Truly, truly a pleasant experience . . . and unexpected in a touristy area. #1 - spectacular that they have and noted their GF options. My daughter and I are both celiacs. Promoting it on their sidewalk sandwich board drew us in. #2 - Only had the two GF soups; Clam Chowder & the Tortilla Soup. 3 bowls of chowder, 1 cup soup. All three of us agreed. Great flavors. Chowder could have been substantially hotter. Tortilla Soup had great flavor and nice and hot on a cold day. The soup was the winner. #3 - one minor negative for us, was that there was no GF bun or bread option . . . had there been, we would have had full lunches. #4 - phenomenal service and staff. As it got a little busier, server was slighty less attentive (when it came to getting the bill) but that was understandable, as food was coming up . . . not many people like to turn tables and get on to the next thing, as we do. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Tortilla Soup - cup - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Great sandwiches, we stop here each time in Galena. We have been told the soup is good, but we usually go for lunch and that's too much. Full bar, many good beers. The Sawyer sandwich is delicious, very good coleslaw. read more

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Okay so we were hungry. The food was so good we forgot to take pictures. We had chicken tortillas soup ( hearty lots of chicken, black beans etc in a wonderful creamy broth). Queso &chips perfect sharing size and a sensible size ham and turkey sandwich. There are lots of interesting sides to choose from including animal crackers or Maui chips or cottage cheese or or or... go ahead and pick your own. The full size are huge we saw lots of folks especially ladies who only ate half a regular size but the sensible one was perfect size for my wife. Bread pudding not to be missed. If you get Linzie your luck has improved as your drink will never run dry and you will have everything you need just when you want it. Comfy hometown almost Cheers like feeling of welcome. So go give Mary Beth a chance to make you happy and a lot less hungry. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Inside of Embe - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Amazing amazing amazing amazing best thick cut brisket sandwich you will ever have in your life. The other sandwiches are amazing too. I didn't get a photo of the brisket, we did get a photo of one of the other hot sandwiches before it was gobbled up. You could see how much meat they put in it. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

REALLY good sandwiches, tasty cole slaw, and a killer seafood chowder. The menu offers both hot and cold sandwiches, and is charmingly quirky: for example, none of the sandwiches have tomatoes (they don't carry it), the only chips are Hawaiian onion flavor, and animal crackers is one of the side choices (delightful for kids). They also offer four housemade soups every day, which seems like a lot for the summer in a small joint. But like I said, they nailed at least one of those soups. The photos make it look darker than it is. At night it probably does look a bit like a neighborhood bar, but during the day it is bright and welcoming. Warm service too. read more

Wow, I cannot believe how amazing the beef brisket sandwich $13.95 was with Swiss cheese, including the bread as well, which was super soft and a little toasted because the beef brisket was so moist and high-quality beef, and there was barely any fat in there and very juicy and not salty at all And flavored just right with the Dijon mustard and it's just cheese. You can do a cup of soup with an enough charge or you can keep the fries. The seafood chatter was amazing as well. Full of seafood. Staff are very nice and friendly and very attentive and the atmosphere is really nice and we really enjoyed it. We would love to come back even if it takes us three hours to get here from Chicago. The blue cheese soup was watery and a bit salty. Today is 6/22/25. The bread pudding $5.50 was to die for and Corned Beef brisket sandwich was to die for w melted swiiss and home made Dijon $13.95. read more

The food was fantastic as was the service. The sandwich portion sizes are very nice and the options are unique. The bread pudding lives up to its reputation. read more

Spinach salad with chicken was excellent. Best I've ever had. The bread pudding is ridiculously good and their coffee is also excellent. Big shout out to Taylor, Hanna and McQuell. read more

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Centrally located in Galena, this place has something for everyone! The soups and salad were especially delicious! They were so good, in fact, that we craved them and wenr back the next day - even with many eatery options to choose from. We believe that the service provided at restaurants can totally make or break an experience - and our wonderful server, Hanna, made it a pleasure to return. Shout out to both Hanna and Taylor...we'll be recommending this laid-back & comfortable place to others read more

It was okay. The mushroom soup was so hot I burned the entirety of my mouth. I imagine it was from over microwaving. The staff were friendly enough. Small area. Atmosphere was fine. read more

I went there with 8 other women for lunch. The food was out of this world good!! I had the pastrami/corned beef and it may be the best I've ever had! The bun was made there and was perfect for my sandwich. Others raved about the egg salad sandwich, the chicken sandwich, the sup, the bread pudding!! The service was wonderful as well!! I WILL be eating there the next time I go to Galena! read more

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. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Cream of mushroom - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

This little gem is fantastic, my mom and I stop here every trip we make. The moscow mules are fire, the bread is amazing, salads.... I wish it were closer, I'd frequent this place more! read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

They were open Sunday evening which is a plus in Galena. The staff was friendly and courteous. I had the corned beef sandwich - tender, full of flavor, and their horseradish mustard was the perfect compliment. The chopped pickle sends it over the top. The chef salad is enough for two, and everything is fresh. The vibe is casual. Highly recommend. 11/10 and will return. read more

From great reviews and friend recommendations, went here tonight with a friend to eat dinner. We both ordered the Screaming MB and I had mine with kettle chips and my friend with cole slaw. I also ordered a cup of the cream of mushroom soup. Great friendly service. Excellent atmosphere. The food tasted delicious. You can tell that love goes into the ingredients and into the making of these dishes. Although we were almost full, we shared an order of bread pudding. Excellent! Must try! We plan on going back to try more of the menu. See you there! read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Screaming MB's. One with a side of Cole Slaw. One with a cup of Cream of Mushroom Soup. - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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GET THE SOUP!! I am still obsessing about their cream of mushroom soup and fresh bread. It's fresh, flavorful, well balanced and very delicious. My fiancé and I were here on a Monday later afternoon. There aren't many places open to dine in on Mondays in downtown galena however I'm very happy embe IS. The environment is more of an 'upscale' dive bar setting, bench seating, wood decor everywhere and a few TVs. It's on the small side, can fit about 20-30 people. There was only 1 person working while we were there and I was very impressed with how she handled everything. Host/server/bartender/manager she did all of it! read more

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I heard really good things about Embe while visiting Galena and this place did not disappoint! Because I enjoyed this place so much I went twice while there! I really enjoyed the vibe/ambience there. The bartenders and staff were all very friendly. The various martinis that include tiramisu, turtle, Keylime pie, etc. were all amazing! (Yes all three were tried while visiting there). The turtle one was the best though! The pomegranate one was good too. The pulled pork sandwich was very good. The chief salad was fresh and delicious with homemade blue cheese that came with egg, turkey, and ham and ample for two people. The seafood chowder was outstanding and highly recommended! While this is not a dinner place as they serve various sandwiches etc, it was still fantastic nonetheless! I will definitely be back next time I'm in the area! read more

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This is a great find in galena. They have a menu that is very well marked for gluten free items. I wish there was more than salads and a few sides that were gluten free like a sandwich or beer - but I still really liked the place. The food was good and the people working here were really really cool. Like, really cool. I will be coming back later this weekend for sure. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Chips - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Delicious lunch with friends... Pastrami & Corned beef topped with pickles & cole slaw... Bread pudding was the perfect ending to share! read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Sangria, pastrami & corned beef sandwich & bread pudding to share! - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Open late, and delicious! There was 1 guy holding down the bar and serving the tables. Naturally it was busy bc it's the only place serving food. The server recommended my sandwich and it was amazing! Lots of meat and great flavor. It was almost closing time and he didn't rush us out, he recommended getting the bread pudding and it was also delicious and well prepared. There is a nice size bar along with many places to sit. Very pleased with this last min stop for food. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Bread pudding - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Chicken Tortilla soup was delicious!! Egg salad sandwich was quite good and the bread pudding was fabulous... we may go back for more!! Service was also very good... waitress was fun and food was delivered to our table very quickly... read more

Came for a late night drink and some bread pudding while visiting for my birthday. Drinks were great and bread pudding was hot and delicious for a reasonable price. Sat at the bar and staff were so friendly and helpful. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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We came in for lunch during the week and experienced a short wait. We sat at the counter and given a menu promptly and our server took our drink orders. Our server was very friendly and attentive. My wife ordered the EmBe salad and a glass of wine and I ordered a small turkey salad sandwich with a cup of southwest tortilla soup. All of our food was delicious and fresh. Their soups are all homemade and my soup was especially good and it was full of chicken and served piping hot. My only suggestion would be to offer more desserts than bread pudding. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Small turkey sandwich with chips and tortilla soup. - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Embe was okay. We got into Galena late at night, around 9:30, and wouldn't you know but Galena closes up early. Luckily they have a few places that are open a bit later, one of which is Embe. I got The Embe, and it was ok. I thought it was made with shredded chicken but this was cubed; perhaps I conflated it with some of the other dishes that mentioned shredded chicken or pork. My partner got the corned beef sandwich, also with cubed corned beef. It was unexpected. Not bad necessarily but I think it made it slightly harder to consume. The corned beef itself was good, though. In addition to the mains, I got a blue cheese soup to try and we also tried the warm bread pudding. The soup was interesting! I didn't dislike it and it wouldn't be my first choice, but having said that if I saw it on a menu again I'd order it. I like unusual soups. The bread pudding was so good. I'm not usually a huge fan of bread pudding, since it's kind of an odd dish and can run the gamut from wonderful to really gross. This was on the good end of that scale (yay), and was pretty delicious. There were a smattering of nuts, which I wasn't expecting and in general I'm not a fan of nuts in food, but they were few and far between so it didn't ruin the whole dessert. Both of us said we'd eat here again and we might have had we not decided to try a different place out second evening in Galena. Parking is street only, and will be easier to find in the evening when the town has closed up for the evening. read more

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The reason I gave one star and not zero is because the service was good. I ordered a salad with "seasoned, grilled" chicken. What I got was a salad with the type of chicken that comes frozen from a bag and then microwaved. I'm still gagging thinking about it. The only reason I ate it is because I was starving. The slivered almonds were burnt and the whole salad smelled like boiled chicken. I have no idea how this restaurant has 4.4 stars! read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Burnt almonds and previously frozen processed chicken. - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Excellent food, excellent service, cozy atmosphere! My favorite place for soup and sandwiches and the perfect martini!!

Just Okay sandwiches. Small size. Okay salads. Cocktail was delicious, but tasted like a mocktail -could not sense any alcohol. Some beers. Server was rather neutral. read more

This place is a vibe! When you're walking down main street in Galena and pass this place you wouldn't think what's inside would be so full of flavor! This reminded me of a classic, small, Midwest hole in the wall bar with excellent service and a killer menu! Their coleslaw is house made, their pork is slow cooked over night, their house made horseradish sauce is perfect, AND they get their bread fresh from a local bakery every morning! I will eat here every time I'm in Galena! I got the Cuban Sandwich and my love got their PB&, with chips! Accidentally posted this review on a wrong account. read more

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Walking around town, looking for a place to eat, trusting Yelp and Google to find me both places that are good and open, again and again I was disappointed to turn up at a door to see the lights off or signs telling me when they "started" serving food, not when they stopped. Then like a beacon in the night, Embe called out. Literally, these lights in the window, shouting "Bar Open" and "Kitchen Open," and if that weren't enough, the top of their menu spells it out: "Kitchen open until closing time." The simplicity and clarity whet my appetite. And that simplicity carries itself to the menu. Soups, salads, hot and cold sammies. What more does one need? They have a PB&J on the menu, folks. You KNOW how that hits the spot, every now and then. On this occasion it was the Cuban that hit my spot, along with a spinach salad and that delightful, STEAMING HOT bread pudding. Somehow making the meal all the more enjoyable was the tv playing silently nearby, which transitioned from drag racing to Seabiscuit, allowing me to fill in the words and plot myself. That was after I'd spent most of the meal Shazaming songs they were playing. Do you know what year it is? Do you know how little I Shazam these days? I'm sorry, they were just serving up hits left and right. GET HERE. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Perfect low key bar on Main Street Galena. Locals and tourists alike patronize the place and the staff is energetic friendly and doesn't discriminate. All are welcomed for sure. The place is cozy, the food is good and the drinks are perfect. Couldn't ask for anything different just a perfect experience. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Bar area - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Walked in for a table with a baby, tables weren't big enough for our whole party to sit together - no problem. I offered for us to take some seats at the bar and then the rest of our party would sit at the 4 person table with the baby for a high chair. We love this restaurant so much (food, great service in past) that we were willing to not sit our whole party together. The waitress / host was incredibly rude. She said "We cannot sit babies at the bar." Like obviously. Which is why I said the rest of our party would sit at the table. She then said she "did not want a high chair over there." Meaning the front of the restaurant near the window. Not sure how that makes sense. I could not believe the inconsideration - it felt like we were not welcome simply because we had a baby. We were so appalled since we have had excellent service every other time we have been here and the food is great. We were so offended we walked out - since it was obvious we were not going to be accommodated. Very disappointed. read more

Stopped by on a high recommendation and was NOT disappointed! Very friendly service and comfy, casual atmosphere but the food was outstanding! We shared a "MB Screaming" sandwich (corn beef, pastrami, coleslaw, diced pickles and some kind of delish sauce on perfect yummy bun). OMG, we cancelled our previous dinner reservations and kept eating! We tried ALL 4 of the homemade soups, which were all TO DIE FOR but my fav was the Blue Cheese Soup (sounds kinda weird, but dunk it with their homemade bread...HEAVEN!) My hubby liked the Seafood the best, but honestly it was hard to rank them as the Tortilla and Cream of Mushroom were all VERY good! I only wish we lived closer!!! Oh, and one more thing...the prices are extremely reasonable even by todays standard. Go there!!! read more

After spending most of a cold winter's afternoon shopping in Galena we had a very good meal at Embe. The clam chowder was just what we needed to warm up. Very satisfying. Thick with huge amounts of clam and shrimp seasoned to perfection. It needed nothing. We followed up on the chowder with a pastrami/corned beef sandwich embellished with homemade coleslaw and pickles. Wowza, what a meal! read more

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Stopped in on a Sunday for lunch. We had to wait a few minutes for a table, but service was outstanding. The staff were so attentive, nice and welcoming throughout our lunch. They have a bar and a decent selection of beers and drinks. I had the turkey salad sandwich with coleslaw. They offer two size portions, which is nice. My husband had the mushroom soup and a corned beef brisket sandwich. The brisket was tender and topped with swiss cheese. Again service was excellent and the food was also very good. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Turkey Salad Sandwich - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Excellent Pub. Very good menu and all fresh foods.Staff so friendly and smiling. Definitely will be back.Thank You read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Ham with Swiss Cheese Great Bun Side: Animal Crackers - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Our favorite place to go when we visit! They never disappoint with their amazing soups and salads!

We came here at 8:30p on a weekend and ordered carry out of 2 hot sandwiches. Hot sandwiches come with your choice of kettle chips, cottage cheese, or coleslaw. Sandwiches served on French or wheat roll. "Almost Famous" Charlie's Way ($10.5): tender chicken or pulled pork with melted pepper jack and cheddar cheese, topped with Embe' home made coleslaw. Ordered with chicken. The chicken was tender and it came on a French roll. I was not able to taste or see any pepper jack cheese. It was overall a simple sandwich. Screaming MB ($11.25): pastrami and corned beef with melted Swiss, embe horseradish mustard, chopped dill pickle, topped with homemade coleslaw. The sandwich was on the salty side because they load it up with meat. The coleslaw compliments the sandwich. The sandwich comes with coleslaw on the side but you also have the option to have it come with another side of coleslaw vs. chips/cottage cheese. Overall the food was okay. I would check out other restaurants prior to stopping by here again. read more

#1 choice on the Mississippi and beyond!! We had the pleasure of meeting Charlie the proprietor of this restaurant and his awesome staff-- more over we have the PURE JOY OF EXPERIENCING THEIR CUISINE AND WONDERFUL AMBIENCE. You must try, not kidding. Thank you for them delightful meal read more

We were walking around downtown keeping an eye out for a place to hit before we left later in the day. We were drawn to the list of sandwiches in the window and decided that was our dinner spot. Even though it was warm out, the soups sounded so good we both had to get some, I got the excellent cream of mushroom, who knew that artichokes go so well in mushroom soup.My wife got the equally excellent seafood chowder. They have a sandwich centric menu with some intresting sounding sandwiches and the focus appeasr to be on the Corned beef and Pastrami. So....that's what we did. I got the Sawyer - Corned beef, swiss and really excellent fresh slaw. My wife got The Big Joe, Pastrami, swiss, horseradish mustard and chopped pickles. Both very good, but I give the nod to hers, chopped pickles need to be more of a thing on sandwiches. Both the corned beef and pastrami.we excellent and both sandwiches were very well constructed and plenty packed. I also gave them a shout out for introducing me to a great beer from California called Call Squeeze, the Blood Orange Hefeweizen i really loved. I saw another review that said they were what you would get if a dive bar and a deli had a baby, that's so spot on. It has some great dive bar vibes and some cool rock n roll oil portraits on the walls. The food is great, the beer list is large and there is a great atmosphere....what more could you ask for. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Great cream of Mushroom Soup - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Embe was our first start in town. We'd planned to walk around Main street and check out the shops, being a weekday they were pretty much closed and we had time to kill before dinner. They have a pretty good local beer selection. They also had a nice selection of warm cocktails, perfect for a frigid night. Being a sleepy Thursday in town, the place was pretty empty. We had a few drinks and intended to head back during our stay, but it didn't work out. Overall, cute little local for some good drinks and food. read more