The Empress - Menu

I had a very negative experience at this restaurant. I felt unwelcome and the lack of diversity was noticeable. It's only okay if you belong to a specific clientele.

I came here often when I lived close today came for a roast and they’ve removed the veggie roast for some reason. It’s Hackney and there are a lot of vegetarians. Ruined my Sunday.

I had the most delicious lunch I’ve had in a while. I had the chilled tomato soup and the melon. So so impressed. And the staff were really wonderful. Would recommend and would come back View menu

Firstly, the staff are awesome, really nice and happy. Then the food, we had a roast today and it was amazing. Highly recommend the roast beef. The pub itself is a lovely open space. The dining room has gorgeous leather seating along the wall and traditional tables and chairs running along that. Great bar and bar staff with lots of whiskeys too. Really great experience.

The pub itself is in a great location, not near a tube but didnt bother most of us. I invited a group of mates for lunch and it was great, from the welcome, the service and the food. Nice bright room, casual but professional. We had selection of starters then had our own mains, all cooked as they should! Good drink selection, local beers and some off piste wines too. Still the best pub in East London!

This was supposed to be an enjoyable family meal but it was far from that.The girl serving was pleasant enough but didn’t have a clue.The pigs head croquettes at £9 was not a croquette at all but a single fried meat cake with tough dry meat inside.The flat iron steak at £24 was tough and tasteless and cold with a bland sauce which was a waste of time.This must be the worst place to eat in Bow Village and grossly overpriced.Avoid this establishment unless you just want a drink. View menu

I often make reservations for the monthly Frugal Feasts at this restaurant, which always offer incredible value and delicious food (make sure to book early!). Last week, I brought my entire team here for our annual pre-Christmas dinner and I was impressed by how well they accommodated our large group in the main dining room, without having to be relegated to a boring function room. There were plenty of menu options to please everyone, the food was excellent, the service was top-notch, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

I have been a patron of this restaurant since 2015, but unfortunately, my recent experiences have been disappointing. Although most of the staff are nice and helpful, there is a high turnover rate. Unfortunately, there are occasions when customer service is lacking, as was the case when a young bar manager aggressively insisted that a well-done steak was actually medium, despite it being overcooked. The issue was not resolved promptly and the steak was not replaced in a timely manner. This kind of poor attitude is rare in the area, and it is unfortunate that the management at Empress cannot retain good staff.

I went there with my work colleagues. I made the reservation about 3 months in advance, not knowing that The Empress will have the frugal feast that night. That meant a closed menu of 3 courses for a fixed price. There was no allergen information on the printed menu and we had to rely on our server's giving us information on food. Apparently they make their foccacia with butter?! I find it unacceptable that a pub like The Empress, in Hackney did not bother to mark allergen information on their set menu for the day! There was also no flexibility on the pricing given that members of our group could only have 1 main and 1 dessert out of the menu, due to food allergies. And one last thing (but j... View menu