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

STOP READING REVIEWS! You've found your place to go!!!! I love this place....easily the best place in Galena, at least to drink and have a snack. Is it for tourists? Yeah, probably, but 1) Im a tourist, 2) who cares its still good and 3) shut up! It's one of the few places open on Main Street that are open late. It's small and dark but even crowded still intimate and decorated nicely. The owner is a super nice guy and his Mom probably makes the best soups since the Duke of Sope invented it in 897 A.D. (Or something like that). The Missus had the mushroom soup, which was delicious and I had the bleu cheese soup, which was so good it makes other soups feel like they failed their parents. It was truly something else. I bought 2 more containers to bring home with me. As for sandwiches, I got the Embe, which was pulled chicken, pepperjack cheese, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and pico de gallo. The bun was perfect but the sandwich was kinda dry. I wished it had more balsamic and I think it suffered because i left off the pico, which I'm not a fan of. I blame me more than the sandwich. The missus had The Lisa, which is roast beef with parmesean and horseradish mustard. That was a delicious sandwich too, if you like horseradish. This place knows how to do bleu cheese. We always get the bleu cheese and chips and the cheese is always incredibly thick with crumbles that would probably put your eye out theyre so big. I might not go here for dinner, but for a drink, or lunch or snack you're really missing out if you DON'T go here. I'd be here all the time if I didn't live 120 miles away... read more

First time here, and definitely not my last. From the outside a person might not think that much of the place, but the food is amazing. Corn beef sandwich was fantastic along with the chips on the side. I'm not a huge fan of bread pudding, I split it with my friends, and it was AMAZING! They only had one server so you need to be patient. She was very nice and handled both the tables and the bar without showing stress. read more

Went to Galena on Presidents' Day and a lot of the shops were not open. We were so hungry, as soon as we pulled up we were saw their sidewalk sign for BREAD PUDDING and we were sold! We got sandwiches and the cream of mushroom soup, very very delicious. Came with chips instead of fries. The highlight of our meal was definitely the bread pudding. OMG will definitely come back if we visit Galena again. Owner was also our server, very nice, friendly, polite and proud of her establishment. read more

Loved this place! Looks like it's just a bar, but it's so much more! We came in at 6:30 on a Thursday. Slow night, but it gave us a chance to speak to Dave. Super nice! Evidently he and his mother operate the restaurant and mom does much of the cooking. The bleu cheese soup was heavenly; served with a little chuck of fresh bread. We split the "Dave" sandwich and it was wonderful as well. Comes with horseradish and we asked for that on the side. Even the chips were tasty. Might have been a parmesan flavor. Yum! Had the Horney Goat Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter beer. Dessert in a can. Heard from other customers that Dave makes mean apple, blueberry, pumpkin shots from scratch, but we didn't partake. Looks like a little hometown bar, but don't miss this place for food. Reasonably priced, fresh, delicious food. 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

The cream of bleu cheese soup was an unexpected culinary treat. The pulled chicken sandwich was the best chicken sandwich that I have ever had. The atmosphere was good and the staff friendly, but the food was incredible. read more

Friendly staff, great food and even better martinis! Bread pudding and thin mint martini = heavenly! Great place to warm up on a cold day :)

We love this place! Everything is fresh and homemade. They serve food all day and night and are friendly too. Customer service is good.

Fresh made food, delicious soup and cheese dips but the bread pudding has to be tasted to be believed! Consistently great eating and Ms Mary is a delightful dynamo of a human being, yes we are going back! read more

Nice little dive bar with free wifi. We ordered the Embe chicken special with cole slaw and mandarin salad. Super friendly, but understaffed. The bread pudding is great though. read more

Nice place for a quick bite or drink. I had a peanut butter sandwich, and I am always happy to find a place with one on the menu. Great snack with the tasty chips. Nice drinks and a table in the window to see the activity on main street. Friendly staff, good menu and all around good experience. read more

This was a great bar and grill. Had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. It was great. The bartender was friendly and made us feel st home. The owner of the bar was there as well and also made us feel very welcomed. If you are looking for a place to have a good conversation over a few beers, this is it. read more

We got into town at about 10:00 on a Thursday night and NEEDED something to eat and a drink. With no idea what place would actually be good, we settled for whatever was open....and it was good! The roast beef with blue cheese was very tasty and the bartender was as nice as can be. A cool atmosphere for the (gulp) older crowd...well I'm only 38 but you know what I mean. :) read more

This place ROCKS!!! Here's what I had that rocked my world: A beef sandwich with some insanely good dijon/horseradish sauce(house specialty). And then a Turkey sandwich that featured a Caesar Pesto - a pesto that itself tasted exactly like a caesar salad. The sauces here are so great you could eat them all by themselves. Then came the coup de gras - the bread pudding. It was probably the most decadent and awesome desert I've had in years! The beer selection is crazy good, too. I cannot wait to go back :D read more

Very few places seemed to stay open past 5pm the night we were in town, so major points to this place just for offering a little nightlife. Service was friendly, prices were fair, and everything we ordered really hit the spot. Try the mushroom soup, hot ham n' cheese, and most definitely the bread pudding! The atmosphere is a pretty average bar/cafe vibe, but we had a nice experience and I'd return for sure. read more

That mushroom soup was phenomenal. Great service and drink specials/ beer selections. My friends and I were absolutely pleased with everything we had here...We were recommending it to people all afternoon. read more

Just awesome! Our server was lovely, and the seafood chowder was phenomenal! Can't wait to come back!

Highly recommend the Embe sandwich and bread pudding. The staff is always friendly. On our yearly trips to Galena we make sure that this is one of the restaurants we stop at. read more

We were seated at the bar and 3 of the waitresses didn't bother to help us. Luckily a waiter ended up checking on us after waiting 15 minutes to be asked about drinks. We had finished eating and waited about 20 minutes until we were asked by a waitress if we needed anything else. We stated we were ready for the bill. She said she would get it ready. After 10 more minutes I had my card in hand and was glanced over by her. Another couple came in and was helped immediately. Finally the waitress that approached us ten minutes earlier asked if we asked anyone for the bill yet as if we hadn't talked to her recently. She wasn't the least bit friendly and will be a reason for not returning there. I will take my business elsewhere from now on. read more

What a fun, friendly place! The service was great and the drinks were outstanding! I highly recommend the chocolate-peanut butter martini...to die for . read more

Great beer selection, astonishingly attentive bartenders, and they can make a lovely drink on the explanation of the basic ingredients. Quite a pleasant discovery on our trip. It's hard to feel welcome in a tourist town, but this place is lovely. read more

Came to Galena for a girls weekend and decided to hit the town on a Saturday night. Went to Embe for some drinks. We walked in at 12:15 and the German woman who was bartending informed us immediately that she was trying to close and that she didn't have much to offer us. The bar was supposed to close at 1 am. We ordered a round of lemon drops, talked with some other bar patrons, and were going to sit down and order more drinks. We tried to make small talk with the bartender and she told us she didn't have time because she was trying to close the bar. She made us feel like an inconvenience and instead of ordering another drink, we left for another bar. There was 40 minutes before bar close and it was ridiculous that the bartender was trying to push us out the door. She was closing other customers tabs despite the early time. We were very disappointed and will not be recommending Embe to other Galena visitors. read more

Excellent bread pudding sets this restaurant apart from all the others on Main Street. Turkey sandwich was warm and made with real turkey!

Poor service today. My wife and I sat at the bar for lunch. The employees seemed busy but after 20 minutes of never being acknowledged by any employee we left disappointed. read more

Neat little restaurant in downtown Galena. Wife and I went there for lunch because we wanted a light lunch (like sandwiches or salad) vs. heavier offerings from other downtown restaurants. For the $, I would have preferred my roast beef sandwich to have been served with a little nicer bread. They used wheat butter rolls for my sandwich, served with potato chips. Not horrible, but could be better... read more

What can I say? Hearty soups and sandwiches served up by awesome and friendly servers and, unlike a lot of the eateries in this quirky little town, actually are open when they say (they'll be). Love the beer selection and the bread pudding. read more

Amazing food and great prices. Best place in Galena by far. The pulled pork is something to write home about. The restaurant is nicely decorated and has a good feel to it. read more

When in Galena, do yourself a favor and stop at Embe to have a drink and something fabulous to eat. If you are lucky you get to meet Mary the owner who is absolutely delightful! Highly recommend read more

We arrived in Galena around 8pm after our wedding for our honeymoon, and our innkeepers recommended grabbing a quick bite here since we were starving. We got the BBQ chicken sandwiches on sourdough with chips to-go. We visited several restaurants in Galena over the weekend, and honestly this was our best meal in Galena! read more

Absolutely love Embe! I am from the area. It is One of the only restaurants that has a late night food menu. Great drinks! And great soups and sandwiches. Highly recommend. read more

Wonderful atmosphere, friendly staff!! Only had drinks but a fun hang out place and the owner is incredibly nice!

We enjoyed our visit! We asked our hotel where we could get a little bite to eat-it was after 9pm on a Wednesday and she suggested Embe, right across the street from our hotel. We sat at the bar and were vere very well taken care of by Dave! We split a Sawyer on wheat-it hit the spot, along with a few beers. read more

Fast, good service. Food nothing special, but did the trick. I had a pulled chicken sandwich (mostly dark meat) with melted cheese and it was pretty good - better probably with white meat for me. The homemade kettle chips were delicious (maybe garlic and sea salt). We also tried to pot roast soup - again - good, but nothing special - it was served with bread. Seemed like a cute modern place for a couple martini's and beer. Probably better places on the strip. read more

Stopped in this Friday around 2 and was greeted by a few people hanging around the bar. Im a bartender myself and I can sympathize and also appreciate those few slow hours of down time before you get busy. Charlie was our bartender and he was AWESOME. We just got bread pudding but it was absolutely delicious! Charlie recommended a cucumber cocktail w lemonade and a splash of sprite...name I cant remember but YUM!!! Not only will I be back, I will also highly recommend both Embe and also tell ppl 2 sit at the bar when Charlie is working! The owner was the sweetest lady who I could tell right away was a hard working, real deal type of owner!! 5 STARS GUYS!!! read more

LOVE this place. Sometimes they have music, which is always great, but the atmosphere is always cozy and the owner and his mother are wonderful. Best beer selection in town! Great place for sandwiches too, my favorite is the Screaming Embe. YUMMMMMM read more

Had lunch here on Saturday, June 13. The warm bread pudding is to die for and the blue cheese and Kale soup was unusual and delicious. The cilantro chicken salad was passable but I probably wouldn't order it again. Our waitress and the service were fantastic and I'm sorry I did not catch her name. I will definitely be back on my next trip to Galena. read more