Everything we ate on the menu was absolutely delicious. I was pleasantly surprised because when you walk in there's a big bar. Highly recommend! read more

Great Bread Pudding! Deliciousness! The cocktails looked fun but didn't have time for one!

Excellent food and service in low key space with art! Soups are great. We'll be back.

Hannah was amazing!! We had a wedding party of 20 people that came to the bar. She was basically doing everything herself and the bar was full besides our large party. Her drinks were great and she was very attentive. Thanks Hannah for making our night wonderful! read more

Very good corned beef and Turkey Salad Sandwiches. Wait staff was helpful and friendly. We really enjoyed dining here when we first arrived to town. read more

Fabulous service! Mushroom soup to die for. I had the embe salad which was wonderfully fresh and really large.

We love their sandwiches so much we got them twice this weekend. Get the Screaming MB! The staff is inviting, Charlie is welcoming. Oh...and try to save room for the bread pudding. I would pay top dollar for the recipe...So Good!!!@ read more

Four of us stopped in for dinner after shopping... and it was so delicious! We tried the apps, soups, salads, sandwiches and dessert... and every item was delicious with that little something extra that makes a meal memorable. Our server was very helpful and attentive. Highly recommend Embe! read more

When we arrived in town, we asked a storekeeper for a lunch recommendation, and she suggested Embe's. What a treat! Great sandwiches and salads - topped off with bread pudding. read more

On our recent trip to Galena, we were hoping to hit the legendary Grape Escape. Alas, it was moving locations and closed in the meantime. Where we ended up, at their old spot, is where Embe popped up. We had no other ideas of where to go, so we decided to check it out. I'm so glad that we did. They were trying out some new drink concoctions, and the Cucumber Collins became instantly legendary; it was easily one of the best citrus-based cocktails I've had in ages. My husband was happy to sip Manhattans, and we chatted with the bartender while he was between orders, learning a bit more about the place. He was also grand enough to hand us a card for the local taxi company when a storm kicked in (and we had walked there from our hotel). We ended up back at Embe a week later. Never mind the array of places on Galena's Main Street; my husband had checked out their food menu when we were there previously, and he wanted to test that portion of their business. We both had their signature Embe pulled pork sandwich and could not have been more pleased. The option to order reasonable vs. obscene portions was both amusing and welcome. Now I suppose I'll spend the rest of my days trying to make that Cucumber Collins on my own. That was some serious bar magic. read more

Ok lunch. Nothing spectacular. My family and I made the scenic 2.5 hour drive to Galena; it was my first time there. By the time we made it into town, we were ALL starving. The only open parking space was right in front of embe. Being too hungry to seek out another restaurant, and after reading the specials board, the menu on the door and peaking at the cute/funky decor, we decided to go in. The staff was SUPER sweet and friendly. The food . . . eh. My mother in law and I both ordered the Chicken Cilantro Salad. You could only taste the cilantro in the dressing, and frankly, the dressing wasn't very good. The chicken was carving board style and was mostly dark meat (not my fav). My husband and father in law both got the chicken salad sandwiches. They both enjoyed them, but the serving size was small (or maybe just seemed small since we were so hungry) Next time we are in Galena, we will probably check out another place to eat . . . but maybe stop back in on a Friday night for drinks only to hear the live music they offer. read more

Embe Eatery and Lounge - Chicken Cilantro Salad with Four Vines Chard - Lounges Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Stopped for lunch during our get-away trip to Galena. We ordered the weekend specials, the brisk sandwich​ and an egg salad. The food portion is very good, and the waiters​ are super nice. They are pretty engaging and communicative. I bet you can have some interesting exchange regarding fun thing to do in town if you are new here. The only thing I think they can improve is maybe to add​ some flavors to​ the food. The main dishes are quite bland in my taste. But their pudding​ cake is the best that I have ever had. ​ read more

Awesome Corned Beef sandwich special. The Blue Cheese Soup is awesome and the Homemade Bread Pudding with FRESH whipped cream is to die for. Love this place!! read more

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

Loved the obvious camaraderie of the staff. Great atmosphere. It made for a refreshing break from the bustle of downtown Galena. Friendly and efficient service. Oh, and the food - excellent! Highly recommend. We had the seafood chowder and the Dave with coleslaw. Both meals were very good. read more

The turkey salad was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. Fresh, delicious..... and not drowning in mayo. My husband loved his brisket sandwich. Only drawback (for him at least), no fries. I enjoyed the coleslaw. read more

Stopped by Embe for lunch after our trolley tour. Excellent atmosphere, friendly staff, and delicious food. I wanted something light and was very happy the waiter would accomodate my request for a Almost Famous pulled chicken without the bun. They presented the sandwich on a nice bed of greens - very good. My friends enjoyed the mushroom soup, cilantro chicken salad, and roast beef sandwich. The maui chips are a nice addicting addition! read more

I'll easily rate 5 stars based on the location, what they offer and the staff. Visiting Embe is something we do every single time we stop in Galena. The staff is wonderful and the drinks are great. Staff there are always personable and a pleasure to chat with. The music they have is usually quite nice to listen to and I haven't had anything to complain about at all with what they have to offer. They enjoy your company, invite you to come back for music, and are very attentive to your needs. The staff are so friendly and it feels like the neighborhood bar that belongs in Galena. The fit is just right. I'm a big fan of their sandwiches, bleu cheese and chips and the overall ambiance here. The portions aren't huge and I feel like I should thank them for it :P It seems like it's all too often to go places where you have too much food to eat and have to take to-go plates or walk around feeling like you're a glutton for eating as much as you did... I don't take Embe for granted. Honestly...if it closed and we had to visit Galena without going there, the experience just wouldn't be the same for us. read more

We were strolling through the beautiful historic streets of Galena and my stomach began to rumble. We were so caught up in the rest and relaxation of such a small but beautiful town that we had forgotten to eat ALL DAY! Steve pointed out that he saw a menu a few windows back that had a ton of sandwiches so we walked back to find EmBe. Steve cannot be sure that this was the place he was talking about but we are both glad we were too hungry to go anywhere else. We had the Rare Lisa roast beef sandwich on a freshly baked wheat roll and horseradish mayo. It was beyond fresh and delicious that we almost ordered a second. It came with a side of made-in-house potato chips that a spinkling of both salt and sugar. We followed lunch with a dessert of cherry cobbler that was THE BEST cobbler I had ever had. It was made with a wheat and bran flour that gave it a wholesome rustic taste. I fooled myself into thinking, "hey, it's bran, it's HEALTHY!" so I ate the whole thing. I think my other half only had about 2 bites of it. This is definitely on our list of places to eat when we hit up Galena again. read more

Went late night for a bite to eat because this is the only place that serves food Past 10 in galena. Drinks were just ok. Food was decent. Live music and drunk people for entertainment. read more

Awesome food, the kale and blue cheese soup was amazing, the corned beef brisket sandwich delicious and the bread pudding, a sweet delicious treat. Glad we stopped by Embe. The service was quick and very pleasant. read more

The food was ok marginal.... I gave it a 3 star for the awesome bread pudding!!!! The pudding was the best I have ever ate!!! read more

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

Had a great lunch here today. We had the Almost Famous pulled pork and the choice and slaw. Everything was wonderful Service was terrific read more

We stopped in for a quick drink after walking around town. This was a relaxing lounge that was also welcoming. My boyfriend and I made friends with the locals, including the very kind bartender. Decent drink selection and basic assortment of liquors. Very calm and relaxing environment. I would come back to try their food. read more

The hot ham and cheese and corned beef sandwiches were amazing. The service was excellent.

The egg salad was perfect, the mushroom soup and seafood chowder rocked. Bread pudding was the best I've ever had. We will be back.

Ok. I must have said "this is so good" 30 times! The brisket sandwich was slow roasted 13 hours and was so flavorful. The mushroom soup was creamy, yet not too heavy- yummy!! We even tried the seafood soup- omg. Fresh food with a very cozy/comfy atmosphere. The workers take pride in what they serve and they were so friendly. They need to sell their horseradish sauce- it's smooth not too bitey! I could go on and on about this gem. It's the best food we had in Galena- soup/sandwich wise. My stomach thanks you! read more

Stopped here for lunch and was impressed with the menu. Had some classics to appease everyone and some good twists to interest others. Sat outside so some bees were an issue but not a knock on the waiter who was super friendly and attentive. Would have choose to eat indoors but they are not allowing that even though other restaurants around them did offer indoor eating. Overall good time and would return. read more

This is my favorite place to stop in Galena ! Short n sweet Delicious food and hospitable service . Chowder is a must if you are luck enough. read more

Wonderful food, super friendly waitstaff and delicious drinks. This is a cozy little bar so it might be crowded and slow when it's busy, but generally worth the wait. I eat here frequently. It's proven to be my favorite lunch spot in Galena, next to Big Bills. I recommend the Cuban! read more

We just got off the ghost tour at 9:30 and this was the only place to eat. At first it looks like just a bar with the locals, however the food was pretty good. I DO NOT eat mushroom soup, however the waitress suggested this so we tried the mushroom soup. Much to our surprise it was delicious !! If you can get over the "bar look", the food was very good. read more

Went here for lunch today because I wanted to try the bread pudding everyone raves about. Once seated, the owner Mary came over to our table and chatted with us about the menu. She told me that if I liked rare roast beef theirs was really delicious, they get it in and slice it fresh each day. I had a sandwich that was rare roast beef on a toasted bun with an amazing, tasty but not overpowering, bleu cheese sauce. I will be dreaming about this sandwich until I get to Galena again! My husband got a pastrami sandwich. Both came with delicious sweet onion Maui chips. We each had a cup of the mushroom soup as well and it was easily the best mushroom soup either of us have ever had. It had artichoke and sun dried tomato in it. So delicious! My husband had debated between that and the seafood chowder so Mary was nice enough to bring us out a sample of that as well. Also delicious. Really, my only regret is that the food was so amazing that I had to eat every bite and I didn't even leave room for that bread pudding! Oh well, something to look forward to next time! read more

Great little bar right in lovely downtown! The staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was AMAZING!!! We had the special which was a corned beef brisket sandwich and a cup of the seafood chowder. Soup was delicious. The corned beef...there are no words to describe how amazing the sandwich was. So tender, great flavor. Overall it was a great experience and we wanted to eat every meal there. read more

We ended up getting carry-out twice in two days from here because the food was so great and affordable, and the staff were super friendly. Inside, it resembles a familiar neighborhood hipster dive bar (that's a good thing) that's cool without trying too hard, and it seems like a great place to hang out in non-Covid times. read more

We stopped in for lunch because we were enticed by the idea of seafood chowder and free bread pudding. Well, they were out of the chowder, but we got past that quickly. We ordered sandwiches instead-- the Big Joe and Screaming MB. They were delicious and we ate every bite. The bread pudding was excellent. I'd go back to Embe just for that. I'd definitely return and perhaps try a cocktail or martini next time. read more

Stumbled upon this cute little bar with live music on our first night in Galena. Looking for something to munch on after the ghost tour. The sandwiches were amazing! So fresh and flavorful. Not what we expected in a bar like this. Don't forget to top off your meal with the warm bread pudding. This place was a real surprise! Awesome food!!!!!! read more

The seafood chowder is amazing! As well as the sandwich "The big Joe" with corn beef! Friendly and fast service. We ate here two days in a row for lunch. read more

A hidden gem in downtown Galena. The best meal AND the best service we had during our stay. I recommend the Lisa So Rare sandwich. Very good! read more

After a year in this little burg, I can safely say that my favorite meal still is a generous classic martini, a bowl of Maribeth's cream of mushroom soup, with French bread on the side for sopping up those last creamy bits. Here, they remember you. That's why it's always a pleasure to stop at Embe. Best casual dining in town, bar none. read more

Small but good food that is fresh and made on site at reasonable prices. Many craft beers, wines, and specialty drinks. Friendly staff.

The food was amazing! The service was great, decent selection for alcohol, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We stopped in several times during our stay. read more