My husband and I stopped by at Emilio's to have quick dinner without reservations. We were presently surprised by the quality of food that we chose from the "specials of the day". Although it is 'tapas', size of the dish is not very small - I recommend ordering 1-2 dishes at a time as your dinner progresses read more

Emilio's Tapas - Avocado stuffed with Spanish potato salad - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

We frequently visit Emilio's and this past weekend they hosted us for a large family dinner. As always the food was excellent and the service was amazing. Emilio and Anne Marie both checked in personally which made the evening even more special. The weather was great allowing us to enjoy the wonderful patio that they have. read more

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

Terrible service and unprofessional manager, Saturday afternoon. I will go to Meson Sabika in Naperville from now on.

It is just okay, I would give it a three stars for the food itself. However, it is pretty pricy, or at least as pricy as a tapas place in downtown. We ordered grilled calamari, goat cheese with tomato sauce and bread, escargot, patatas bravas, and pork. The escargot is served with cheese and bread, which is totally not necessary. It is a heavy dish; the bread and cheese does not add anything to the escargot. Patatas bravas is not the standard one you will have in Spain or in any tapas restaurant. It is like boiled potatoes in tomato soup. Goat cheese with tomato sauce and bread might be the best dish we had. However, the goat cheese is too strong that it overpowers other flavors. The pork tenderloin is the worst. It puts bread, caramelized onions, and zucchini under the pork. I see that the caramelized onions can give the sweetness to the dish. But the bread doesn't add anything, and the zucchini neither. This restaurant is totally overrated. read more

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

This place is everything it appears to be and more! The majority of the dishes are "tapas" or appetizers per say, so they're perfect for groups and wanting to try different kinds of food. The ambiance is great and really encompasses the culture of the food from the music, to the servers to the environment. Service was excellent and I never felt rushed for anything during my visit. It's very authentic, I'm a Spanish speaker and didn't feel out of place in feeling comfortable to speak Spanish, however my Spanish isn't perfect so their English was great in communicating to me and explaining any questions I had. I wish I could this place 6/5 stars. So glad I stopped by and visited this place on my visit to Chicago. Tapas usually range from as low as $8 to as high as $25. However they also offer "raciones" or rations that can be made a main dish as well. I urge you to try some or a few of the tapas if you're coming here with guests though! I came by myself on a visit here and was able to manage 3 tapas, but my appetite is very healthy, so I can see someone stopping at 2 on their own and being totally fine. Amazing place! read more

Always great! Dátiles con tocino....yum. Great service. Sometimes flamenco guitar, usually Friday. Nice patio, lots of potted flowering plants. Paella very tasty, not overly salted. I've been to almost every tapas restaurant and this is the best. read more

Absolutely myself and my fiance's new favorite restaurant. Every dish we had was fantastic -- so many strong flavors but so well balanced and harmonious we were both so surprised at how perfectly so many things went together. Texture, flavor, acid, sweetness -- you cannot go wrong with anything!! We've been to 3 other tapas restaurants in the Chicagoland area (including the Naperville famous Meson Sabika), and Emilio's has won by FAR. I've taken friends here on business trips, and out of a week's worth of fancy dinners, they liked this place the best. We had the pulpo, beef skewer, bacon wrapped dates, artichokes, queso de cabra, the special bacon wrapped shrimp, and the cherries dessert. Everything was so good!! I cannot choose a favorite, though my fiancee can hahaha. My fiance said that the bacon wrapped shrimp was absolutely the BEST thing he's ever had (we are avid foodies), and the cherries dessert was the best dessert he's ever had. We had our ratatouille moment and sent our compliments to the chef for the first time ever -- and Emilio himself gave us the dessert on the house. We were so appreciative! All in all, 10000% recommend this place to anyone wavering on where to go for dinner. The service and warmth of the employees were the cherry on top. Elizabeth and Norma are both kind, will give great recommendations, and very helpful! Really a hidden gem not quite in Chicago city -- must try! DEFINITELY get a reservation though -- they're already pretty popping on a Wednesday night read more

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I have known of Emilio but never stopped in. Today I did and very happy I did. Located in Westchester off of Roosevelt rd It's nicely decorated. outside area is garnished with beautiful flowers. Our server Anna was a total professional and very helpful . We started out with the bacon wrapped dates.. better than sex!! We followed up with the crab puffs omg it was beyond delicous ..we also had the grilled calamari and the garlic shrimp both awesome.. Had the beef tenderloin and it was also cooked to perfection .. the dessert we ordered ,banana with carmel and vanilla ice cream was second to none. I highly recommend this place..ask for Anna she will guide you thru a great menu and a great experience read more

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

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Well... at this point I'm too full, I will be back with more details and more pictures. Excellent food. Lunch with the boss... epic! Canalon drip de stun Champiñones Rellenos Patatas bravas Gambas a La Plancha Datiles con Ticino Calamares con ayo y limon Gambas a La Plancha Flan read more

Emilio's Tapas - Oy! Deliciousness. - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

Have eaten here half a dozen times or more. Everything is pretty much perfect, every time. Great food. Great staff. Some of the tables get a little crowded/cozy when they're busy but outside of that there's not much to nitpick. read more

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America, Anna, Christy and the whole team came together to bring something super special to life out here. Big fan of the beef tapas but the seafood and classic cocktails hit the spot, especially during Happy Hours! read more

Great food! Went for a date & it was surprisingly very yummy, menu wasn't too big which was a great touch + their specials were SUPER YUMMY! Service was good also. Definitely recommend for a date night or family night. During the summer they have live singers which was the perfect touch. read more

Emilio is to Spanish cuisine what Ben Moy was to Chinese cuisine in Chicago; what Buddy Guy is to the blues. a passionate artist, a genius and a living legend. everything on the menu is delicious. (do not ignore the specials!) some favorites include: grilled octopus, garlic potato salad, tortilla española, steamed mussels, grilled calamari, bacon-wrapped dates and baked goat cheese. Emilio is also famous for paellas and sangrias, which are all delicious. the (heated/covered) patio is beautiful on nice days and the bar and dining rooms will make you forget you're in Hillside. bring a designated driver or take an uber, because the food begs for wine. the wine list is abbreviated, but on target, and the Beronia Reserva is a bargain at $50! even post-pandemic, the service will exceed expectations. so glad they made it through 2020!!! read more

Emilio's Tapas - we ate every single bite. - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

We had a family reunion so to speak at Emilio's tapas. I had eaten there many many many years ago way before Yelp even existed. Emilios is a small plate restaurant. They have an extensive menu of food that you can share with your table. We started out with a free sample and that in and of it's self was extremely delicious. They have an excellent drink menu which consists of some specialty drinks as well as an extensive wine list. Each person at our table packed one dish to share with everyone. Everything was absolutely delicious. We also had a seafood soup and the clams in that soup were the most tender clams I've ever eaten. Our server was extremely courteous and nice. The food came nice and hot to our table and we didn't feel rushed at all despite the fact that the restaurant was full. Let's talk about my favorite topic dessert. The lava cake was OMG delicious and the profiterole's were equally OMG delicious. If you have not tried Emilio's tapas you need to eat there. I love the small play concept especially when it is accompanied by extremely delicious food. Thank you Emilio's tapas for a wonderful time you made our family reunion a success. read more

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

Emilio's has been around for a long time in the west suburbs of Hillside and once you visit you know why. They have a great selection of delicious tapas and their paella is to die for! I think it is the best place to get Spanish food in the western suburbs if you ask me! Remember paella takes awhile to cook fresh and therefore fill the time with delicious tapas and plenty of cocktails! expect to spend at least $25 pp on tapas, they may be small plates, but they add up quickly! they do have options for people who are vegetarian and pescatarian so definitely a place you can take a group of people who have various food preferences or dietary restrictions. read more

Seriously, $70.00 entree and I stop for a second, plate half full of food, glass of wine full and servers are chomping at the bit to clear my plate. 'The owners don't like dirty plates' I'm still sitting here: Like What T republic of France...ruined, never come back. Spent close to $150 between lunch and dinner here today! read more

I'm torn about the rating of this place. I was treated to an excellent birthday dinner here while visiting some great friends, The Krzyko's, in Chicago. I spent the day drinking and dining in Chicago, and wasn't sure I was up for more food that evening. That was...until I stepped inside the restaurant! The smell was ORGASMIC! We had a reservation, so we were quickly ushered to a table and had some great decorations set up just for me! I have no complaints about any of the food we had. At some point, I stopped taking pictures of all the tapas we had, so I'm missing the delicious shrimp and garlic plate, and the beef with caramelized onions and horse radish. If you're a fan of cava, get the cava sangria! That took me instantly back to Spain. And the sangria pitcher were (we had red) delectable! My one pet peeve centered around service. The staff kept clearing plates and taking cups, when we were still sopping up the last bits of sauce, or eating the fruit at the bottom of the cava sangria. The server would ask if they could clear something, I'd ask them to leave it, then while I was enmeshed in conversation, they would snag it within a few minutes! And at the very end of the meal, with at least 10 tables still eating at 9:30 pm, this tiny female server (Asian) was hostile about clearing dishes, when it was evident we were still making our way around the scraps. We'd paid early (because a thunder storm was underway), had tipped, and were oddly being rushed out. I hate that more than anything!! Otherwise, besides all my gripes, I WHOLE HEARTEDLY loved everything I ate there! I nearly devoured the banana desert by myself (and I don't usually do dessert)! And get the sherry! It was by far my ABSOLUTE favorite!! read more

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Restaurant Delivery Roulette #5 (game rules explained in my Los Fernandez Rosticeria review) When I think food delivery, I usually don't think of a Spanish tapas so I was more than surprised when my driver pulled up with a bag full of containers. First thing, I loved their packaging system. Lemons, separate from salad. Toast/tostada was separate from the goat cheese dip with eggplants. And the paella was piping hot still. Everything maintained their food integrity which made me super happy. Sorry planet. All this excessive packaging was needed. Second, the ingredients were excellent in quality. All of the seafood items were huge (scallops, shrimp, clams) tasted fresh and not frozen. Even the house salad was well made, with slivers of bright green avocado and tomatoes that were full of flavor and almost crunchy in texture. Yeah, the bf did great on this one. Even though I had this restaurant bookmarked forever (let's face it, I have over 200 restaurants bookmarked) this is one that truly lived up to the hype in my head. And that's just delivery! Btw, this was the best paella I've had in a very long time. read more

Emilio's Tapas - Can we talk about how on point their packaging is? - Spanish Near Me - Hillside, Illinois

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Everything we had was delicious. The server was very friendly. The staff were attentive and the prices very reasonable. This was our second time here and we will start coming multiple times a year for sure. read more

Steak tacos are delicious. No fat on the meat. Ceviche is delicious but a bit too spicy. You need to offer mild, medium, & hot for the ceviche. Portions are good for the price. Really tastes like homemade food. Highly recommend this place. read more

Emilio's serves exceptional Spanish tapas, and the ambiance is so inviting. Fantastic spot to celebrate a special occasion or just enjoy a wonderful meal with friends. read more

Met a friend here for dinner. All the tapas dishes were great. The patatas bravas and the garlic shrimp which are standard fare were really good. Service was fine. Place was clean. We got there a bit late but the place was packed. My friends recommendation hit the mark read more

Fantastic little spot off the beaten path for authentic tapas! Great appeal and originality on the inside, you'll feel transported to another region. Everything was solid for food - we tried the bacon-wrapped dates (amazing), paella, calamari, goat cheese queso. You really can't seem to go wrong. I was a little let down with the red sangria as it wasn't quite as good as hoped, but that does not take away from an all-around excellent stop at Emilio's! read more

This has been on my list for several years. I am so happy to have visited. We ordered five or six dishes to share and it was absolutely amazing. My favorite was the creamy potato salad - shout out to waiter Alfredo - they did not have a malbec but he was able to recommend a wine that tasted very similar. read more

This is an iconic spot with the area's very best tapas chef. For years it has been a go-to for friends and family. Get a bottle of Spanish wine, have the Datiles Con Tocino and the Pincho De Solomillo A La Pimienta. Don't miss the grilled octopus--Pulpo A La Plancha. Take your time, laugh with friends, and come again. Great happy hours, too! read more

We have a great time at Emilio's. Staff was very friendly and helpful with the menu selection, last month was the first time we've dine here. Everything tasted so good, very fun atmosphere. Can't wait to go back and enjoy their drinks and tapas. read more

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Oh my gosh...I can't believe it took me so long to try this place! The atmosphere felt very authentic. Food and drinks were excellent - octopus, Calamari, garlic shrimp, paella, dates, peach sangria and cafe con leche. Service was excellent - attentive and helpful on deciding on things to order. Oh and watch out for those bread and butter!!! It's hard to stop keep eating before all the tapas come out read more

Food is excellent, service was absolutely , and ambiance was good, not too loud or chaotic . Enjoyed the Easter dining.

Great food and service. Atmosphere is mellow with nice scenery. Food and drinks are fairly priced. read more

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There are few places to enjoy dinner that has it all, great value, excellent and creative food, great service, and amazing hosts. Ann Marie and Emilio have been at it for over 25 years and it always seems to get better. You can spend $200/person in Chicago, park your car for $40 and never approach the quality of Emilio's experience for half the cost. We can only hope they can do it for another 25 years! read more

Still perfection! Amazingly and consistently fabulous food here. Never disappointed, always delightful! read more

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

Was recommended by my bf's co-worker since we love tapas. This place was comparable to Tapas Barcelona in Evanston - quality & price . Service was great , we went around noon and there were a few tables filled already and was fuller by the time we left. Yummy food. I got a red wine & Squirt concoction drink w/ice. Didn't get a buzz out of it, was $9ish. We would go again if we're up for it and the drive since we're about 1/2 hr away. We'd probably go there more often if we lived in the area. read more

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We were looking for something a little different from usual suburban chain restaurant fare and were so happy to find this place. All of the dishes we tried were delicious and the service was helpful and attentive. We went early and it appeared to be family friendly with several multi-generational gatherings. We'll definitely look forward to dining there again with our family. read more

This was my first time at a tapas place, and it was quite an adventure. Also I have a soy protein allergy so sharing food with a bunch of friends was a big role of the dice. Thankfully it went well for me, and the food was absolutely delicious. I did read the entire menu before I arrived, looking for any dangers, in the end I ate everything except a couple of items that had been fried. Generally fried food can be more risky for people with a soy protein allergy, I assume because the same oil can be in there for days thus increasing the chance it will get contaminated with soy. read more

Great place! Friendly staff and great food. The place is nice and cozy. It's very clean and welcoming.

Emilio's has been around for a long time for a reason. I grew up in the area, and while tapas and other "small plate" establishments are now more widespread and even trendy, for many years, Emilio's was incredibly unique, particularly for the west suburban area. Decades later, they continue to serve an impressive array of hot and cold small plates, as well as entrees, and paella. At this visit we just kept ordering an assortment of small plates and loved every bite. I've posted pictures of everything. The bacon wrapped dates are a great classic option, the chicken and chorizo dish in a cider broth and the duck with pears were highlights. They keep the complimentary fresh bread coming to let diners enjoy every last bit of the wonderful broths and sauces. The wine list is excellent and features a good range of options in terms of type of wine and price. I had the coconut flan for dessert. It had a great fresh coconut flavor and was the perfect size, and not too heavy of a dessert after all of that wonderful food. Service is always top notch here. They know the menu well and can make great recommendations if needed. Water glasses are always filled, fresh plates are brought regularly and courses are nicely paced. read more

A great tapas place! We had delicious food, a fantastic server with solid recommendations based on our tastes, and overall great service including bussers. read more

Johanna was my waitress. She was excellent. Very fast and attentive. I will definitely be asking for her when I return!

Food: 3 - 3.5 Service & atmosphere: 4 Emilio's brings back great memories for me. It's been around a long time. I was twenty-something the last time I was here and believe it or not I still remember my experience; good tapas, lively atmosphere and packed with people. This place was popular. I've drove by so many times each time telling myself I have to get back. We finally made it here on a beautiful breezy warm evening perfect for patio dining. Around 6ish on a weekday it was pretty quiet, not at all reminiscent of my past visits. Of course that's not to say it doesn't get busy here. When we were handed the Special's menu I noticed they have Flamenco shows, Happy Hour Mon-Fri in bar only, Fall dinners featuring Chef Emilio and 5 course dinners offering a variety of Spanish wines and even cooking classes with Emilio. I don't recall ever sitting on their patio. Our table was a bit wobbly and top wasn't completely flat as there were some slight grooves our plates were sitting on. They may want to replace or update these.. Service was prompt and attentive. Complimentary fresh sliced bread & butter along with a pickled cucumber and veggie dish arrived within minutes. The cocktail menu offers a nice selection of Margherita's, martinis and sangria. Spanish wines are nicely represented and they offer Spanish flights! My red sangria was refreshing. The very berry martini was well made and potent as was Emilio's signature Margherita. Here's what we got: * Escargot served with red sauce and topped with aioli on toasted bread. This was a nice change from traditionally prepared escargot. Not salty at all and pretty tasty. * Goat cheese baked in sauce with olives and garlic bread. I've always been a fan of this dish and love it. Can't go wrong with it. * Grilled calamari with olive oil, lemon & garlic. Nice grill marks on calamari but think it was undercooked; chewy. Juice was very dippable. * Paella special: tomatoes, cod, shrimp & clams. Perfectly cooked fish, 2 each of shrimp and clams. Call me greedy but what's up with only 2 shrimp and 2 clams? Definitely more cod in this dish. Rice was flavorful, but more saucy. You won't find slightly burnt, crunchy rice in this. Paella also takes more time to make, so be prepared to wait at least 20 min. We enjoyed some dishes more than others. Can't say anything was remarkable but given the friendly and attentive service (host, waitress and bus boy), atmosphere and nostalgia I'd return again and order something different. There is SO much to choose from. Emilio's has such a warm, comfortable, & inviting vibe. For tapas or just cocktails, you won't go wrong coming here. read more

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Stopped by on a Friday night for the happy hour menu. We were discouraged from doing this and were seated in the main dining room but requested to be moved the the high table seating area. We tried the garlic potato salad, grilled beef brochette, toasted chorizo on crostini, tomato bread with serrano ham and manchego cheese, sauteed escargot on a crouton, grilled mixed mushrooms, grilled octopus, and a few other dishes. I really enjoyed the happy hour tapas and the small portion sizes allowed me to sample everything. The grilled octopus was well done. Simple and tasty with a generous portion size. Grilled mixed mushrooms were a little disappointing, as I could not help but feel they mixed together mushrooms without as much impactful flavor as I was expecting. Overall still a good experience since it's been awhile since we have had some authentic tapas. read more

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