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Ema - Ema - River North, Chicago, IL

Ema - River North

4.7
4.7
4640 Reviews
$31 to $50
Mediterranean
74 West Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60654

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 133 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Lively
A Mediterranean & California-inspired restaurant featuring small plates & Chef CJ Jacobson's lighter style cooking in Chicago's River North.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Californian
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–4:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 3:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    CJ Jacobson
  • Catering
    Enjoy Ema Catering for your next event at home, in the office, or for your next celebration! Contact emaparties@leye.com for more information.
  • Private party facilities
    The open and inviting dining room features reclaimed wood, rustic white brick and an indoor ivy terrace with operable windows. The dining room accommodates groups up to 150 guests and may be custom configured for your next family-style dinner, business lunch or cocktail reception event.
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Area
    River North (Chicago)
  • Cross Street
    Clark & Illinois
  • Parking details
    Valet parking is located just east of Ema on Illinois Street at the Hyatt Place/Fairfield Inn valet. Valet costs $25 for 3 hours, no validation needed. Regular rates apply after 3 hours.
  • Public transit
    Red Line Stop at Grand / Blue Line Stop at Clark
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining
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What 4,640 people are saying

Ema - River North reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Chicago

    Mediterranean

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Ema in River North offers a delightful Mediterranean experience with "delicious food" and "great service." Its vibrant menu features expertly grilled kebabs and fresh salads. Diners appreciate the "wonderful relaxing atmosphere" and attentive staff. Despite some service inconsistencies, Ema remains a favorite for both casual and celebratory meals.
4,640 Reviews
  1. Micki

    Minneapolis1 review

    4.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Ate at Ema last night with my adult kids and a significant other. We enjoyed it. Best dishes: sugar snap peas, crispy potatoes, lamb-beef kefta, and hot honey halloumi - all delicious! My son does not like vegetables as a rule, but loved the sugar snap peas, so a big win there. We also ordered spicy hummus--nice flavor but none of us thought it was the least bit spicy; tahini ceasar--good not great; grilled chicken--ok, but bland and a bit dry. The rice that came with the kebabs was great though. We saved room for dessert and ordered sticky date cake, double chocolate crisp, pistachio frozen Greek yogurt. We weren't amazed with any of them...there was so much sea salt on the double chocolate crisp that we couldn't eat it. I would recommend skipping dessert and ordering additional spreads, vegetable dish, and/or kebab. Wait staff were great! I wish the volume of the music was lower.

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  2. Ignacio

    London1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a good choice, good quality and service!!!!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Deanna VIP

    Chicago4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I love Ema and have been coming here for years! I’m obsessed with the Mediterranean salad with grilled salmon as the protein. The salmon used to be a filet that was large enough to lay across my bowl. When I got my salad this past time, it was half the size of my wrist!!! What is going on??? Same price, just a teeny tiny piece!

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  4. Jazmin VIP

    Orlando2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 14 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Every year my family goes to a restaurant in this restaurant group for Passover. They weren’t able to join me this year so decided to try another place with my partner that was a la carte instead of multiple courses for a fixed price. Waitress was lovely and the food was excellent! Would come back again next year and also would come back and try their regular menu at some point as well

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  5. Maria

    San Francisco3 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 13 April 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    This is a cozy restaurant with pleasant decor. The Host was very accommodating. The waitress was pleasant and knowledgeable. The food was creative, delicious, and nicely portioned and plated. For three adults—we ordered three appetizers and two entrees from the brunch menu. My only complaint is that they were understaffed. We had to request our plates and serving dishes to be removed. I had to help myself to clean plates for the entrees. Having dined at the Winnetka location, the table service at this location was disappointing.

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  6. parul VIP

    Las Vegas16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 12 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    One of the most satisfying and pleasant experiences. Everyone from moment of entry was just the nicest

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  7. Morgan

    Cincinnati8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 12 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Such an amazing dinner! Had so much fun here with our family and loved every dish.

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  8. Gina

    Chicago7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 11 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I met up with friends for the second time at this lovely restaurant. Great location and ambience with lots of natural light. Healthy food options that we ate tapas style. We welcomed the recommendation of the server for some items and chose chicken and lamb kebabs which were delicious and so tender along with the cauliflower cheese and hummus dish. Staff was very attentive and friendly. We would recommend, and we will be back. When the weather is warmer, there is outdoor seating which we look forward to trying.

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  9. Mark VIP

    St. Louis48 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 9 April 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was fantastic! So good I forgot to take my leftovers when I left.

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  10. Howard

    Chicago27 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 7 April 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was good as always. The service was spotty…waiter seemed stressed and often missing. The cost of food is as expected but the cocktails and especially the wine, has became too expense. It’s much higher than we find in other cities across the country. Not even a good pour for the money.

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FAQs

Ema - River North offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (312) 527-5586.

Ema - River North is rated 4.7 stars by 4640 OpenTable diners.

Ema - River North does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Chicago / Illinois
  4. Chicago
  5. River North (Chicago)

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 133 times today
Google Map for Ema - River North

74 West Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60654

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Clark & Illinois
  • Area
    River North (Chicago)
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Mon–Fri 11:00 am–4:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–11:00 pm Sun 3:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Californian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Valet parking is located just east of Ema on Illinois Street at the Hyatt Place/Fairfield Inn valet. Valet costs $25 for 3 hours, no validation needed. Regular rates apply after 3 hours.
  • Public transit
    Red Line Stop at Grand / Blue Line Stop at Clark
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    CJ Jacobson
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    Enjoy Ema Catering for your next event at home, in the office, or for your next celebration! Contact emaparties@leye.com for more information.
  • Private party facilities
    The open and inviting dining room features reclaimed wood, rustic white brick and an indoor ivy terrace with operable windows. The dining room accommodates groups up to 150 guests and may be custom configured for your next family-style dinner, business lunch or cocktail reception event.
Gift card

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card
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