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312 Eats
River North · Mediterranean · $$

Ema

4.65,661 reviews ·Opentil 10 tonight
The rate at which the plates came out was perfect
MattMatt · 123 Google reviews
Read the reviews on Google →

Ema — River North mediterranean that sets the standard. Walk in and you know immediately: this place is real. Drink selection punches above its weight. Alyssa Esquivel: "The falafel was probably the best I’ve ever had—crispy, flavorful, and perfectly done" [$$, patio]

🌱Vegan & vegetarian friendly — real options, not one sad pasta.
☀️Patio — a River North classic in summer.

What 5,661 diners keep saying

Neighborhood institutionRomanticCozyOld schoolFamily friendlyGreat cocktails
Plan your visit
Reserve on OpenTable
74 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60654
River North
Today11AM-10PM
Sun–Thu11AM-10PM
Fri–Sat11AM-11PM
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What 5,661 diners keep saying

verbatim, from Google
Review photo by Jing Robert-Chen
Feb 2026

My fav spot in Chicago.

Jing Robert-Chen

Jing Robert-Chen

14 reviews on Google

Review photo by Og Club
Feb 2026

Great service and food. Great spot to date a first date.

Og Club

Og Club

26 reviews on Google

Review photo by Charlotte Patti
Feb 2026

BEST FOOD EVER!!! come for restaurant week!

Charlotte Patti

Charlotte Patti

3 reviews on Google

Review photo by Minal Shah
Feb 2026

Vibeeeee. We all got different drinks and shared, each one was delicious. They should make a cocktail flight. My favorites - bhel hummus and the mushroom escargot. Everything was great but those two stood out the most.

Minal Shah

Minal Shah

149 reviews on Google

Review photo by Marina Keller Soto
Feb 2026

Good experience in restaurant week Chicago, worth the try

Marina Keller Soto

Marina Keller Soto

9 reviews on Google

Review photo by Ava Genevieve
Jan 2026

Food was amazing and our server was great! Would definitely recommend!

Ava Genevieve

Ava Genevieve

7 reviews on Google

Review photo by Alejandra Camacho
Jan 2026

The food was amazing!!!!

Alejandra Camacho

Alejandra Camacho

9 reviews on Google

Review photo by Denis Mantsurov
Jul 2026

The main entree dishes seem to be a little over-rated. We ordered chicken and salmon kebabs and some crispy mushroom appetizer. Everything tasted a little bit bland and dry. On the other hand the frozen yogurt dessert was so good that we had to return the next day just to try a different flavor.

Denis Mantsurov

Denis Mantsurov

206 reviews on Google

Review photo by Raveena Patel
Jul 2026

One of the best falafels I had in a while

Raveena Patel

Raveena Patel

8 reviews on Google

Review photo by Jai Chandarana
Jan 2026

I'd rate my first experience with Ema a 7.1/10. The spreads were very good. We got the bhel hummus, labaneh, baba (eggplant). But the quantity wasn't that much really for two people. They give side bread which was soft and warm. The falafel we're on point. Crispy, hot and good portion. The chicken kebab had good portion but we didn't finish it, it was not flavorful at all. I liked the touch of sourness to it but not my thing. The side dill rice was good.

Jai Chandarana

Jai Chandarana

84 reviews on Google

Jul 2026

Great cocktails and atmosphere

Sara Siegel

Sara Siegel

10 reviews on Google

Jul 2026

Food was amazing and so was everything else!

Delaney Vinyard

Delaney Vinyard

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