they overbook everything and there is nowhere to park. We left without being able to even get in. f in ridiculous. I hope they lost money.

I came for dinner and drinks and was very pleased! What a hidden gem in the suburbs. The service was excellent, food was delicious, and the ambiance was relaxing. We ordered 5 plates for 2 people and that was more than enough. My favorite was the bacon wrapped dates followed by this other dish that was like bruschetta (I forget the name). The total came to about $110, including 2 drinks each. I'll definitely be coming back soon! read more

Easy parking, convenient locale. Just west of Roosevelt and lagrange rd's. Hillside il. We were seated and waited on promptly. The decor is very spanish, and sets the mood for paella. This place is known for tapas. But the paella is a show stopper. Real deal saffron rice with seafood and veggies. It's perfect. It's made to order, so it takes a bit of time getting to the table. Well worth the wait. Allows time to sample the excellent small plates. Super good place! read more

Too far from my house, which makes me unhappy, but always thrilled with the selection and recommendation of tapas and the sangria I could drink in a tire pitcher myself read more

we went there for Mother's Day 5 of us my sister surprised us we had a reservation for 4 . it was humiliating at first they said no way even though there were several open table and continued to be open the entire time so my husband and I were going to have to sit at the bar after awhile they said ok so three of us were sandwiched on one side even though there were open tables that could have accommodated us. dropped 300.00 not including the bar bill while we were not allowed to sit. honestly food was ok but truly disappointed they way we were treated will not go back read more

Unbelievable - first time here for happy hour and Im told there is no room at the bar! They were expecting some folks and told me to sit at a table! read more

Emilio's Tapas - Bar at Emilios empty but I wasnt allowed to sit there! - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Welp what can I say... The hype is real ..... Damn... This place rocks!!! Decor service food --- amazing !!! I'm so happy we found a restaurant that's worth the trip.... We were seated right away by the hostess -- love the Spanish wall decal..... Mosaic tiles... Colorful pottery... Lots of Spanish mauresque style dish.... Love love love it.... Service was awesome.... Luz, our server... Was friendly and gave us lots of recommendations ... We started with a Tapas Frias ( cold tapa appetizer ) Cecina de vanado $10.50 -- lightly smoked venison w cranberries manchengo cheese cherries 5/5 This is delicious... It's carpaccio style.. Refreshing and no game-y taste at all... Then we got a couple of Tapas Calientes ( hot appetizer ) Queso de Cabra Al Horno $8.95 -- baked goat cheese 4/5 ... We love different kinds of cheese... Goat cheese is one of our favorites ... Baked goat cheese is just a whole upscale level Caracoles Emilio $7.95 -- escargot on croutons 4/5... Tad bit salty for my taste but definitely tasty Datiles con Tocino $7.95 -- dates wrapped in bacon 5/5.... Anything with bacon is good right?! Paella a La Mariscos $19.95 -- seafood 5/5.... Anything that's flavorful without being salty is impressive to me... Btw... This needs to be pre ordered... Takes 30 mins to cook -- perfect timing though.... If you order maybe 4-5 small plates before expecting this dish to be served.... For some odd reason .... The timing of all the plates were served perfect timing... We were not rushed at all.... Then we ordered Delicia de tres satires $7.50 ... Three layered chocolate mouse of some sort with raspberry sauce on the side --- light and decadent 4/5 Cappuccino was good with this dessert... Our bill was $103.... With a Castillo de Monjardin wine bottle --- not pricey at all... Noticed that 95% of their guests are Caucasians ..... We were the only minority.... Me being Asian and my BF being black ( half Italian ).... Very interesting .... We do not go to Hillside much... Don't know the demographics ... Just an observation though .... Everyone was friendly here --- both the servers, managers and guests.... I cannot wait to try everything else... Will be back!! read more

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I like tapas. The whole idea of sharing food with others over conversation and pitchers of Sangria always appeals to me. So on a recent Sunday I stopped into Emilio's in Hillside to check it out. Funny. I have driven by this place countless times yet I never really noticed it before. The whitewashed building with the patio on the side was tucked in between all the other businesses on this stretch of Roosevelt and a bit hidden. Our server was prompt- coming over to take our drink order and to bring us a complimentary tapas- chilled mushroom caps with big chunks of garlic. Talk about garlic! One bite and I was done for the evening although one of my dining companions seemed to like them (I think I could still smell it on his breath days later!) We ordered a range of hot and cold tapas. We had a "picky eater" in the group so know that some of these choices were not ones I would have made if I were alone. Most were pretty good- there were a couple of losers in the bunch that I've noted. The cold? Serrano ham with manchego cheese (delicious!) Mozzarella and tomatoes (eh- you can get this anywhere and the tomatoes were not ripe) Chilled shrimp with 3 sauces (one of the "safe" choices) The hot? Grilled beef brochette with cracked pepper Dates wrapped in bacon (everyone's favorite) with red pepper sauce Goat cheese with tomato sauce Grilled calamari with lemon Scallops For our entree- we split the seafood paella. This was the biggest disappointment as there were way too many green and red peppers in it, and it lacked the richness of other paellas I've had. And because we split it- it was difficult to get a flavor of all the seafood as one person got the clam, one the mussel and another the lagostine. If you go with the seafood paella- don't split it beyond 2 people. The nice part was that they did split it for us table side. My favorite part of the dinner (after the Serrano ham) were the profiteroles that we had for dessert. Rich and creamy they deserve mention. The ambiance is simple- there is the mish mash of Spanish items scattered about and blue and white tile mosaics around. But there was also some "smell" in the place that was just not good. I kept wondering what it was as it smelled like "stale air" so I wonder if their ventilation system was working properly. Watch your ordering as the costs add up quickly. Dinner for 3 with all of the above was about $140 before tip which is beginning to get pricey. Parking is free with a lot located to the east of the building. All in all- the food was okay and the service prompt and friendly. I just personally prefer other places in town to get tapas. read more

I really enjoyed this place. Perhaps it was a combination of the company, food and the patio. Either way, I'm sure they'll take their 5 stars any way they can get it. I'll start by saying the menu is humongous. There are way too many items to choose from. Seems like we spent 15 minutes reading the menu like you were trying to find the answer to the teacher's question before everyone else did. If you did not participate on class, just play along. ....We almost fell into the trap of ordering way too many because everything sounded so good. It's a relief that we narrowed it down as not to ruin the rest of our evening with stomachs tight enough to pop. Friday night dinner date. We arrived around 8p and the place was packed. There was a ten minute wait or immediate seating available at the bar or on the patio. We chose the covered patio and hoped for no drizzles. After all, the forecasters could be right some of the time. The weather was ideal and the soft music piping through the outside speakers was a real treat. Here's our list: Traditional Paella = 4 stars Chicken, chorizo & mushroom = 5 stars Grape leaves w/ rice = 4 stars Tuna salad and avocado = 5 stars You are given bread, butter and marinated mushrooms to start. I only tried the mushrooms and they were knock your socks off good. read more

Delicious! Tapas and other small plates are all delicious. Must get a paella to share. Kid friendly! Many regulars but ok if you're new. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

favorite restaurant!! every time I go, i leave stuffed and happy :) the staff is so friendly! emilio walks around talking to tables throughout the night which really makes the environment thrive. They have tons of options on their menu, and everything is phenomenal. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone in the area read more

I was 17 or 18 when I last came here about 13 years ago. I think the typical age range that I notice is usually 30-60 years old. Which is probably what kept me away for so long...(I'm old now so I fit right in lol) I don't remember the food at all the first time. The only thing I remembered about this place was my sister telling me about the guy sitting behind her who was on a blind date set up by co-workers and for whatever reason he kept talking about how he really enjoyed having sex....lol..at 17 this was straight hilariousness to me. (Is this what I have to look forwarded to when I grow up? lol) Being that this is a 5 min drive for me. Yelp kept throwing it as the number 1 spot in my face every time I searched with the app...so they got me to look lol Read something about Happy hour and figure why not update my experience with this place. The food was amazing. Sharing 10 tapas across two people for only $20 was pretty sweet deal to me. I'm always disappointed I can never find a place within a 5 min drive that basically isn't everyday fast food joints. So I'm very ecstatic that I've rediscovered this place. I think the happy Hour is a great way to test out the food to give you an idea of what to order for lunch/dinner. I'm pleased with this place where I'm already thinking about coming here for my birthday....8 months from now. About 3 minutes after ordering I asked for one of the tapas (garlic potato salad) to be replaced with a different tapas. When the food was brought out I was for sure that tapas had not been replaced. Although my waiter assured me it wasn't the potato salad. I was still skeptical up until trying it out while she stood there and I was wrong lol my fault. What surprised me was the waiter brought out the potato salad free of charge just to point out the difference and why it was good. (and it was) I had the peach margarita that I thought was good and refreshing. Not everyday you see peach on the menu. Wanted a mango for 2nd drink but was told they had ran out. Most specialty drinks cost $9.Beer about $5 The only slight drawback I had with my drink is that I thought the highball glass was small for a margarita. for $9 I was expecting a 24oz glass not 14oz (not a bartender so I'm guessing don't quote me :D ) read more

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love this place , so close to home and authentic delicious food. staff is friendly and sangria is the best. Have been there a few times and really enjoyed it. read more

Emilio's Tapas jumped out with the great rating when I searched for a new place for lunch within the driving distance from my work. And my coworker has tried it before and liked it. I have not tried Tapas for 6 or 7 years and thought it is the time to try again. Last time I had Tapas was at Café Iberico(?) on Laselle st. I walked for miles from Lake shore to there on a windy Friday night and waited for about an hour to get in there as my friend said I had to try it. I could not remember what was good there. But I was so hungry so I probably thought everything was great. After that, I have decided to stay away from Tapas as it was too popular for my own good. Once we walked into Emilio's, I was overwhelmed by the busy and chaotic Spanish decor with all kind of frames, plates, things on the wall with the floral curtains. We were seated close to the windows where I could see the outside patios is without awning. Our waitress was pretty cute and nice. We ordered the popular garlic potato salad, Veal sandwich, stuffed mushrooms, Marinated octopus, and Chicken croquettes. She brought out a complimentary appetizer which was mini bruschetta. The bread was crisp and tomato top was mild and delicious. The potato salad was really garlic and really yummy which two of us finished in no time. Marinated octopus has refreshing and strong flavor. Veal sandwich has the best crusty bread. Stuffed mushrooms were nice too. Chicken croquettes was fine but I'm not a big fan of the fried stuff. So everything was pretty good but nothing was exceptional which I will be craving later Another problem was that we didn't order according to the cold weather (40f+). They were all cold dishes except Chicken croquettes which was lukewarm. So in the end, we were just cold inside and out. The services were right on the point except our waitress made a tiny mistake on the bill. It was not a problem and she fixed it right way. Oh one final note, the sign on the lady's room says "DAMAS" which I didn't know. read more

I'd go with about 4.5 stars here. It's a quaint, colorful place for tapas. They have a couple of colorful dining areas and service was quick and efficient. They have the full selection of tapas you might expect. I thought the paella was a bit pricey though at $18.95 per person, but the serving size is quite large. A serving for one could easily serve 2-3. It's a fun place for a social outing. read more

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The standouts were the bacon wrapped dates, goat cheese and lamb chops. We also all shared a 3-person order of paella that was savory and delicious, plenty of food after sharing the smaller dishes. I would highly recommend getting a diversity of tapas and possibly not doing the entrees. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Paella A La Velenciana - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

We have been following Emilio since the early 90's when he was the chef at the cafe Babareeba. It was nice to see him branch out on his own and the clear winners were all of us fans of his fare. Emilio's is a wonderful place, good food and ambiance. We have an anniversary or two here and every time we make it back to our beautiful Chicago it is a must to stop by and shake his hand. What a great success story. If you are not familiar with Spanish Cuisine, go ahead and be adventurous, try anything in the menu. His tapas are all good and the paella rocks !! Visit Emilio's and enjoy !! read more

Delicious food and Great service! And so enjoyed Emilio's Margarita! Will definitely go back and highly recommend! read more

Emilio's Tapas - Emilio's Margarita - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

We dined outside and found it to be a good experience. The flowers were nice and the service was excellent. The food was tasty but as goes with the Tapas they get to be expensive. We had the soups and a couple of Tapas each. The grilled shrimp were my favorite. I would return if I ever didn't mind spending $45 per person and not walk away really full. read more

Soooo annoyed right now. I don't know if I should be annoyed with Yelp or the business. I'm all excited to taste the food that has rave reviews and I place the order for take out and I ask for the pork medallions with potatoes dinner. When I get home I have something totally different, so I call and it seems the host doesn't know the menu so in addition to trying to find out what it is I have, I'm being placed on hold several times..... why she finds out why I didn't get what I asked for. I kind of blame myself because I should have checked before I left but she should have told me that they didn't have it when I ordered it. I don't even know how the food tastes because I'm soo annoyed right now that I don't even want to eat it. I don't get an apology just, "the menu I ordered off of is an old one and they can make me what I asked for if I I want to some back and get it. They lost a customer before even getting one. Nothing like being hungry and paying good money for a meal you don't want eat. read more

Emilio's Tapas - This was supposed to be pork medallions with Spanish potatoes in a garlic sauce. - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Over as Salteadas salsa azafran were amazing. Limo de Verdi al ajillo was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Salomillo con patatas was very good as well. The Paella was ok. It was a little more on the strong tomato flavor side. Overpowering the dish. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Birthday dinner - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Selection was overwhelming, but the dinner specials menu offered just enough options to give a choice without overwhelming. Ambiance was quiet enough for normal conversation, and lighting was low. White table clothes (with white paper covers) and attractive place settings lend a refined feel. Dress was casual--more towards business causal than T-shirt and shorts, however! Service was excellent--empty dishes were instantly cleared, and at no time was our conversation abruptly interrupted by a server. The courses came out at a good pace--bread, cold tapas, hot tapas, desert. My coworker and I shared 6 tapas (3 cold, 3 hot), and we each had our own dessert. Honestly, this amount would have fed three, but was just right for two hungry men. No two tapas were remotely similar--the variety was truly wide-ranging. The Spanish Tuna Salad over avocado was a surprising standout among cold tapas--topped with a hint of lemon and a large shrimp, it made a flavorful mouthful from ingredients I wouldn't have imagined in the same meal, let alone the same dish. The roasted salmon over artichokes was another standout--this one among the hot tapas. I would have this for the salmon alone, but a bit or two of artichoke was definitely complementary. Fish was crisp on the outside and moist in the inside, and crusted with a very mildly spicy rub. Finally, the flan was the genuine article, flavorful and sweet without overwhelming the tastebuds with excess sugar. A gem of a restaurant, and on a Thursday evening the place was buzzing, but not so busy we had to wait for a table. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Flan Caramela with decaf. - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

So good! I was am very fortunate to have an amazing family that loves food as much as I do. My cousins drove in from the city to take me out, one snowy Saturday night. Luckily they made a reservation. The place was still busy at 8:45pm, but it was the day after Valentine's. 1. QUESO DE CABRA AL HORNO - baked goat cheese in tomato sauce w/ garlic bread 2. PATATAS CON ALIOLI - potato salad was way TOO GARLICKY...you know when it's actually spicy, so there's no way anyone would even consider kissing you? 3. DÁTILES CON TOCINO - dates wrapped in bacon. I'm usually not a huge fan of dates EVER, but these were AMAZING! Sweet dates - crispy outside and soft inside and crispy, salty bacon that are accompanied by a perfect sauce. 4. PAELLA A LA MARISCOS (for 2) - **This was ordered first, since it takes 30 minutes to make. Worth the Wait! Loved the seafood. It was really unfortunate, the three of us were pretty full when the paella arrived. I wished I had saved room for more. The sangria was disappointing. 3- 2oz. tastings for 10.95? not worth it. I've had sangrias all over the country. The ones I tried were how to put it??...boring. I had the red, white, and raspberry - all simplistic and one-dimensional. read more

Our favorite tapas place in Chicago is temporarily shut so we decided to venture out to Hillside to try Emilio's tapas, which had great reviews. We were not disappointed and I believe we have a new favorite tapas place! The staff did a great job making us feel comfortable dining on the patio-we saw them disinfecting tables and chairs in between every guest. Our server, Alfredo, was very nice and knowledgeable about the menu and was very pleasant to talk with. We ordered the pan con tomato y jamon, grilled calamari(pictured), montaditos, and flan for dessert (pictured). This was the perfect amount for 2 people and we left extremely satisfied but not too stuffed. I have to say, the calamari was my favorite dish. I don't know another place near Chicago that serves the squid whole like they do. The dish was very authentic and reminded me of how my family in Spain likes to cook their squid. I'm definitely looking forward to returning soon to try other tapas on the menu! read more

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For years I have been blessed with the best tapas! The service and food are incredible!! My family and friends will ALWAYS be loyal ...

The most delicious tapas in Chicago!!! Love the sangria. You'll love everything about it! Ann-Marie and Emilio -- creators and visionaries of Emilios - are so kind, generous, and amazing! You'll wonder why you don't go more often. read more

BOTTOM LINE: Good food, strong sangria--never disappointed! We would go more often if it were a little cheaper. Food: Excellent! We've tried many different items on the menu over the years. Sure, some are disappointing, but not because they weren't prepared well--just personal preference. The garlic potato salad and bacon-wrapped dates are musts ... MUSTS! Other than those, we order different things all the time. Service: Always friendly, helpful and attentive. Atmosphere: It's a nice place! White tablecloths, dim lighting, but certainly not overly fancy. Prices: It's not cheap, especially if you order 5 or 6 tapas plus a pitcher or two of sangria--but the quality of the food and drinks are appropriate for the price. Can't really complain. Kid-Friendliness: Good enough! There is no kids menu, so you really have to look for kid-friendly tapas, which isn't hard if your kid isn't picky (ours seems to stick to the garlic potato salad). The staff certainly seems to welcome children, and we have never felt uncomfortable bringing our little guy to dinner with us. TIP NO 1: If you want to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night, make a reservation! It gets insanely packed and we've even been turned away when we've showed up without a res. TIP NO 2: Emilio's is on restaurant.com. You can buy a $25 gift cert for $15--but it's only good for FOUR or more diners and only SUN-THURS. read more

Wonderful birthday dinner experience last night! Excellent/ delicious food with more vegetarian options on the menu than it's sister restaurant (Meson Sabika) and friendlier service by far. Other surprises- complementary chef's appetizer for the table (caprese skewers) and unsolicited birthday balloons in addition to the complimentary birthday dessert & candle and singing waitress for my daughter (even other diners on the patio joined in the singing). What it's patio lacks in space and overall outdoor ambiance (compared to Meson Sabika) it makes up for in so many other ways. We'll be back!! read more

Loved this place! Glad my friend made reservations. We got there at 6:00, the place was empty, and without 30 minutes it was full! I'm pleased with everything we tried. We were a table of 8, so we tried a lot of different things- ham, chicken, shrimp, goat cheese, all great!! I'm really not sure Louis G ate at the same places. We all loved the patatas bravas and loved them! I had a flight of sangria, since they have 5 flavors: that was fun, but I still preferred the red one. :-) We ordered a selection of the desserts too, all fantastic. I would say this place is family friendly because of the atmosphere and the noise level (high) but the toddler that was with us didn't like the food too much, picky phase maybe. All the grown ups loved it! I'm definitely going back! read more

Went out the first time with my husband for a while. Had Covid just before Christmas and have just been to tired to go out. As usual, food was fabulous, service at the bar with Alfredo was awesome as well. Hostess found us two seats at the bar. And to top it off they had live music which was just wonderful! I really missed this whole experience. We'll be back sooner! read more

Spanish tapas and sangria are the best. Try the curry potatoes and seafood items. Desserts are awesome too. Definitely a place to go back to over and over. 5 stars. read more

I've been to Emillio's in city many times, especially the location Ohio street many time. I must admin i'm not a fan of that location. I was very pleasantly surprised to enjoy Emillion's in Suburbia!! My favorite was sautéed scallops in tomato saffron sauce, what a amazing combination! Everything we ordered was delicious. Ambiance isn't world class, and from first look restaurant might appear small, it's pretty big with back room which isn't visible at first. Staff is very friendly, they noticed our group liked extra spicy food and sent a plate of grilled peppers on the side. We also received one tapas which wasn't on the menu as complimentary to try from the chef. This type of service, taste or friendly staff is unheard of at any Chicago Locations!! I'll be returning to Emillio's in suburbia if i'm in the area again! read more

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You could very easily miss this wonderful place if you're not looking for the small yellow sign. But it's well worth it. The atmosphere is very Spanish with a bar, another room of tables, and some outdoor seating. Great casual ambience for a date or talking with friends. The service is very attentive, and there is constantly someone taking empty plates from your table or filling your water. I've been here twice and I highly recommend the sangria (any of them. They have like 5 kinds), or the unique Spanish beers they carry that you don't see very often. In terms of food, I adore tapas. I always want to try everything on everyone's plate anyway, so this gives me a socially acceptable excuse! I love that there are always plenty of little plates piled in the middle of the table so you can switch out whenever you need a new one. First, if you love garlic (I do) get the garlic potato salad. It is garlic extreme, but it is also amazing! The grilled shrimp are great, the cannoli with tuna that also had other ingredients mixed in was fantastic, and came with a very mild, yet complimentary vinaigrette and tomato pieces. Basically, both times I've been here, I was never disappointed. I don't think you can go wrong with selections. They do also have nightly specials, which we got the smoked salmon with dill sauce, capers, red onions, and toast points. Fantastic . For dessert we had the puff pastry filled with vanilla ice cream and covered in some sort of heavenly chocolate sauce. Along with that we both had the cafe cortado. The espresso was wonderful with great flavor. In summary, if you're anywhere near here, this place is wonderful, relatively inexpensive, has great service, a great bar, and is a very tasty dining experience you won't forget. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Fantastic espresso - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

A lovely tapas restaurant! The food was very tasteful and the service was excellent!! They had a nice variety to choose from and the waitress was very knowledgable. I would definitely visit again when traveling to Chicago! read more

Emilio's Tapas - Supper yummy - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Loved it! Our first visit here and every moment was special: the atmosphere, outstanding service by Axel, food, decor. Wonderful options for food make it difficult to save space for dessert. Loved figs in bacon, flan, even coffee tasted great. We'll definitely be coming back. read more

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This place was great, for sure 23 years ago... when we came there, it smelled like wet rug. I wanted to leave right away but mi friend stopped me, and told to give this place a chance. Well server had nice accent but was not very attentive. Food was 2 out 5 stars. read more

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Emilio's and Meson Sabika are my two fav tapa places in Chicago area. Lots of vegetarian , vegan and gluten free options. Food, service are great, they never disappoint me. If you are vegetarian, the patato hot tapa is really good, so is the eggplant cold tapa. Personally , I love the grilled squid . read more

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I love this place 100 plus more percent! The food and service is phenomenal. Live music Friday is a plus!

Amazing tapas. Don't miss out on the best bacon wrapped dates ever! The sauces are amazing on all the dishes.

Absolutely wonderful! Loved Emilio's when they were in downtown Chicago, but so happy they are closer to home now! Food is wonderfully amazing and the atmosphere is lively, especially when they have live music (we went on a Friday night). Emilio even sent us a round of pink moscato....a man after my heart! We ordered a few different tapas plates and were not disappointed at all. read more

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