Was here on a Saturday night after the beau and I went to check out Strega, which had a small bar and was packed. Â We turned the corner and found Empire. Â Surprisingly no wait line considering it was a Saturday night. Â We went inside and boom! The music, which I liked - trance - dance - hip. Â The place itself was high class, well designed, and the feel was intimate (depending on where you where chilling). Â We were seated further from the main bar and speakers so it was nice. Â We could eat, drink and still hear each other. Â The drinks were pretty good. Â I had the Coco Dojo & Mai Tai while my partner had a Sapporo. All average piced at about $10 a drink. Â We also ordered some apps as we chatted away. Â Eel avocado roll, shrimp shu mai and scallion pancake. Â All were priced a lil' higher than what I'm used to but all of it was delicious! Â They were dolled up apps with just the right flavor, crisp and texture. Â No complaints about paying a lil more for a good envirnment and twist to your average apps. Â The service at our table was also a good experience, pretty attentive for a very busy happening place.
The place was packed on the bar side of the venue and everyone was dressed to impress. Gotta say there were a lot of hot ladies and tasteful outfits there. Â Great place to go with friends for a nice chill night out. Â The DJ - shes a hot asian too. Â hehe... Â I'm thinking this could be on my list of regular visits. Â Oh and not to mention they have all you can eat sushi on Monday nights for $25. Â Might try that out some day.
Updating my review, since it's been about a year now.
I've been here a few more times since my initial review, and my opinion of it has not changed. I came here during hockey season to watch a game with a friend and to enjoy some drinks. It was moderately packed, but still only took a few minutes to grab a drink at the bar. I also came here last weekend, since a nearby bar had a line out the door. It was shoulder to shoulder inside of here, but after some clever maneuvering, my friend and I were able to get to the bar, and had a drink in hand within minutes.
This location is one of my go-to places whenever I'm in the city. The drinks are strong and very reasonably priced for an upscale place in Boston. There is no cover (which is a bonus!), and is an easy commute from anywhere in the city. I still can't get over the setup of this location. It is so beautifully decorated, and is a wonderful change of scenery from college bars. They also apparently have a DJ on the weekends, so it was fun to be able to socialize with some good club music in the background.
I said I would come back for the food and still haven't...but seeing the individual next to me with a plate of sushi this past weekend has tempted me to come back and give them a shot finally.
This is not a restaurant. This is a bar masquerading as a restaurant. We had tried to come on a Saturday night and didn't bother due to the loud  LOUD music and huge trendy SCENE.  We finally made it on a Sunday.  It was very empty. Not a good sign.  We ordered 4 appetizers and 2 entrees for 4 of us It was all mediocre with the exception of the Tuna Tartar which was awful. YUK. Tuna tartar doesn't need heavy mayo and chunks of pickles.UGH. My favorite dish and they destroyed it. Nothing left a memorable impression.  Worst of all the special foie gras dumplings had no foie gras that I could taste. NONE. I even cut them in half to look. Nope, no foie gras i could see.. or taste.
I guess they figure if they keep you drinking, you won't notice the food isn't so great
To add insult to injury.. our Martini's were a skimpy pour. And as skimpy
as they looked, when you removed the huge Lemon wedge, the martini's came 1/2 way up the glass. Cmon guys, if you are looking to sell booze at least give us a full glass. as for service, pleasant but honestly, when a dish is served with 3 sauces and your wait person has no idea what the sauces are...? Seriously? Â Empire was a HUGE disappointment. Won't be back.
Actually, to the person who gave it 4 stars and called in a Pan-asian Hooters...
You were correct. but I wouldn't give Hooters even one star!
I would like to give constructive feedback for this potentially great place. Probably will fall on deaf ears, but here it goes. Don't try so hard. Empire has an amazing space with awesome food and drinks. However, the music is ENTIRELY too loud, and the cocktail waitresses attire is uncomfortably revealing. Even the staff seems very awkward towards women knowing their outfits are just inappropriate. If Empire just didn't try so hard, the food and atmosphere would sell itself.
Review Source:the only 2 things i dont like about this place is unless u have a table its very hard to get a drink at the bar and the music is really loud that u find urself screaming to talk to other ppl. overall a good spot to start to the nite off and grab a small bite. i am usually here a few times a month mostly on sat nites....
Review Source:I went to Empire with some girlfriends for my birthday dinner this past June. I have wanted to go for a while as I love Red Lantern and thought it would be similar. We went early as one of us has a baby - who is incredibly well behaved. They were very accommodating to us, and the service was top notch all night. I liked the ambiance and could see that this place probably really gets going in the later hours. We started with the lobster and crab Rangoon's. I crave the lobster ones from Red Lantern and could not wait to dig into these. I was surprisingly disappointed to find that my Rangoon here had minimal lobster or crab and was mostly cream cheese - fail! For my entrée I had the chicken lo mein - boring I know but I am currently preggo and sushi is off the list. My friends loved their sushi, but my noodles were not great. They came out look warm, and frankly tasted re-heated. Double fail. I was so excited that this place opened - it is close to where I live, and my company is moving to the seaport this winter. I will be passing on coming back and will instead go with my tried and true - their other restaurant Red Lantern.
Review Source:Went to Empire last night to celebrate bday. Never regretted it. Lounge, restaurant, bar, the DJ!,music, interior! Everything was very thoughtful. They do have a lot of interesting and surprising things, just don't be afraid to try (and do ask for server's recommendations, it helps). But I would say it is a great place for    people up to 35-40 y.o.
Review Source:So this was my first time here. Food was good and came out really fast. Quite surprising actually. The Lobster Cupcakes are quite tasty but needs more lobster in it. The single order of Pad Thai was huge. Enough for three-four people. Definitely worth ordering.
The drink (I'll explain a little later) was good. I had a manhattan while my date had an Emperor's mule. The service was good but once the food came we didn't get checked on. Shame. Could have been five stars if they asked if everything was ok and if we could use another drink....
Empire belongs in Miami. And that's where it shall stay - a far, far away place that we don't really need to revisit for any reason other than someone else's bachelorette, birthday, etc.
I came here with a large group on a weekday. Our dinner took more than 3 hours. For sushi and apps. Red flag number one.
Our waiter, whose name I didn't catch, but who's greasy pony tail stood out, was lazy, untimely and generally pretty rude. He was unapologetic for forgetting drinks and for spending the majority  of the evening chatting up the cute hostess.
As for the food, the $18 sushi was not fresh, nor was it well put together. The mango maki was awful - none of the flavors melded well and the fish was clearly too old to be sushi grade. If you're in the mood for good sushi, head elsewhere.
I'm a big fan of good, raw fish and sushi, and this place did nothing for me. I would not recommend it, nor do I have any intention of returning. However, I did have a lovely experience at the bar and the house music was nice, however unfit for Boston.
Ps - the lobster roll roll was super unimaginative and plain. Literally a lobster roll wrapped in seaweed. They could've at least added some wasabi or added some flair to the local favorite.
My girlfriend and I went to Empire on a night where we decided to splurge, so we went all out in ordering as much food as we could.
For drinks, the Bourbon Ending is simply amazing, and you won't be able to stop at one.
We ate the Spicy Salmon 'Rice Bites,' Beef Teppanyaki on Cedar, Cambodian Fried Rice, plus a few of the lobster specials that night. All were phenomenal, but the Beef Teppanyaki was one of the best meals I've had in recent memory. I believe I was speechless for a few minutes after finishing it.
The chef was so excited that we were the first customers to order one of the specials that he sent out an additional dish at no charge. The waitress was very friendly, treated us more like friends than customers, and had plenty of great suggestions.
The atmosphere is big. As for decor, I'd still rate Red Lantern a little higher, but still a great experience.
Every drink seems to come in a hollowed-out piece of fruit with dry ice. Â YES PLEASE.
Great for groups -- I think the tables seat a billion people each and everything is really easy to share. Â The food is good, especially the spicy salmon bites, and the service is very capable.
The lounge area is good for an after-dinner drink. Â It's like Pan-Asian Hooters.
I don't know why I once liked this place, but I did once upon a time. Â I can't put my finger on it. Â Maybe it was because of its swanky ambience. Â That ship has sailed.
Food: All items are super overpriced. Â Also, if you want Asian food, this is not the place to go. Â Their makis are bland and lack flavor. Â Their pho is not pho. Â The appetizers, you should be paying half price for. Â Their bibimbap? Â I mean, come on, I'm going to pay you how much for you to make some rice and throw some vegetables on it? Â Please, I can make it better myself at home. Â The only items worth ordering on the menu is straight up sushi/nigiri (sashimi). Â Their sushi is very fresh and I've always enjoyed their salmon & ikura. Â By the way, the ikura is presented in a very unique way when ordered as sashimi. Â I only found that out after I requested ikura sushi and got sashimi instead. Â So, maybe it was a good thing.
Drinks: WAYYYYYYY too sweet. Â Expect the absolute worst hangover of your life the next day, but at least you'll get super drunk at this place. Â I've always left disoriented without even intending on it.
Staff: They are money-hungry people trying to push the most expensive items on you. Â I'm a big tipper, but it's a big turn off when I ask you what I should order and you only pick the most expensive items. Â Especially because having been there 3 times previously, I know what's good on the menu, I just asked you for kicks to see what you'd say. Â On the other hand, in contrast to the waitresses, the bartenders have real suggestions for you. Â Maybe it's because the bartenders get make more in a night that they're more prone to give you real suggestions.
People: In my experience, the people that come to Empire is like any other Big Night Entertainment Group crowd. Â They're not people who actually live in Boston. Â They're people who come from the neighboring towns of Boston and are out there to be posers, acting like they can afford what they're paying at Empire... when in actuality they can't. Â Nothing against people who live outside of Boston, but I'm talking the poser/guido types. Â The point I'm getting to is... despite the swankiness of this place, don't go here to mingle with people; the quality lacks. Â I guess that happens when you offer fish bowls though.
Dining: This is more like a party scene than really a dining space. Â I guess party is the wrong term, it should be lounge instead. Â Hence, don't come here in order to have dinner with your friends or even a date. Â I went once to have dinner with a friend and it was SO hard talking to her. Â We were just constantly screaming at each other, "WHAT?" Â Mind you, we were at the back of the restaurant, away from the lounge area.
Why 2 stars not 1? I mean, the decor is something to go there for. Â Plus, it's massive. Â Not to mention, there's not too many places in the city where you can get late night food. Â Hence, if you want to drink and eat past the 11 pm/12 am mark, this is the place to go. Â I really wanted to like Empire and I did... once upon a time when it first opened. Â Then, I saw Empire's true colors as I went time and time again...
Four of us had a good time at Empire tonight. Â The restaurant is definitely impressive. Â It is massive. Â We had a round of drinks in the bar before dinner. Â The drinks were expensive, but as expected ($12 for ketel one/grey goose and $10 or $12 for a glass of pinot grigio or sav blanc). Â
Once we were seated, we shared a few different things to eat. Â Our waiter (Steven) was spot on and did a great job. Â He did talk us into the "Big Kahuna" drink, which was a massive scorpion bowl served in a hollowed out watermelon. Â Yes, we knew we were buying into the gimmick, but it was fun, tasty, and served four.
For food, we had the crispy shrimp shu mail (excellent), the tuna tataki (one of the specials, just ok), the yaki maki (black cod rolls, excellent), and the spicy chinese wings (good). Â We also shared two dinners--the black cod (delicious!) and the Korean steak (excellent).. Â For dessert we shared the espresso mud slide (huge, with frozen mousse and ice cream, really good) and the angel food cake with mango ice cream (ok). Â All in all, a very enjoyable meal!
Yes, it's expensive. Â But the food is good, the service is good, and the scene is impressive. Â You'll have fun there if you go in with the right expectations and attitude. Â I'd definitely go back.
I brought my wife here for her birthday. I read alot of positive reviews, as well as alot of negative ones. I decided to give it a shot anyways, with the mindset it was going to be expensive. First off, the layout  and interior design is stunning. What a beautiful restaurant! We went early when it was not to busy. Our service was tremendous. We were given a free dessert for her b'day that was personalized. The food was very good, yet pretty pricey. My steak was delicious, but at $32 it should be. Menu was filled with creative choices, but had some safe choices as well. We didn't  drink, but saw how expensive the cocktails were on the menu, starting at $14. Bottom line if your looking for great Asian fusion food in a beautiful, upscale, trendy atmosphere and don't mind spending some cake, this is a great spot. Bonus, right on fan pier, so you can take a walk along the pier.
Review Source:This is the most pretentiously overpriced restaurant I've ever been to. Â $22 for Pad Thai. Â Pad Thai is not haute cuisine. Â Don't price it like it is. Â The food here is extremely ordinary, its only distinguishing feature being its galling price. Â Very much not worth it, expecially given the poor service and extremely loud music (it was impossible to hold a conversation, even in the dining area). Â This place goes for "shock and awe", but what it achieves is "shock and anger".
Review Source:I went to Empire for the first time with a friend a few weeks ago. It is impressive right when you walk in, the decor is so interesting and very un-Boston, if that makes sense. It looks more like a Vegas restaurant on the inside, which i kinda liked for Boston, something new.
Our waitress was really nice and new the menu inside and out, she was great with recommendations. We started out with some cocktails, I got the Hot Night in Bangkok (yes i ordered it bc of the name) and it was spicy and delicious. My friend ordered the Coco Dojo (again, bc of the name) and it was sweet, but still good.
On to the apps. We got the tuna tartar, which was good, I have definitely had better, the tuna had started to grey a little bit showing that it was not made fresh to order, but it was good none the less. We also had a few of the special apps for the night, a lobster muffin which was great, and something else that i cannot remember, but it was a special so it's not on the menu, but i do remember it being DELISH.
For the next course, we got a bunch of sushi, the wagu sushi is incredible, spicy tuna is one of the best i've had, and we had some sushi from the specials menu. Everything was great, very fresh tasting and very beautifully presented.
For dessert we could not resist the apple rangoons....are you kidding me!!! so so so good. rangoons with an apple cinnamon filling, with a butterscotch soy dipping sauce. Get them, seriously you have to.
Overall it was a great dinner, I want to go back to hang at the bar, it seemed to have a good crowd, the late 20s to late 30s kind of scene, which is GREAT in boston, anywhere that is void of college bros and silly drunken girls is high on my list as they are definitely few and bar between.
Great addition to the seaport, highly recommend!
I had high hopes but was extremely dissappointed. We went for drinks one night and enjoyed the drinks, but the crowd was a little to "Euro" for me - too many people came in as if we were at a club. We went for dinner on a separate night and felt the food was just ok. The raw menu was better than the cooked food we got. The food was dry and tasteless.
Review Source:5 stars for ambiance, 2 stars for service.
It's bea-uuuutiful inside, and HUGE. We had dinner around the corner at Strega and then stopped in here for a few drinks. There were 4 of us and over the course of the night we ordered 4 rounds of drinks. Every round we ordered the same exact drinks (beer, wine and 2 mixed drinks) and every time the price was different. Um, what? We sat at the long island bar in the middle and the servers were extremely hard to flag down. When I got one girl's attention she turned to me and said "I'm actually the bartender, but that's ok". What??!
The female DJ was awesome and she made me want to get up and dance after all those glasses of wine....however there wasn't much of a dance floor situation happening. A lot of people sitting in little alcoves and on benches and crowded around the bar area. If i got up to dance, it would have been by myself -- did I mention it was a Saturday night?
We'd go back...but not in any rush.
This place is great (thats about it) nothing special and not as good as phantom gourmet makes it seem!!
I prefer Red Lantern in Boston over Empire anyday of the week (Red Lantern has great drink specials). Empire's menu is drab and very expensive which is not always a good thing especially if the food isn't to die for!!
The atmosphere in Empire is stuffy although the decor is amazing, to me..it was not what I expected and a HUGE let down!
My first time at Empire Restaurant&Lounge. I went there for my friend's bday. We didn't join for diner but showed up for drinks. My friend said diner was delicious and it was about $30/person. The drinks were good but a little bit pricy or $12/drink which seems to be the average in Boston. You can't find parking late at night. They have valet for $16 or you can park at the public parking which seems to cost about the same so you are better off valeting the car.
The restaurant is very nice. I didn't expect such a nice place in Southie. It is owned by the same people who own Red Lantern so the restaurant looks very similar to Red Lantern (which I love!!!)
My BF ended up ordering tuna tartar ($17) which was delicious!!
If you wanna go to Southie but try something different I definitely recommend this place as it's a very nice, sexy restaurant/lounge.
AND AND they have a DJ(girl) there!!
Also they have a massive open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant which is really cool!!
Attended the Spring menu open house party last night. This venue is incredible. There is nothing like it in Boston. If you have a large event for 200+ I think this would be an excellent location. I love how the screens open up to make smaller rooms connect into one large space. The wine and beer selections were nice. The coctails were alright, nothing life-changing. Â The sushi was incredible. Everything tasted so fresh and delicious. I also loved how they brought around samples of their appetizers to compliment the sushi. The beef skewers were juicy and perfectly seasoned. The pork wasn't too fatty or greasy. Overall I give the food 4 stars and the ambiance 5 stars. Drinks 3 stars and we even out at a nice 4 star average.
Overall I would come back here with a big group or plan a private event/ party here. You just need the right crowd. Of course you can get cheaper asian food elsewhere in Boston, but not with this kind of atmosphere.
I ventured over here late on a Thursday night, probably not the best time to visit since me and my two friends were the only customers. Â It seemed like a could be a good time if there was a crowd and my friend wasn't forced to dance with the bouncer to keep herself occupied. Â Needless to say the cool drink menu, Mariah Carey playing DJ and totally hot female bartenders will probably draw me back in for a second try.
I'll keep you posted.
Went there with a group of friends for restaurant week. The interior decor is excellent - warm, interesting, up-scale, and very polished. A fun  location for an evening out. The price points are high as you might expect  for a trendy, well dressed, establishment.  The food is ok with some high points but I felt , fell short of the decor, location, and style.  The drinks we had were definitely the low point of the dining experience. They have a creative drink menu with fun sounding ingredients but for $14.00  for a Martini should be more than sweet and citrus. I think alcohol is one of the ingredients.
Tip; Save the expense- its not a real Martini
My partner and I picked Empire out of a few restaurants for Restaurant Week because it was convenient to where we both work. We made a reservation for 6:30 pm, figuring that we'd get to the concert we were going to with quite a bit of time to spare as the band we were seeing went on at 10 pm.
We were unfortunately dead wrong.
I try to be nice, but I can't give this place more than a star. It's that atrocious. The food is just okay -- for a place that tries to be trendy, upscale, and innovative, it just comes off as tacky and overblown. The waitstaff seemed a bit condescending when we said we wanted the Restaurant Week prix-fixe menu. Yes, I know it's a fixed-price option, which is why I ordered one of their unbelievably overpriced cocktails. They're good, but they're not $14 good. They apparently have a dress code, but my workplace is casual dress and I didn't know about it. They didn't seem to care about my hoodie and skinny jeans. Whoops.
Anyway, I had the spicy salmon roll, miso salmon, and apple rangoons. Or, I would have had the apple rangoons had we had time for dessert. Shame about that. The food was otherwise not bad - the salmon roll had a nice texture but was unfortunately way overpowered by the blob of spicy mayo dolloped on top of each roll. The miso salmon was cooked well and I enjoyed the fish itself, though the bok choy it came on top of was the stems, not the leaves. I love bitter greens, but that was not good. The edamame was tasty but didn't really make sense with the rest of the dish.
My partner originally ordered the salt and pepper chicken, which turned out to be deep fried. I've had more appetising preparations of the dish at corner Chinese restaurants. It wasn't at all what he expected, so he requested the salmon, which was much better.
I imagine I would have liked the apple rangoons, but the two dishes we each had had 45 minutes between them! Absolutely horrendous. By the time our main courses were finished and cleared, it was almost 9 pm (two and a half hours for two courses for two people!). We had about a 20 minute drive ahead of us, so we opted to skip dessert. The manager came to apologise, after which our waiter also came over.
The ambiance is pretentious, the food is not worth the price, and the service is abominable. I'm just gonna stick to the holes in the wall in Chinatown from now on -- the service is better than Empire.
Went to Empire on a busy Friday night for dinner and drinks----party of 10. We had reservations and were seated in a timely fashion----so far so good. That's about where the experience went downhill. I don't know if they are understaffed for a weekend crowd, or our waitstaff was just particularly overwhelmed, but the service was TERRIBLE. Ran out of water, only managed to get in ~2 drink orders for a meal that ended up taking 3.5 hours! On top of that, some of our appetizers just got left off the kitchen's to-do list, the wrong items/drinks were delivered to the wrong people, etc. Overall, it was a complete debacle-----the difficulties with getting our food/drinks was enough to ruin the evening.
That being said, what we did get was good, high-end Asian fare. Shrimp shu-mai was good, if a little heavy on the white sauce, the Red Dragon roll was excellent (and spicy), and the Street Noodles had just the right mix of spices and flavor. Portions were of good-size, and we did leave full....if underserved and tired of sitting for over three hours.
Overall, good food, great ambience, but unless they can improve something about their staffing/service, I would not go back.
Went to Empire for the first time last week and it was ah-mazing! The ambiance is out of this world, it's perfect for a date or a big group dinner. The food is great and I love that you can see the chefs at work right there making your sushi. They've also got great food options, even if you need gluten free like my roommate!
I strongly recommend trying the Hamachi Tartare Roll and the Lobster Cupcake Special. I will definitely be returning soon!
If you come in here with the right mindset (i.e. you're coming for Asian FUSION food and paying $$$ for the service/ambiance/experience/cocktails. Don't come here thinking you're getting overpriced asian food you could get at Chinatown cuz then, just go to Chinatown!), then you'll be sure to have a good time.
Flavors of the food (mainly sushi) were in general quite impressive, the cocktails were super strong, service was fast/friendly/professional, decor was cool and just a little over the top (Like 3 feet tall Mao ze dong lamps) and atmosphere was lively, chic, and perfect for many occasions. Girl dates, romantic dates, group outings, socials...you name it.
As for food: (We agreed to stick with sushi and forgo any dishes we could get at Chinatown...;) )
- Poke appetizer - yes $19 is steep, but the big fresh chunks of sashimi grade tuna, marinated in a well-balanced tangy, sweet Asian soy sesame sauce was recipe for success. The textures were wonderful where the tuna meat was balanced with fresh sprouts, crunchy crushed glazed peanuts, and seaweed.
- Lobster salad futo roll - my favorite maki of the evening. Large, fresh, sweet chunks of lobster lightly dressed in yuzu mayo and wrapped simply with seaweed. Just simple and delicious.
- Sokeye and mango roll- This one was probably our least favorite of the evening. The fish was tasteless as it was drenched beneath the overly sweet mango sauce. The sushi was almost a dessert...leftovers remained. We were underwhelmed.
- Smoked salmon nigiri - really delicious. The perfect bite-sized nigiri didn't come with too much rice. The small dab of mayo (aka lemon aioli) and bonito flakes really enhanced the flavors of the smoked salmon. Again, fresh and flavorful!
- 2 other rolls I forgot the names to, but both were delicious. Had their own flavors and I would definitely order again!
Cocktails - in 1 word, STRONG. I thought the Opium dream was strong...and then I tasted the black widow martini. Not my cup of tea, but if you like the taste of alcohol, you'll probably like their martinis'
To me, the biggest downside is probably the fact that it's a little out of the way. When we left at 2am, it was a teeny bit hard to flag down a cab out at the Seaport district. However, if you wanna bring a date here so you can talk for hours in a lounge-like atmosphere, Empire would be a great place to do it. Oh, and it might also be harder for your date to escape if she/he didn't drive. ;)
Agree with most of these reviews that this restaurant leaves much to be desired. The ambiance and decor hands down is incredible. As you walk in, you're transported to a romanticized oriental palace. Its very modern and sleek - its got a very nyc type of vibe. The private banquet rooms remind me of the high end restaurants in the motherland. Â Needless to say, they pulled out all the bells and whistle. But under the glitz and glamour, the food failed miserably. Â
Now I already had lower expectations for an Asian fusion restaurant knowing full well that it can't really be compared to traditional fare. But I have had some pretty decent and surprisingly good food at asian fusion restaurants before so I know its attainable.
Our group was in the bar area so we didn't have a sit down dinner but we ordered many items from the regular menu. Â Some of what we ordered:
Lobster Scallion pancake - was so hard and dry, I thought I might actually crack a tooth
Sushi rolls - I could have just bought grocery store bought rolls. 'nough said
Veggie Tempura - probably the only thing I had that was pretty good but really, if you can't even get fried food right then you have no business even opening a restaurant.
Sorry Empire, won't be coming back  to pay an arm and a leg for another mediocre experience.
Honestly I don't understand why everyone is hating on Empire so much. Yes it's a little bit pretentious, and yes it's definitely overpriced, but it's also really good food and drinks and a decent atmosphere if you set your expectations straight. Â If I wanted really authentic pho or dumplings or noodles for less than $10 I'd go to Chinatown. What Empire (and red lantern) provides, at least for me, is a place to eat these foods that I enjoy but at a much better atmosphere, level of service, and beverage choices than any joint in Chinatown could provide.
Now onto the food...
Lobster & Crab Rangoon - the lobster ones are better, I just love rangoons in general
Hawaiian Style Poke - SO good!!!! Just an amazing balance of flavors, $19 is kind of a lot for an app but it's a pretty good portion
Traditional Pot Stickers - a little underwhelming for me, too much sweetness, nothing special, weakness dish of the night
Bibimbap - really good!!! and it's HUGE! could serve 4 people easily. The beef was really tender and flavorful and it's a pretty traditional preparation of the dish. Only complain is that rice was a little mushy
Dessert: banana bread pudding with chocolate sauce & coffee ice cream - i mean...how could this be NOT good, come on!
And a lot of people here seem to complain about the service. We were there on a Wed night at 7:30 and the service was great, waitress was very nice and attentive.
I'd totally go back, sit in the lounge, have a few drinks and a few apps.
I am more writing the review to share how awesome the atmosphere is at Empire -
Went to dinner and drinks with a girl friend on wednesday night ... called to make sure they would be serving a full menu ... called at 9:30pm ... they said yes "kitchen open til 11:30pm ... first time for both of us and since I had heard a few good reviews I was really looking forward to trying -
We were STARVING and ready to eat .... we walk in and the decor and atmosphere are incredible - its as though your whisked away to some imaginary dream
We are seated immediately and the host was somewhat friendly ... our waiter was nice and came right over to get drink orders but to actually get the glass of wine took what seemed like forever ... over 10 or 15 mins ....
the menu is asian fusion and when I say over priced .... the Pad Thai is $22 and is really not that great ...DRY and all I could taste was lemon grass and soy sauce ... Â we ordered a few sushi rolls to share ... but really over priced ...and an order of the fried rice ... yes a huge portion but it was like $24 .... most entrees are $40 .... crazy ... if it were a 5 star restaurant then I would not mind but this place is many improvements away from receiving any stars from the food world Â
oh and can I mention our waiter told us like 4 times that the kitchen was closing around 11pm .... hey guy we just got our $60 worth of rice and noodles ... stop implying its time to leave .... we still have like 30 mins .. geezzz
go for the drinks and sit in the lounge .... or get ready to drop a $100 on what you can get at any corner "asian delight" ...
Empire is Red Lantern's new sister and, unfortunately, the food and service pales in comparison.
To start off, the decor cannot be faulted. They must have spent a fortune making the place into the modern oriental palace it is today. I was obsessed from the moment I stepped through their doors. The bar looks awesome and is filled with attractive young professionals. My friends were DYING to go mingle.
We ended up ordering a lot of appetizers and one entree to share which were as follows:
The Rangoons (Lobster & Crab):
Cooked perfectly....but for spending as much as we did we were sort of expecting something different or unique. The wasabi sauce was WAY to powerful and completely overtook the rangoons. Learned that one the hard way.
Tuna Tartar:
Decent, definitely not the worst I've had. A lot of cucumber, not so much tuna. It really doesn't compare to how flavorful and absolutely delicious the Red Lantern one is. I was sort of expecting something on par with that one but it totally missed the mark.
Lobster Cupcakes:
I believe this was a special that day. The flavors were there but they were so hard that getting into them was a challenge.
Singapore Street Noodles:
Really good. Exactly the same as the Red Lantern dish and as it should be. I loved it at both places!
As far as the service goes....it was really slow. The food came out slowly, the drinks came out slowly, the check took like 15 minutes from us asking for it to it getting dropped at the table. I want to attribute it to the restaurant being new and them still getting a handle on everything but it was definitely an issue.
I'll probably try it again in a little while to see if it gets better. For now I'll probably stick to Red Lantern since it's closer and the food/service seems to be better.
I've only been here for the bar and lounge though based on the reviews before me, I might just skip the restaurant experience.
Empire is a great hangout. Wide open spaces and over the top decor. Bartenders were just ok. I guess they moved as quickly as the corsets allowed.
Considering Boston's lack of nice hangout spots, empire is quickly luring the crowds. You get great mixes of people here.
HUGE restaurant that was extremely overwhelming when we walked in. Â Went for drinks after work and there was just a small crowd. Â We decided to take a table near the bar and were greeted (10 minutes later) by a friendly waitress who I was surprised could breathe based on the corset she was wearing. Â Not just her...all of the bartenders. Â I'm not usually one to comment on uniforms but I genuinely felt bad for these girls that were having their "goods" shoved into their throats. Â But, if it was comfy for them, then doesn't bother me!
Drinks were good. Sushi was good. Nothing extroadinary, but it's convenient.
Ehhhhh. That's how I feel about this place. The food was pretty all right, but for the prices I wasn't impressed. I don't understand how Singapore street noodles could be $24! And still not taste better than my favorite place on foodler. And don't even get me started on the $15 "lobster" scallion pancakes (lobster is in quotes because I didn't see any).
The service was pretty inconsistent. When we got there for our reservation, I let the hostess know the name of our party and what time our reservation was for. She brought me about mid-way into one of the ginormous dining rooms and .. just left me there in front of a large party that a) had obviously been seated for some time and b) wasn't my group of friends. So that was awkward. Once we were seated, our server also went missing for a bit when we had wanted dessert menus. However, I will give him huge credit for letting us know about the parking ban going on due to the snow storm so that people that didn't valet or park in the garage could move their cars - that was very nicely done.
In summation: I won't be back, but I guess I'm glad I tried it?
This place is huge, definitely best suited to large groups and parties. I came here for a birthday recently and we stayed for dinner and then hung out in the lounge after. Food was mediocre at best but portions are large and they have a big menu to choose from. Service was slow and it was hard to flag down waiters but the food came out relatively quickly after we ordered. Best part is the decor.
As for the lounge, if you enjoy getting bumped into multiple times in a night and having other people's drinks spilled all over you, this is the place. Boston doesn't exactly have the most vibrant nightlife scene so when a new place opens, everyone flocks to it. I'm sure in a few months it will be a lot better.
This review is solely based on the bar/lounge scene and atmosphere. Â The setting and space is very nice. Â The ceilings are large with oversize doors with a modern Asian style. Â Everything is brand new and has a darker and dimly lit space. Â There is a large bar space which is always way too overcrowded and large area to sit on couches or a large table. Â
The waitstaff is slow and seems frustrated with fighting through the crowds. Â They tend to be passive aggressive yelling at clientele rudely. Â
The crowd there varies but is usually an older crowd ranging from late 30's to 50's. Â There are a lot of Boston wannabe socialite's and Jersey Shore trash. Â However, maybe 10 percent of the time you will get a normal younger late 20's to 30's crowd and have a good night.
Overall, the setting and scene is cool. Â The crowd is questionable. Â The service and food is average. Â Check it out and see for yourself.
Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge (previously called Shrine) sits
in a sweet, Summer spot on Fan Pier on the Boston Waterfront,
which is what drew me in to try it on the hottest week of the Summer.
I now return after every event I attend at the nearby ICA.
ATMOSPHERE: Â Think Buddhakan BIG...Dungeon Doors & high ceilings.
I love the gold leather couches and steel drum coffee table.
Everything about the decor is "Livin' Large"...and I liked it.
FOOD: Â Trendy Asian dishes such as Red Chili Shrimp
with Thai Basil and Potato Chips, lobster scallion pancakes,
a fish and chips roll, broiled barley miso chicken,
chicken and mushroom dumplings and chicken fried rice.
PRICES: Â For Boston Waterfront or Back Bay, they are reasonable.
I shared a bowl of 20 dumplings in chicken broth for ONLY $20,
and there were many menu options in the $11-$15 range.
DRINKS: Â They offer "oversized" cocktails for four,
like the Margarita Mayhem, served in a "hallowed" cantaloupe
STAFF: Â Our waiter was patient and persistent in returning
to refill our water, several times, plus a manager checked in with us.
I also received several compliments on my dress from other staff too.
THE DEAL: Â Empire has a DRESS CODE they describe as
"business casual will be used as minimal guidelines...
shorts and athletic are not permitted."
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