A light emitting device includes a light emitting diode chip, a heat conductive plate mounting thereon the light emitting diode chip, a sub-mount member disposed between said light emitting diode chip and said heat conductive plate, a dielectric substrate stacked on the heat conductive plate and being formed with a through-hole through which the sub-mount member is exposed, an encapsulation member for encapsulation of said light emitting diode chip, and a lens superimposed on the encapsulation member. The sub-mount member is formed around a coupling portion of the light emitting diode chip with a reflective film which reflects a light emitted from a side face of the light emitting diode chip. The sub-mount member is selected to have a thickness such that the reflecting film has its surface spaced away from said heat conductive plate by a greater distance than said dielectric substrate.