Acclaimed West Loop Pan-Asian Spot Embeya Is Closed

By Stephen Gossett in Food on Jun 23, 2016 9:50PM

Embeya

Acclaimed pan-Asian restaurant Embeya quietly shuttered its doors this past weekend, according to reports by Eater and the Tribune. Co-owner Attila Gyulai blamed the closure on costs incurred from a highly publicized lawsuit filed by original chef Thai Dang, who was fired by the restaurant last year. Dang was awarded $102,500 for his partners' breach of verbal contract.

Gyulai told the Tribune that the last dinner was Saturday, and he is now looking for work.

Embeya (which means "little one" in Vietnamese) made Esquire's Best New Restaurants List in 2013, back when Dang was still on board. Chicagoist's Anthony Todd wrote approvingly of then-incoming chef Mike Sheerin, calling his style "bold, brash and iconoclastic."

Dang's next venture, called HaiSous, is slated to open in Pilsen this fall.