Yelp lists this location as Near North Side comma River East but I always knew this as Streeterville. Â But I'm not a real estate agent, or really someone who cares so I'm not really sure why I even brought it up. Â I digress.
Emilio's is a Tapas restaurant. Â Honestly, that should be all the description you need. Â Like Greek, Mediterranean and Sushi, I think Tapas restaurants are incredibly homogeneous and interchangeable. Â They are good for groups. Â The food is good and the variety you receive is always welcome. But their menu's are very similar. Â If you set up a blind taste test between Ba-ba-reeba, here and its other location, I can near guarantee I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Â So why am I still talking about this? Â If you are in the mood for tapas or are going out to eat with a group, go here. Or Ba-ba-reeba. Â I don't care and neither will you.
I enjoyed my first visit to Sol y Nieve. We had a fine group head out to Emilio's and the food and service was very good. Kudos to Matt R. for suggesting we go there as he is a big fan.
The sangria was a delight - not to strong and with lots of fruity goodness. As with any good size party, plenty of good menu items were chosen for our consumption. Patatas Con Alioli(garlic potato salad), Gambas A La Plancha(shrimp in lemon butter sauce) and Croquetas De Pollo Y Jamon(chicken and serrano ham croquettes) were instant hits for me and I still left plenty of options for me to try on a return trip.
FYI - The bacon wrapped dates were mighty good  but honestly most things wrapped in bacon will warrant the same reaction from me - Love that mighty swine!
We were disappointed by Emilio's. I love tapas, but there wasn't anything here that I loved.
We ate outside, since it was a lovely day over the summer. It was ruined by the mysterious water that kept dripping on me (and my food?). There was not a cloud in the sky, so I can only assume that it was coming from the apartment building above the restaurant, maybe a/c units? It was unfortunate. If you want to sit outside, make sure that you are seated at a table with an umbrella.
Food was all ok. Nothing terrible, but nothing delicious. We didn't fight over who got the last bite, which is always a bad sign.
Save your money and eat elsewhere.
It was pretty dead during lunch time on a Sunday. Works out for us. We didn't want to wait 30 mins at Gyu Kaku since we were all starving. Hopped across the street to this place. I ordered a bunch of dishes to share. The octopus, chorizo, stuffed mushrooms, cheese dip thingie, calamari, kinda like a lox dish. Ok by far, my favorite is the octopus dish. So delicious. If I ever go back, it'd be the only thing I'd order. The chorizo is my second favorite. Though I've had better blood sausage.
Review Source:It takes a lot to get me to come to streeterville. It's not an area that I grace all too often mostly due to it being more expensive than I feel like paying on the whole. But, when a winemaker comes into town and he knows the chef as they are both from the same spanish village, I have to make my way over to streeterville.
It is places like these that remind me that I don't do tapas enough. We started off with the cheese plate and that is always something that will agree with me. I'm always a sucker for caramelized onions, and these didn't fail at all. We also had the serrano ham appetizer. I don't eat pork as much these days, but I do absolutely love it when it comes like this. It was sliced very thin and I really liked the olive oil that went with it. Our group finished off the round with the tostada campera. This was very good, but it was a hard act to follow after the ham. Still, it had avocado and that always equals a win for me.
We really only focused on one main. Granted, that one main would be a suckling pig that was specially prepared for us. Sadly I didn't get any of the skin, but the pig was done absolutely perfectly. There's really not much more to be said on that in all honesty.
I enjoyed the hell out of myself. I would probably put the food at 3.5*, but the service was excellent and the company even better. That will always get me to bump things up and Chef Emilio even offered up his services to us for a big bash we have planned in may. I also noticed that there were a lot of families here, and it's always nice to see a play be very family friendly.
Meh this place was ok. Sort of like how McDonalds is ok when you are really really hungry.
The Sangria was absolutely disgusting. It tasted like old cheap box wine. Both the red and white. We had to keep asking for ice so that we didn't have to keep pouring that luke warm box wine from the pitcher. At least the ice made it more manageable to deal with.
The tapas were just ok, nothing special. They were missing excitement.
Pulpi a la feria: It was alright, but I have had better octopus in other tapas restaurants
Cordero al pastor: I love lamb, but this was just a sad, beat up, very boring lamb
Queso de cabra al horno: This was actually the best tapa I had, but how hard is it to mess up goat cheese and tomato sauce? It's interesting that the one tapa that required hardly anything to be done to it was the best one.
For desert we had some sort of heart shaped pasty with raspberries on top. It looked like dog food, no joke and it tasted like an energy bar from the grocery store.
The waiter was nice though, as was the hostess.
I'm not sure why this place is rated so well. Maybe these people have never actually had good tapas. I don't expect them to taste exactly like they did in Spain, but I didn't expect to be bored out of my mind by them while drinking cheap boxed wine.
Not coming back
After 4 years since my first visit, I was so very pleased that I returned here for a family dinner last week. We had a selective group of dietary restrictions, yet with the large menu, still overly pleased everyone. Great service, everything we ordered was outstanding, and great ambiance. Excited to return.
Review Source:I eat at a lot of different places. Always searching for the perfect meal and experience. I've been going to Emilio's for years and am just amazed how it is always excellent.
I went last night with my wife. We didn't feel like experimenting with someplace new. And I'm so glad we went. The food was outstanding, as was the service and sangria. And it only cost $60 for both of us! (the weekend prior we dropped over $300 at another Chicago restaurant only to be severely disappointed).
Maybe it's time to stop searching for something new and appreciate the things that have already been found.
I found this place during Yelp research for a Chicago vacation. We wanted something light, Mediterranean, and away from our Loop hotel. Easily accessible from the Loop on one of the Michigan Ave Express buses, it's  just a couple of blocks down Ohio Street.
The restaurant was well on its way to filling when we arrived. Our charming server, Stephanie, quickly put us at ease, and we appreciated her discrete attentiveness.
We shared the Spanish tortilla, Queso De cabra al Horno, and Patatas con Alioli (famous garlic potato salad) and some Spanish beers. All delicious, satisfying and creatively presented.
Worth a return visit to try its other adventurous menu items.
My friends and I was in search of a dinner location and chanced upon Emilio's. I am glad we did! We had a great meal here.
Food:
We ordered: an ensalada de la casa (avocado salad), cordero al pastor (lamb), pincho de pollo al mojo picon (grilled chicken brochette), falda de cebon a la parrilla (skirt steak), and one other hot dish, which I cannot remember.
The avocado salad was amazing!! as well as the lamb and skirt steak dishes. My friends and I loved the flavors and the quantity of each dish. There were many other elements on each dish, such as the sauces, and the side vegetables that added to the overall taste of the meat. Our one complaint is the chicken brochette was a tad too salty. We were full afterwards and the prices were very reasonable for our college student wallets. (paid ~$13 each)
Service/Atmosphere:
Great service, very attentive. There were not many people there on a Wednesday night so we were seated right away. The place is spacious and the decor is very beautiful. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and helpful in explaining the dishes.
Overall:
I had a great experience at the restaurant and was very satisfied with the food. I'm sure my friends all agree. I would come back here in the future, as it is not far from Michigan Ave and has reasonable prices for the great quality of food.
This is as close to authentic tappas as you can get. Â My wife and I have extensively toured Spain from stem to stern and the food and experience at Emilio's is comparable to the best in Spain. We are big fans of Emilio's original Hillside location since the early 90's and decided to give his Streeterville place a try because we happened to be downtown that day. Â We were not disappointed. Â We always first start out with our favorite which is a simple Tortilla Espanolo (Spanish omelet). Â This is our litmus test for good tappas and the one we got was spot on in every way. Â We then happily grazed our way through six other satisfying dishes and capped it with a heavenly plate of profiteroles. Â Oh yes, if you are an oyster lover and it happens to be on the special menu, be sure to try the oyster with cracked black pepper; you'll be in heaven.
Sol y Nieve would have gotten 5 stars if there wasn't a service glitch. Our waitress and server assistant, who were otherwise attentative and cordial, did not give us any bread until I finally asked for it midway through the meal.
I think this place is great. The food is really delicious, and there are a couple of almost reasonably priced bottles of wine. The service is excellent, if that's a thing for you. Personally, constant attention usually bothers me, but the waitstaff here seems to be both exceptionally attentive and non-intrusive. So, thumbs up.
The only reason I took away a star is because I'm vegetarian, and their options are pretty limited. A lot of their plates could have a vegetarian option, but are garnished with meat. Vegans definitely won't find a lot of options here.
Update: It sounds like they're actually quite open to customers who ask for a dish to be made to order (vegetarian, vegan, or even gluten free, they said), so I'll try that next time and see how it goes!
Grilled squid was tender, garlicky, well-seasoned, and also had that nice smokey but not burnt  taste when it's cooked just right.  Their Paella Valencia was better than expected.  Often I've been mildly to extremely disappointed by poorly executive rice dishes such as paella or risottos.  This one was cooked from scratch to order, as far as I can tell.  If it wasn't they've got me fooled.  The rice retained it's own body and texture and cooked in the flavorful stock just past the point of al'dente ( I know I know- isn't not Italian food I'm talking about here,  I'm just making a description with a point of reference).  The tender and not overcooked sea foods and meats again had their own character.  The overall dish successfully had umami (OK! not Japanese here either , but you get my point by now) when all the elements added to greater than the sum of it's ingredients.  Paella success!  The flan is a must here.  It's soft, velvety and very custard with a a nice caramel sauce that does not overwhelm your taste buds with syrupy sugar. Â
Some other dishes that were ok but not unforgettable included the eggplant rolled cheeses, braised short rib with mash potatoes and shitake mushrooms, and coconut rice dessert. Â The service was adequate and courteous which would be par for the course at tapas. Â
PS- I would definitely go back for the squid and paella.
Heriberto the bartender is an awesome guy. Very courteous and helpful with the menu. Â Get the flank steak with potato and spinach as it is awesome. And like others have said the Sangria and the dates wrapped in bacon are great but the later was just a little too sweet for me. Atmosphere is fantastic as well. I will be back for sure and will tell all my friends about it at RSNA.
Review Source:What we had:
Banderilla De Quesos & Fruta
Salmon A La Taverna
Alcachofas Con Jamon
Everything was plated beautifully and delicious. Service was fast, but not rushed. The waiter was accessible and not overbearing. Setting was lively, but not obnoxious. I would love to go back in the warmer months when they open the doors to the patio.
Oh, Emilio.....one time many years ago I tried to get married at La Perla.
Well, that marriage and your restaurant didn't last.
I should have taken it as a sign that my booked venue was closing.
Now La Perla is a Walgreen's and my ex-husband is a power bottom.
Joke.
Anyway, Emilio's is my favorite tapas.
I will rundown my menu:
Pincho de solimio, dates con bacon, Queso de cabra al horno, gambaras al a plancha,
All require many other choices, pick at least one special. I love it all.
Now, I have to tell you I have been to Sevilla and all over Spain and my Americanized response:
Boy I love Emilio's.
The Peach sangria was delish, I coulda had a gallon.
Eat, Drink and be Spanish.
This was a super tasty place with pretty attentive service. Â We got the grilled skirt steak and the grilled calamari, both were super delicious. Â Both were very tender and flavorful. Â They also have a menu of specials and some in our party tried those and enjoyed them. Â The waitress came by several times to check on us and see if we wanted more food. Â All in all someplace I would definitely go back to.
Review Source:I've been here three different times. Every time I'm surprised just how good the food is for Tapas. For a downtown restaurant within block of the Mag Mile, this place is relatively inexpensive, not too touristy and really yummy.
The sangria is awesome and so are the bacon wrapped dates. Also I think the garbanzo puree is one of my favorite items on the menu. Definitely will go back.
We stopped by here early in the evening as we had two young children who were hungry after a long day of walking through the city. Â They were very accomodating with children and provided great service. Â The food was fantastic and resonably priced. Â Will return here again on our next visit to Chicago.
Review Source:Came with a group of 8. Service was lacking. Seemed that we waited a long time for drinks and just the waiter  to return. Food was decent, but I have had better tapas and sangria in Chicago. Marbella and iberico are two of them. Had the Chiken curri which is a cold dish. Decent taste, simlar to a chicken salad sandwich. Patatas bravas which were really good. A garlic shrimp tapas which was lacking in flavour. A few more entress which were all pretty decent. Had a few of their different sangrias, not much taste to them and would say they are overly sweet. For the price, I would not regular this place.
Review Source:Heard this place was really good and it was one of the better tapas places I've tried.
Ambiance - lots of seating area, we didn't have to wait for a table. Good ambiance, pretty dim inside so it'd be a nice place for a date.
Food & Drink - Price-wise, it was very reasonable... comparable to other tapas places. I've been told that the white sangria is much tastier, but the red is stronger. So... we had the red sangria, which wasn't that good. The champinones rellenos were delicious! So were the lamb meatballs. Also had the patatas bravas, which I order at every tapas place I visit, but these were NOT good!
Service - It was great. Our server was attentive and very friendly.
Overall, it was a great experience. I would definitely go there again.
We went here last night after an event with a group of 7-8. Â We sat outside and the weather was perfect for it. Â We were able to divide a pitcher of sangria among the group, although were quick to order a second. Â The sangria was fine, but nothing out of this world.
The blood sausage chorizo combo was fun to try as a group. Â The chicken with cumin puree was absolutely amazing. Â The group raved about the stuffed mushrooms but skipped them for bread. Â Finally, the potatoes were great and had a little extra sauce which worked for the bread. Â
As far as tapas go, this is a place I would visit again because it's a great neighborhood spot nestled in Streeterville but there are better options just a short cab or el ride away so it won't be a destination restaurant for me.
Good, but not spectacular food. Â Oh...and the bathroom only had kleenex for us to wipe our hands. Â There was a note about using a towel, but the towel was not to be found. Â All the better because sharing a hand towel with strangers? Â Shudder. Â I may have had to give them a 2 if that had been the case. Â :-/
I was told that Emilio's used to be good. Then the person who told me that changed her assessment by the time we had gotten our main entrees. Yep, her statement had a quick edit to it when we had become silent from an improvement in what had come to table at first.
Red sangria. Potatas bravas. Calamares con ajo y limon. Congrejo concha blanda. More sangria. Falda de cebon al la parilla. Chocolate cake with white chocolate and caramel mousse. Profiterole del pirineo.
Aside from the potatas bravas being a bit lukewarm, everything else from the calamari to the soft shell crab to the skirt steak and the the dessert were top.
We went to Emilio's Tapas Sol y Nieve on a Saturday night. Â The place was full, but it didn't look extremely busy. Â Originally we were told the wait was 30+ minutes, but my friend and I were seated after about 10 minutes.
We didn't order much; my friend and I ordered the Plato de Jamon Serrano (imported Spanish Serrano ham, served with Manchego cheese, olives, toasted points and extra virgin olive oil), Patatas Bravas (Spanish style spiced potatoes) and Alas de Pollo a la Andaluz (marinated chicken wings served with aioli sauce and seedless red grapes).
The ham, cheese and olive plate was quite tasty and fresh, although it was one of the more expensive tapas at almost $16. Â The potatoes were perfectly cooked and seasoned and my favorite tapas dish of the three. Â I thought the chicken wings were dry. Â The aioli sauce had a little too much garlic for my taste.
I'd go here again to try some of the other dishes. Â Our service was extremely prompt; we got our first dish (the Serrano ham) within five minutes of ordering and the rest within 10 minutes.
There is also an outdoor seating area.
Love this place! We stumbled upon it about a year ago when we were staying in the neighborhood, and I make it a point to come back every time we visit!
The service is always great. The food is delicious. We have had the skirt steak, the parmesan chicken with vegetables, the bread with tomato (so good), and a few other small plates. In the past we've ordered wine - they have a fun selection and a whole list of 20% of wines, which is nice. This last time I had the sangria. Not my favorite, but I will always come back for the food!
We were wandering around the neighborhood late one night trying to settle on a place for dinner when we saw the lively patio at Emilio's--done!
We were seated right away and the waitstaff was attentive; explaining the layout of the menu, etc. We ordered a couple of things to split (one was flank steak and one was skirt steak) and they were delicious. However, they both tasted the same! They were definitely different dishes but nothing particularly deciphered one from the other, so that was odd. I had a sangriatini (see picture) and it was really good! Quite strong; one is enough to get the night going!! One thing about the waitstaff that was bothering my boyfriend was how we were seemingly being waited on by 5-7 different people. Further, they kept popping in our table to bring us food that was meant for a different table (this happened at least 3x). It seems communication is lacking between front of the house and back of the house.
We enjoyed our visit; the food, drinks and patio were great--we'll be back!
Great little tapas place hidden away, almost, on Ohio St. Has a great interior which becomes very animated with guests, and which features simple but still vibrant decor.
The menu is a typical tapas spread. We thoroughly enjoyed the mejillones, soft shell crab, lamb meatballs, and patatas bravas. I know we had more because the portions are so small for the price, but the dishes escape my memory. For dessert I had the wine-poached pear and he had the caramelized banana. Both amazing!
We ordered the moscato rose, and it was amazing! Too bad the flutes they gave us smelled like fish! We asked for a change of glasses and our waiter complied promptly. Phew!
The music is a fun mix of various Spanish standards, like the Gypsy Kings. The patio looks like it would be a ton of fun when the weather warms up. I really enjoyed sitting next to the patio windows so I could people watch while enjoying my tapas.
I would definitely return if I'm in the mood for pricy tapas. I didn't give them five stars because of the fishy smelling glasses and because it's so pricy for smaller than usual tapas dishes.
Ever since eating paella visiting fam in Barcelona, I occasionally have to get my Spanish food fix. Â TAPAS! Â Emilio's does them right. Â Service is quick, food is excellent, and atmosphere is conducive to a good time.
I highly recommend coming here in the summer and eat outside (it's lovely!) Â Then go for a walk along the Chicago River. Â A wonderful evening ensured.
Ah, and don't forget the sangria. Â It would be wrong to eat the tapas without some good fruit-laden wine. Â We call it yum yum juice.
In response to Alex L.-If you like Cafe ba ba reeba, then you must have been eating at Mcdonalds when you were in Spain.
I agree that Emilio's is not as consistent as it once was, and Emilio has paid the price for this by closing several of his restaurants.
However, to rate Lettuce Entertain You Cafe ba ba reeba above Emilio's is just ridiculous.Baba reeba is the 7/11 of Tapas restaurants. That is why it is so popular with the 20 somethings out to get hammered on 2nd rate Sangria.and eat what is essentially bar food.
Emilio's on Ohio is still a lovely little restaurant with sometimes exceptional food. We were there on New Years Eve and had a wonderful meal.
We started with the Lentil soup which was OUTSTANDING! Warm, melted Manchego cheese made it simply delicious.
We chose a bottle of wine from the 1/2 price list and it was also wonderful. I asked the lovely manager who you dismiss as being cavalier toward the customers needs for the recommendation and she hit a home run. And by the way, she is obviously pregnant  and I'm sure she had no idea that the waiter asked you out on a date. I'm sure you didn't complain about it either.
Emilio's is never trendy and always rewarding. So much on the menu is better than the description. Be surprised by a simple sounding salad that turns out to be something much, much more.
And don't forget the bacon wrapped dates (for desert). With the roasted red pepper reduction, it puts Cafe ba ba reeba to shame!
Much like Café Iberico, Emilio's once had some of the most authentic, delicious tapas in Chicago. In recent years, their quality and service has plummeted.
Last time I was there, my friends and I went for my birthday (my choice). The dining room was half full, but we were still being rushed through our dinner. We were served the check far before we were done ordering. A waiter who was not our own kept coming over to talk to us and went so far as to ask me out on a date while I was trying to enjoy dinner with friends. His manager, a middle-aged woman, was looking on and didn't do a thing about it. It was highly inappropriate and made the meal a bit awkward.
One of the first things we ordered was jamón ibérico, which I've had hundreds of times in Spain and the U.S.. They must get their ham from the same place as Café Ibérico because it looked like thin, uncooked bacon (which both restaurants have been serving lately).
I've given Emilio's plenty of chances and even the most basic tapas have come out tasting very bad. Dry croquettes, flaccid albino ham, and chalky tortilla, poor service. Such a bummer- this place used to be amazing!
Vera is now the only place in Chicago with decent tapas (read my review here <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.babbleandbezotes.com%2F2011%2Fa-review-of-vera-chicagos-new-tapas-restaurant-and-my-heaven%2F&s=b7ac251b026ff918225c7dc56b18f98a39c1b75f6a65961c61151459dd97bce6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.babbleandbezo…</a>). Café Ba Ba Reeba is great too, if you have the time to wait a while to be seated (it's worth it).
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