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A 45-day dry-aged ribeye resting over glowing oak embers, crust crackling under the flame

Wood-fired · Old Mill District, Hartwell

Cooked over live fire.

Cooked over live fire · Est. 2016

Wood-fired steaks, flatbreads & ember-roasted veg — everything kissed by oak and open flame.

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4.9★ Est. 2016

The open wood-fired hearth at ember — flames licking up around a grill of charring steaks and vegetables, the chef silhouetted against the fire

The signature of the house

Everything begins at the hearth.

ember isn’t a grill with a gimmick — it’s a kitchen built entirely around one live fire. The heat, the smoke and the season decide the menu. We just listen.

  1. 01

    One fire, lit at dawn

    The oak oven is lit before service and never goes out. No gas, no shortcuts — just a living bed of coals we build and tend all night.

  2. 02

    Whatever the farms picked

    The menu is written each morning around what 24 nearby farms and foragers bring to the door. If it isn’t in season, it isn’t on the board.

  3. 03

    Smoke as seasoning

    Everything meets the flame — from the sourdough to the ice cream. Oak and applewood do the seasoning long before the salt does.

See what’s on the fire tonight

Tonight, from the fire

The board, written this morning.

Set around what the farms brought and what the fire can do. Tap a signature dish to see it plated, where it came from and how it met the flame.

V Vegetarian GF Gluten-free Chef's signature — tap to plate

Nothing in this course tonight — the fire's always changing. Try another.

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Menus change with the season · dietary needs happily accommodated

The warm, low-lit dining room at ember with the open kitchen and hearth glowing at the back
Hands plating an ember-roasted beet dish at the pass, tweezers placing herbs

Our story

A room built around the fire.

ember started in 2016 as a single oak oven in a converted foundry on the edge of the Old Mill District. The idea was simple: cook the way people did before the dial and the timer — over one live fire, with whatever the season handed us.

Nine years on, that fire still anchors the room. Guests sit around the hearth counter and watch the whole kitchen work the flames, plates arriving with the scent of oak still on them. Unhurried, generous and a little primal — the way good dinners should be.

Whole-animal
butchery in-house
Zero-waste
coals to compost
24 farms
within 90 miles
  • Est. 2016 firing the oak
  • 24 local farms
  • 40+ dishes from the fire
  • 4.9★ guest rating

The room & the fire

A look inside the glow.

Woodsmoke, low light and plates straight off the coals. Tap any frame to see it up close — and follow along nightly on Instagram.

@emberkitchen
Elias Rourke, Founder & Head Chef at ember, fire-lit at the hearth

The chef

Meet Elias Rourke.

Founder & Head Chef

“
Fire is the oldest tool we have. Everything we cook starts and ends with it — and with whatever the farms picked that morning.

Elias grew up cooking over an open fire on his grandfather’s farm and spent a decade in wood-fired kitchens from San Sebastián to Melbourne. In 2016 he lit the oak oven at ember and hasn’t let it go out since.

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Find us

Come sit by the fire.

Tucked into a converted foundry in the Old Mill District — walk-ins welcome at the hearth counter, the dining room by reservation.

Where

48 Foundry Lane
Old Mill District, Hartwell

Get directions

Reach us

(555) 018-2470

hello@emberkitchen.com

Tap to call Reserve

Hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday – ThursdayToday
5:00 – 10:00 PM
Friday – Saturday
5:00 – 11:00 PM
Sunday
4:00 – 9:00 PM

Weekend hearth brunch · Sat–Sun 10 AM – 2 PM

The glowing hearth counter and warm foundry interior at ember

The Old Mill District

48 Foundry Lane, Old Mill District, Hartwell

2 min from the public lot · validated after 5pm

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Word of mouth

Loved by the neighborhood.

4.9 · 1,200+ reviews
“
The ribeye came off the oak with a crust I still think about. Easily the best fire cooking in the city — cinematic room, faultless service.

Dana M.

Local Guide · 5★ Google

“
We sat at the hearth counter and watched the whole kitchen work the flames. The flatbread and that smoked old fashioned are non-negotiable.

Marcus T.

Regular since 2019

“
Every plate tastes of the season and of woodsmoke. It’s warm, unpretentious and quietly world-class. Book the tasting.

Priya & Sam

Anniversary dinner

Reservations

Save a seat by the fire.

Request a table below and we’ll confirm by text within the hour. Prefer to book instantly? Use our live calendar or give us a call.

Book instantly (555) 018-2470

At go-live this routes to Resy · the request form is fully wired via Web3Forms

Confirmed by text within the hour · no card required

Good to know

Before you come by.

Do you take walk-ins?

We hold a run of seats at the hearth counter for walk-ins every night, but the dining room books up fast — we strongly recommend reserving, especially Thursday to Sunday.

Can you cater to dietary needs?

Yes. Much of the menu is already vegetarian (V) or gluten-free (GF), and the kitchen happily adapts most dishes. Tell us about allergies when you book and again with your server.

Is there a tasting menu?

Our five-course “Straight from the Fire” tasting (with optional wine pairing) runs Thursday–Sunday for the full table. Add it in the notes when you reserve.

Do you have parking?

Street parking runs along Foundry Lane, and the Old Mill District public lot is a two-minute walk. We validate for the lot after 5 PM.

Can I book for a large group or private event?

Absolutely — the Loft above the hearth seats up to 24. Email hello@emberkitchen.com and we’ll build a family-style fire menu with you.

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