great and we parked right next door. I would Return. Highly recommend read more

We had a nice experience. The roasted eggplant dip really stood out. It's amazing. We loved the coolness of it, and the flavor and texture were perfect. Good bread too. I don't recommend the classic hummus. At that price point, I expected something better. I've had much better hummus for $5 from a Mediterranean deli--and here it's a whopping $14. Brussel sprouts were okay. They were nice and sweet but again overpriced, also oily, underseasoned, and lacking acidity. Halloumi kebab and rice were good. I really enjoyed them. Thought the sauces could use more punch and seasoning. The rice was good but also too oily. Frozen greek yogurt with olive oil and sea salt was delicious. All in all, I do recommend, but I think it's overpriced relative to the food we received. Service was attentive but kind of unprofessional too. The experience overall does not match up to the around $100.00 price. Maybe I'm being harsh, because I would come back just for the eggplant dip, kebab, and yogurt. They were really good. read more

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We booked a table in advance, showed up early, and were told to wait as tables were still full. After standing around for 20 minutes, we were casually informed it could be up to another 30 minutes on top of that. Ended up leaving 5 mins later. Never had this happen before and would've expected better from a highly rated restaurant read more

I really wanted to like this place. The environment is really nice. Also, the service is really good but the food lacked a lot of flavour our pasta was under cooked and our lamb skewer plate was too plain. I ordered a none alcoholic drink and that was very tasty, but other than that, I will not go there again. read more

I really enjoyed 2 different new yogurts one for afternoon snack and other frozen yogurt for dessert. The service was incredible as everyone was super friendly. read more

Ema - Frozen Greek yogurt - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We did a walk-in around 3pm on a weekday and were seated without a wait. The restaurant is beautiful - bright, warm, and airy. The staff were all friendly. We really appreciated our server, who gave us great recommendations on what to order based on our preferences. Now for food, they have a decent menu with 4-5 items in each category (spreads, vegetables, raw, cold mezze, hot mezze, seafood, and kebabs). They recommend ordering 2-3 dishes per person and sharing. We ordered 4 dishes for two, and had leftovers to take home. Based on our server's recommendations we ordered the spread sampler, lamb and beef kefta, farro risotto, and chicken sandwich. * spread sampler: we ordered spicy hummus, labneh, and toasted almond & garlic. This was 10 out of 10 - some of the best hummus I've had. The favorite of the three was the toasted almond and garlic, which had great flavor and texture. I also appreciated that it was served with lots of different veggies and house bread. * fried chicken sandwich: the chicken was perfectly fried with beet tzatziki, arugula, pickles and challah. 9 out of 10. The beet tzatziki was soooo good!! * farro risotto: this was my least favorite dish. I'm not sure if it was the asparagus or the flavors, I didn't enjoy it. 4 out of 10 * lamb and beef kefta: this was also a 10 out of 10. The meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful. I really liked the basmati rice that was served with it. Overall, the food was amazing and I'll definitely be back! read more

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Great salads. Really nice restaurant vibe. Very busy at lunch. Chop salad was amazing. Also Greek salad was good Highly recommend this pace. Got us in quickly. Really good fast service. Great for ouch hour read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago! I love everything on the menu, but my favorite dish is probably the stracciatella. I would fly to Chicago just to have it again. The service was top notch every time that I have visited Ema, and the restaurant was clean and charming. You do need to make a reservation on a Friday or Saturday night. The one time I tried to dine on a Friday at 6:30ish, the wait was 1.5 hours. read more

1. Hummus with lamb ragú with the freshest zaatar pita 2. Brussel sprouts with pepitas and pumpkin seeds 3. Toasted almond and garlic spread?? So unique have never had something like this before 4. Risotto with asparagus and parmesan 5. Straciatella w crispy bread dipping pieces and grape tomatoes 6. Chicken meatballs w rice and tzatziki (unfortunately we were so full by the time this arrived that we didn't give it a fair try, but essentially liked the other 5 better ) Waiter was attentive with our cocktails and ordering! read more

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Another incredible meal from Ema! I was so excited to be back in the city and at this restaurant. We made reservations, which I would recommend on a Friday night, but some people were able to get in without them. We started off with the Garlic Almond dip which was once again incredible. Their pita is better than any other pita I've ever had. For side dishes, we got the crispy potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Both are so incredible, especially the Brussels sprouts. By the time we got to main dishes, I was barely hungry, but still enjoyed the lamb & beef Kafta. Make sure to save room for dessert because their honey pie is incredible. Overall an incredible atmosphere, very friendly workers, and amazing food. Will be back here plenty when living in the city this summer. read more

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The food was absolutely amazing. 10 out of 10! The esthetics of the restaurant was the icing on the cake which brought cultural appeal with classy elegance. read more

Ema - Chicken Kefta Kebab Lamb & Beef Kefta The food was absolutely delicious and the aesthetics of the restaurant is the icing on the cake. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great appetizers! Ambience is fun! A bit loud in the restaurant! Food and and service was good!

Ema has definitely become a new go-to spot for sharing small plates! I visited with a couple of friends for drinks and a few dishes to share. We arrived slightly after our reservation time, but the staff was very accommodating. They saved our table and kindly let us know that we'd need to finish by a certain time, which was completely understandable. The interior is stunning. The vibes were relaxed that blended Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences with dimmed lighting set the mood. Once we were seated, our server immediately attended to us and was ready to offer recommendations when we asked, as this was our first time. We ended up ordering the hummus with lamb ragu and pita bread, lamb and beef kefta, and delicata squash farrotto which were all recommended by our server. For drinks, we ordered the passion fruit G&T. Our server's recommendations were spot on! Everything was absolutely delicious and we were literally scraping the plates by the end of the meal. I'll definitely be back with more friends for drinks and small plates to share in the future! read more

Ema - Lamb & Beef Kefta and Delicata Squash Farrotto - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ambiance was amazingly relaxed and calm. There is street patio seating, but it's a busy street and kind of loud. Service was great and attentive. We had 3 spreads and the chicken and salmon kebabs. The eggplant and lamb ragu spreads were outstanding. The halibut ceviche was good, but not as special as what we are used to. Both of the kebabs were cooked well, but didn't have much flavor. Definitely needed the sauce. The best part was the frozen Greek yogurt with olive oil & salt. OMG was that good. They're currently having a promotion for it on Fridays - for take away only. We would come back for food and definitely for the frozen yogurt! read more

Wonderful food and ambiance. The girl with the pink hair was our hostess - fantastic service. Will be back next time!

Wish I lived closer cuz I'd be eating those green falafels every week. Soooooo good. Cool interior. Nice staff. Delicious oh, so delishous! I get nervous when a restaurant tells us it's sharing plate style. That usually means small. Yes, the mini plates were small but the salmon kabob, other meat kabobs were plenty of food for 1 person. We got the pomegranate humas, the tuna carpaccio, and the green falafels as a pre game. All were slap your hand save some for me too. Those falafels, not sure if it was Cardamom or what was in there but every single one of us wanted more they were so good! The salmon kabob, so moist and plenty of rice. I felt full after. A little more $ than the norm but worth it. GO! read more

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The food at Ema's is beyond awesome. Every dish we ordered was full of flavours and quite delicious. My favourite was the Pan-Roasted Romanesque Cauliflower and the "Bhel" Hummus was quite a unique combination. The ambiance is very pretty and aesthetically pleasing. A perfect bohemian themed restaurant. The service was quite quick and efficient. We had a lovely time here! read more

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Great customer service, the atmosphere is so green and cute, the food variety is delicious and different . Love that it's mostly shareable. read more

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This is such a great spot from the food and service to the ambiance. We had a reservation which was great as it was hard to get seated otherwise, the restaurant was definitely crowded. Ambiance: Such a beautiful restaurant. The furniture adds such a nice vibe to the place. Their dishware was also very nice and clearly a well thought-out restaurant. Service: We had such a great server. There were so many good things on the menu and it was really hard to pick what we wanted to get. She was very helpful in helping us narrow things down. She also warned us that the amount of food we're ordering might be too much. She let us place the order and then checked in with us later on in the meal. She was 100% correct and we were so glad we were able to cancel our last dish. Food: The food exceeded expectations. Everything we got was so delicious and the flat bread came out nice and warm. There are so many vegetarian options we were a group of three and still weren't able to try all the options on the menu. All the items were well seasoned and has very complimentary sauces/dips to go with it. Drinks: The cocktails here were SO good! I was planning on getting a glass of wine but their cocktail selection looked so good we ended up getting those instead. They were delicious, balanced, and the perfect flavor. It's a place I'd definitely come to again if I'm in Chicago. read more

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Hotta say I was so hyped for this one but it did nottt meet the mark for me. Brussels sprouts and potatos were good but the cauli and dip spread weren't anything great. I did like the flavors of the $1 olive oil sea salt froyo (summer friday deal woo) but it melted like instantly on a hot day. read more

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If you're looking for the perfect date night, friends get together, or family reunion, look no further because Ema will check off all the boxes! From delicious drinks, unbelievable food, impeccable service, and incredible vibes, you are set to have the most amazing experience ever! The interior decor is GORGEOUS! The greenery, the lighting, the music, the color palette - it's all so intimate and beautiful. The service is exemplary! From the moment you check in to the moment you leave, you are taken care of 1000%. We got 2 of their cocktails - do not disturb and the slow cheetah. Both were so crisp and refreshing! For food, they're known for their shareable portions so we tried a few different things. To start, we got the hummus with lamb ragu with their famous pita. This was a 10/10. The hummus was creamy and so flavorful! The pita was INSANE! It was so herby and soft and fresh and we could keep eating it! Next up, we got the green falafal which came with a garlic yogurt sauce and a beet salad. This was such a surprise! The falafal was so so delicious and authentic but the beet salad that it came up was so unique but ended up being the most perfect side for the falafel! Lastly, the main courses! We got the chicken kebabs and the salmon kebabs, both of which came with basmati rice and a side sauce. Both meats were so tender, so smoky, so flavorful, and so filling! The rice was cooked to perfection! It was the perfect meal! This was the perfect experience, and I cannot wait to go again, take my friends and my family, and try more items from their menu! It's rare to find a spot with exceptional food, drinks, atmosphere, and service and Ema checks off all the boxes! 1000/1000 recommend! read more

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I had a dinner date here and this is my date's favorite place. We had late reservation but we walked in early. It was quite busy inside. We waited for a bit but we got our table at nice spot. I generally like Mediterranean and food at this place was delicious. The cocktail drink with mezcal - slow cheetah was great. I really enjoyed their crispy Brussels sprouts with bhel hummus. A good date spot! read more

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Nice Ambiance but the food wasn't worth the price. A couple similar restaurants in Chicago with amazing food and ambiance, pricy but will go back there considering the flavors. read more

We had high hopes for Ema but overall it was a mixed experience. The ambiance was neat and cozy, great for a casual night out. We sat by the bar which was a nice spot. To start, we had the sweet onion dip which was solid with great textures and flavors. The spicy hummus, on the other hand, was barely spicy and didn't live up to the name. The falafel was crunchy but felt overly deep fried, with a taste that made us wonder if the oil had been reused. Definitely wouldn't order again. The chicken skewers with basmati rice were disappointing, bland and severely lacking in flavor. We had to add quite a bit of salt just to make it work. For drinks we tried the espresso martinis and a margarita. Both were very plain and unmemorable. Desserts were the low point. The soft serve Greek yogurt with olive oil and salt was honestly one of the worst things I've tasted. It just didn't work. The honey peach pie was also a letdown. We were expecting a peach forward dessert, maybe jammy or syrupy, but it was just plain diced peaches on the side. Not what was advertised. That said, the service was great, friendly and attentive throughout. Unfortunately the food just didn't deliver so we probably wouldn't return. read more

It was hot and humid outside, but the shade and occasional breeze made it bearable. We were expecting the restaurant to be cool or even cold temp, but it turned out to warm. They had a swamp cooler and a fan running. We were hoping for a quick meal. But the service was slow--took about 10 minutes just to get menus and another 10 to place our order. On the upside, the food came out quickly once we ordered. If you get the cracked farro, be careful not to chomp into cherry pits. read more

Ema - 07.12.25 You can't go wrong with grilled chicken kebab. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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