I can see why this restaurant has been around for decades. If you haven't been or keep walking by....go in. I had the calamari salad and a french press. Both were excellent. Service was great and we just sat and chatted for two hours and were not rushed. It was how dining should be. I can't wait to go back.
Jon
This place is an enigma. Nice atmosphere, classy feel. Incredibly young staff overall with one more seasoned pro doing the rounds. Slow service. On the revised menu the food was really not good. The kids' menu is pretty solid, neat little 3 course thing with reasonable portions. Let's see though... $9 wedge salad was unreasonably tiny (1/8 of an iceberg, few toppings, only saving grace was candied bacon). Burger was served on a stale bun that was falling apart and "medium" was "medium well". Worst burger I've had in quite a while. Upgraded from fries to a cup of dumpling soup for an extra $1. Came in a 6 oz cup, was bland, chicken was overcooked. Wish I'd had the fries and saved the dollar. This is a situation of wanting to give this place another try in 2-3 years since there are so few restaurants in the area and you'd like to think it has potential.
DrPete
This was a combined holiday lunch (belated) and business meeting with a colleague. We had a reservation, but clearly didn't need one as very few tables were filled at noon on a Friday. But that meant we didn't need to feel bad about taking the table for a couple of hours. The food was all really good and the menu quite diverse. My Caesar salad with the addition of grilled salmon was fantastic. Many places seem to treat the additional protein as more of an afterthought, but Empire placed a perfectly spiced and grilled portion on top of the perfectly dressed greens. My colleague really enjoyed her French onion soup. We've been trying to find a convenient meeting place between Denver and Loveland where we each live and will definitely be adding Empire to the list of very good options.
bdoctor
We showed up for our reservation and the restaurant was closed. No activity whatsoever. No one called to tell us they were going to be closed and could not fulfill the reservation. It was quite the inconvenience. Won't return.
meandme
Food was great. Service was excellent. Loved that the music was in the background and our server never rushed us, she let us sit, talk, enjoy the food and each other's company. Definitely be back.
Peter Docteroff
Came for a happy hour on Sunday (it's offered Sun - Thurs) and there was plenty of seating. Ordered the empire lemonade, sangria, margarita, and cucumber gin and tonic. They were all very good. Also ordered the charcuterie board, but didn't get the $1 discount for happy hour. Besides that, it was also good stuff. Definitely a fun happy hour stop. The normal menu is a bit pricey, but all sounds delicious.
RebeccaW
I really want to like this place, the ambiance is nice. But the food was not up to par. My chicken and dumpling soup was slightly cold and somewhat bland. So was my salmon. I can appreciate limited menus - I prefer a focused menu that masters what is on it. But this is not that. My food experience was below average. Service was great. And I've always enjoyed their drink menu.
Aaron Cera
I brought in my two kids and mother after a couple of hours ice-skating in downtown Louisville. My 3-year old daughter had a bit of a meltdown as we were getting seated- but the host found us a nice quiet corner of the restaurant while the manager went in back and fetched a couple slices of bread and some warm butter for her. My daughter perked right up at this gesture, and was all smiles and sunshine the rest of dinner. The staff made a wonderful effort with the kids throughout the meal. It isn't always easy to have a nice dining-out experience with two young children- but the staff at The Empire went way above and beyond to make our night.
DavidW
I ordered a kale salad and steak tartare. The kale salad did not have any flavor. Dressing needed to be different especially because of the blue cheese crumbles. All I could taste was the bitter kale. The tartare was also very disappointing. It had croutons in it which is odd. I'd like to return but order something different. My husband had the Reuben and he loved it.
Steve Tomasak
Great brunch selection and the french toast breakfast sandwich was on point.
They've just seemed to stop caring about the food leaving the kitchen. We were one of 2 tables in the place. Ordered a burger and a salad. Took 40 min... I could tap on the shrimp like it was plastic..very hard to cur thru. Fries totally no seasoning and cool. Good burger. Decent service. And the need to clean this place out.. very musty.
boulderfoodie
We really enjoyed our dinner at Empire Lounge. It was busy, but our order was taken quickly and drinks and food arrived in a very timely manner. The staff was attentive and the food and drinks were delicious. The Red Snapper special was superb!
Brian Lenihan
Wow. We haven’t been here in a while and we came today for lunch. We ate outside. Our waiter and the host were lovely. The food was not good. My salad was way overdressed. The kids pasta was over cooked with canned tomato sauce. The meatballs were strange and kinda tasted like cardboard. My wife’s salad was not what was listed on the menu. And the 3 course kids meal for $12? What kids are eating three courses. Strange. We won’t go back. It’s sad because we want to support these local Lsvl restaurants, but it was downright not good and way overpriced.
Amber Van Heemst
My time here was expensive, got charged to have BBQ sauce on the side of an expensive burger and a hidden charge for the kitchen staff. For what you pay… I don’t think it was anything that special. Prices seemed high end for a very casual environment.
Rick Prouty
Excellent spot in Downtown Louisville. All the food was excellent (and reasonably priced). The Ruben was the best I've had in a long while. The side salad was wonderful. The staff were friendly, helpful and professional. Will definitely be back.
I can see why this restaurant has been around for decades. If you haven't been or keep walking by....go in. I had the calamari salad and a french press. Both were excellent. Service was great and we just sat and chatted for two hours and were not rushed. It was how dining should be. I can't wait to go back.
This place is an enigma. Nice atmosphere, classy feel. Incredibly young staff overall with one more seasoned pro doing the rounds. Slow service. On the revised menu the food was really not good. The kids' menu is pretty solid, neat little 3 course thing with reasonable portions. Let's see though... $9 wedge salad was unreasonably tiny (1/8 of an iceberg, few toppings, only saving grace was candied bacon). Burger was served on a stale bun that was falling apart and "medium" was "medium well". Worst burger I've had in quite a while. Upgraded from fries to a cup of dumpling soup for an extra $1. Came in a 6 oz cup, was bland, chicken was overcooked. Wish I'd had the fries and saved the dollar. This is a situation of wanting to give this place another try in 2-3 years since there are so few restaurants in the area and you'd like to think it has potential.
This was a combined holiday lunch (belated) and business meeting with a colleague. We had a reservation, but clearly didn't need one as very few tables were filled at noon on a Friday. But that meant we didn't need to feel bad about taking the table for a couple of hours. The food was all really good and the menu quite diverse. My Caesar salad with the addition of grilled salmon was fantastic. Many places seem to treat the additional protein as more of an afterthought, but Empire placed a perfectly spiced and grilled portion on top of the perfectly dressed greens. My colleague really enjoyed her French onion soup. We've been trying to find a convenient meeting place between Denver and Loveland where we each live and will definitely be adding Empire to the list of very good options.
We showed up for our reservation and the restaurant was closed. No activity whatsoever. No one called to tell us they were going to be closed and could not fulfill the reservation. It was quite the inconvenience. Won't return.
Food was great. Service was excellent. Loved that the music was in the background and our server never rushed us, she let us sit, talk, enjoy the food and each other's company. Definitely be back.
Came for a happy hour on Sunday (it's offered Sun - Thurs) and there was plenty of seating. Ordered the empire lemonade, sangria, margarita, and cucumber gin and tonic. They were all very good. Also ordered the charcuterie board, but didn't get the $1 discount for happy hour. Besides that, it was also good stuff. Definitely a fun happy hour stop. The normal menu is a bit pricey, but all sounds delicious.
I really want to like this place, the ambiance is nice. But the food was not up to par. My chicken and dumpling soup was slightly cold and somewhat bland. So was my salmon. I can appreciate limited menus - I prefer a focused menu that masters what is on it. But this is not that. My food experience was below average. Service was great. And I've always enjoyed their drink menu.
I brought in my two kids and mother after a couple of hours ice-skating in downtown Louisville. My 3-year old daughter had a bit of a meltdown as we were getting seated- but the host found us a nice quiet corner of the restaurant while the manager went in back and fetched a couple slices of bread and some warm butter for her. My daughter perked right up at this gesture, and was all smiles and sunshine the rest of dinner. The staff made a wonderful effort with the kids throughout the meal. It isn't always easy to have a nice dining-out experience with two young children- but the staff at The Empire went way above and beyond to make our night.
I ordered a kale salad and steak tartare. The kale salad did not have any flavor. Dressing needed to be different especially because of the blue cheese crumbles. All I could taste was the bitter kale. The tartare was also very disappointing. It had croutons in it which is odd. I'd like to return but order something different. My husband had the Reuben and he loved it.
Great brunch selection and the french toast breakfast sandwich was on point.
Restaurantji Recommends
They've just seemed to stop caring about the food leaving the kitchen. We were one of 2 tables in the place. Ordered a burger and a salad. Took 40 min... I could tap on the shrimp like it was plastic..very hard to cur thru. Fries totally no seasoning and cool. Good burger. Decent service. And the need to clean this place out.. very musty.
We really enjoyed our dinner at Empire Lounge. It was busy, but our order was taken quickly and drinks and food arrived in a very timely manner. The staff was attentive and the food and drinks were delicious. The Red Snapper special was superb!
Wow. We haven’t been here in a while and we came today for lunch. We ate outside. Our waiter and the host were lovely. The food was not good. My salad was way overdressed. The kids pasta was over cooked with canned tomato sauce. The meatballs were strange and kinda tasted like cardboard. My wife’s salad was not what was listed on the menu. And the 3 course kids meal for $12? What kids are eating three courses. Strange. We won’t go back. It’s sad because we want to support these local Lsvl restaurants, but it was downright not good and way overpriced.
My time here was expensive, got charged to have BBQ sauce on the side of an expensive burger and a hidden charge for the kitchen staff. For what you pay… I don’t think it was anything that special. Prices seemed high end for a very casual environment.
Excellent spot in Downtown Louisville. All the food was excellent (and reasonably priced). The Ruben was the best I've had in a long while. The side salad was wonderful. The staff were friendly, helpful and professional. Will definitely be back.