Ema

Lovely meal out with friends. Service was excellent with attention to all of our dietary needs. Really enjoyed our evening. Too bad that we are only visiting... would like to return!

Great food and ambiance. Fantastic drink menu. Highly recommended

Fantastic experience. Food was excellent and staff very knowledgeable in regards to my wife’s gluten allergy. Best meal we had during our Chicago trip.

Ema was a great blend of casual atmosphere with fine dining. The avocado-sweet pea spread, sweet corn risotto, and brussel sprouts were stand-outs. Outstanding selection of vegetarian options.

I first dined at Ema last month on a whim...we had just checked in to our hotel located a couple blocks away and were looking for a place to have a late lunch and just happened to walk by Ema. As we sat down I learned it was CJ Jacobson's establishment and because I knew of his fine work in various kitchens in the Los Angeles area, I was confident that I was probably in store for a nice meal. Ema did not disappoint. Great food and beverages, service that was generally on point and a comfortable environment all at a very approachable price point. The menu is fairly straightforward for a Mediterranean/Israeli restauant but everything we had was prepared with a freshness and brightness you don't often see at other establishments. I often tire of the "latest and greatest" or the "special event" restaurants as they are too ofen, too fussy or precious for their own good. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those type of places but visit only on occasion (and as aside, stop it already with the hot new restauranst where securing a reservation is an ordeal or requires you to wait in line for hours for a table...the reality is most of these joints will vanish before you know it after the hype is gone). On the other hand, we need more restaurants like Ema...establishments where the operation is just plain rock solid...across the board! if I lived in the Chicago area, Ema would definitely be on my list of "regular spots" to nosh. Yesterday my wife and I had brunch at Ema before heading back to the airport. It was simple and delicious...just what the doctor ordered after a ruckus, albeit fun, college football weekender. My only complaint about Ema is they don't have a location in my home town. Chicago is a wonderful city and I look forward to my next visit to the Windy City, and of course to Ema. Well done!

The food was fantastic
Our waitress was the best ever

Was there Oct 12, 2019. Food and beverages were very good. A little noisy but not so much that you couldn't have a conversation. Server was not any good. Kept forgetting items, didn't know the menu, overall poor server. Would go back, just would not accept the server we had.

Amazing food!

I have a ton of food allergies and the waiter was very patient and accommodating! Excellent service :)

We really enjoyed our food at Ema! Great place for vegetarians and people who like Fish! The ambience is awesome a dour waiter was very attentive and explained the menu very well ! Nice wine list ! Would highly recommend !

Amazing birthday celebration here. Wonderful complimentary dessert with a little candle. Order the charred eggplant - so good!

The seafood was delicious. Our server was attentive and pleasant.

Having been attracted by the menu we enjoyed our first dinner at Ema. The array of interesting flavors and innovative dishes made this a fun dining experience. The room is inviting if a bit crowded, and our service was efficient and friendly. Definitely worth another visit.

Stunningly good. Food was amazing and our server outstanding. I was doing some work in Chicago and Ema held up well to any of the upper end med. restaurants in NYC

Excellent service and the server did a great job of adapting the menu to my dietary needs.

A very nice lunch. Everything is always delicious and the service is prompt and friendly. One of our favorite places!

Ema is a really great spot to meet and share with friends small, medium and large plates of food made with Mediterranean tastes. The ambience is easy and congenial. The servers are wonderful and keep plates coming with a nice pacing. Wine and cocktail selections are concise. Recently a wonderful Rose and a special cocktail were offered with proceeds going to support Breast Cancer research. (The Rose was really good!) I’ve dined here several times and look forward to going back again and again!

Really great! Could have used more explanation from the server as we had not been there before and didn’t know what to expect.

Delicious brunch. Great service. Fun ambiance.

Ema is delicious!!! We have gone several times and it is always fresh and amazing.

We went for a birthday with a group of 9 and everything was great! Will definitely be going back based on both food and service!

Like the spicy hummus, my experience was excellent.

The food was good and waitress was wonderful.
The host needs to be a lot friendlier and courteous.
We had a reservation and there was still a wait. That’s no ones fault but hostess was quite rude about it. That was disappointing.

Excellent fresh delicious

This was my third visit and did not disappoint. I will continue to go to Ema. The food is seriously amazing and its a great value. Our server this time was Zach and he was exceptional. Went above and beyond more than once.

It felt like the temperature in the restaurant was over 100 degrees. It made it impossible to enjoy the experience.

The food was inventive and delicious, we particularly enjoyed the grilled octopus and the beets and berry salad.

Impressive mediterranean food. The wine, from Oregon, was new and a nice surprise. Outstanding service!

Consistently great food and service! Excellent wine list with wine that is a good value.

The food and service were outstanding. The appetizer spreads were beyond delicious except for a touch too much oil. The portions are on the small side but so filling that more would be superfluous. The accompanying pita was fresh, chewy and had a luscious dusting of spices. The brussel sprouts were perfectly cooked with a tinge of sweetness and browned surfaces. Service was efficient, friendly and professional. I will definitely be back!

The food was just alright. The ambience was generic and I was unimpressed. After seeing this restaurant on Check Please!, I thought it would be a great food experience and I was disappointed.

We drive 40 mile to just have dinner at Ema. Delicious food and friendly service!

Every bite of every plate was delicious! The flavors were amazing! We were a party of 5 and shared 8 small plates-spicy hummus, stracciatella, sweet corn risotto, cauliflower, green falafel, Brussel sprouts, salmon kebab, grilled chicken kebab- and then finished up with the sticky date cake. It was perfect! Out of everything, the chicken kebab was the only one that lacked a little flavor, but adding the chutney made up for it. All in all, this was a great experience & look forward to going back!

Ema was recommended by a friend to try out as something new in River North and it was delicious! We were a party of three and ordered several appetizers ranging from the stracciatella mozzarella, hearty falafel and tasty kebabs. Overall, the ambiance is inviting and the food is excellent. Loved the service and would certainly dine here again.

Family in town. One GF. No hassles at all. Server was terrific. Wish I’d gotten her name. Will definitely be back.

This is my third time dining at Ema in the past month, so clearly I love their food! It's a small plates Mediterranean format. Every dish I've had utilizes a lot of fresh herbs and is flavorful without feeling too rich or heavy. I especially love the pita bread with hummus, labneh, or almond/garlic spread. The green falafal is great too, as are the crispy potatoes and the brussels sprouts. Unfortunately, on two out of three visits we've had issues with the service. On one visit there was a 30 minute wait between dishes coming out; on another visit we ordered cocktails first and they arrived after everything else, and one was wrong to boot. In both instances I believe the servers had placed the orders correctly and were very apologetic, so it seems to be a back of house issue. We also noticed guests around us having similar issues, asking to speak to management, etc. So for this price point (with drinks we've spent $50-60 person each time for dinner) we'd expect that to be ironed out before we'd visit again.

The food was wonderful. The portions were small for the price. It is a bright and sunny open floor with quality furnishings and decor. The chairs were less than inviting tho. Hard and uncomfortable. There are a few very comfortable chairs, at certain tables, plush/worn leather with arms and cushioning. The eggplant spread was phenomenal and our waitress made several spot on recommendations about the menu.

This restaurant is perfect. Food is wonderfully prepared in small, but reasonably sized portions for sharing. One of the best Mediterranean restaurants that I have ever been to. Can't wait to go again

I loved the Mediterranean food that had a California twist to it. The ambiance was beautiful too!

Great! Service, drinks, food and ambiance were amazing as always. Every time I come to Chicago- I always have to come back to Ema.