Reviews for Emilio's Tapas Bar Restaurant in Hillside, IL

We had a great time, we love the atmosphere, I feel I am in an old book with delicious food. Tapas are my favorite, patatas... bravas, gambas al ajillo, queso de cabra, for dessert platano with caramel sauce and ice cream is a must. Delicious! We've beencoming here to this location for over 6 yrs and is always a great delicious dinner. Read more

Emilio's is hands down the best tapas restaurant! I've been going here for years and it's never a disappointment. The food is... absolutely amazing - always fresh, bursting with flavor, beautiful presentation, and so delicious! Not to mention theirwonderful sangria! Top notch service - the staff is always extremely friendly and very attentive. The place is always extremelyclean. The ambiance is warm and inviting. I legit wish I could dine here every day! Read more

One of my families all time favorite places!! We have celebrated dance recitals, graduations, births, anniversaries and even the... occasional funeral or two over the years. It's been a constant in our lives over the past 30+ years and 4 generations. It's ourgo to whenever friends or family come into town... the hospitality is always warm, friendly and inviting. And the food.... thefood is always spectacular!! So fun to order and share with everyone. Trying new things, but the classics are always justthat... classic! The garlic potato salad, tuna cannelloni, cracked pepper filet with horseradish and caramelized onions, dateswrapped in bacon with roasted red pepper butter, the profiteroles with rich bittersweet chocolate and vanilla ice cream...everything is absolutely delicious and lots and lots of options for all eating lifestyles. We've never had a bad experience andlove getting to see Emilio in the dinning room. We even ordered delivery during the pandemic and it was just as tasty. Thank youthank you! See you soon for another amazing meal! Read more

Emilio’s never disappoints!! This place has been one of my family’s favorite restaurants for years. The small plates are... expertly crafted, flavorful, and so creative! It is like eating art! The servers are helpful and attentive and we always have anamazing dining experience here. Can’t recommend this place enough! Read more

So I was in Chicago and was craving something different. Different flavours, different atmosphere and I stumbled across... Emilio's. I'm glad I did. This place F'in rocks!!! I went in with the expectation of getting some Paella for dinner but when Iarrived the atmosphere and quality/friendliness of the waitstaff made me want more. I tried some tapa's PLATO DE JAMÓN SERRANOwas excellent so that led me to the PULPO A LA PLANCHA which was excellent as well. Full of flavour and the contrasting textureswith light dressing on top was a perfect follow up to the white sangria that I tried. They really knocked it out of the parkwith the first couple plates. At this point I was mid way through the test drive and it was time to see what this place canreally do so I punched it and went for the PAELLA A LA VALENCIANA with a red sangria. I felt that both were more traditional soI thought it would be a good gauge vs my previous experiences with other Spanish restaurants. It did not disappoint! The paellawas so flavourful and the shrimp, chicken, clams over the yellow rice were wonderful. The red sangria was a nice addition as itwas fruity but not overpowering. It was all perfect for the hot few days that I was in Chicago. Let's take a pause here to showsome love to the bar. They offer a fully stocked and really nice looking bar area. I was ok to sit there and take in all thepictures and surroundings but it started to cool down in the evening and sitting outside just sounded awesome. Shoutout to thelightning fast bartender too! They have this super interesting wine list too full of regional selections and traditionalvarietals. Having worked in the wine industry for 16 years I really wanted to take the wine list for a spin but at the same timeI knew I was racking up the miles on my bill as-is so I let that one go. Next time... Lets recap... Awesome starters with alight sangria, Check! Main event with a red sangria, knocked it out of the park! Any normal person woul Read more

I usually don't go to a tapas restaurant often, but when I do, I'm never disappointed. Emilio's is no exception. The variety of... tapas on the menu were all good and expertly crafted. I especially enjoyed the blood sausage and the grilled calamari. But allthe food was flavorful and filling, and I had a blast trying out all the different tapas my party ordered. The tapas were servedquickly, even though the restaurant was packed when I went, and I credit this to the excellent, friendly service. Anna, ourserver, went above and beyond to make sure we were all taken care of. All of this came in a colorful, warm atmosphere that wasunique to the restaurant. I'd definitely recommend this place to others when it comes to tapas. Well done. Read more

I had a fabulous time celebrating my wedding anniversary. Emilio the owner and great chef goes around table by table checking on... guest. Food is beyond fabulous. MY WAITED ALFREDO WAS SUPERB. I WILL DEFINITELY GO BACK AGAIN. Please make reservations if youwant to come. Read more

This is the third tapas restaurant we have visited in Chicagoland and it is so far the best. The restaurant has a standard menu... and a large daily special menu to keep things interesting. We ordered four tapas plates, two from the standard menu and twofrom the daily menu. We also ordered a single serving of seafood paella along with two desserts and a few drinks. Menu pricesranged quite widely but expect the bill to be between $100-175 for two depending on drink orders. Everything was very good. Ifwe are going to be picky the beef was slightly under seasoned as was the fish in the paella. The patio was lovely as was theinterior seating. The service was fantastic. The waiter was quick to offer recommendations and explained the menu and portionsizes. Read more