Meh....I will probably be back because its close to the new house and hip place....a place somebody will say let's meet at the empire...and I will go. Â However, given the opportunity to eat out by myself in Louisville...there is not a chance in hell I would be back.
I would rather go to the Old Louisville Inn.
The service was barely ok, we saw 5 different people ask us for orders and deliver various parts....late. Our main server was much more interested in moving on to the next tip than making our experience pleasant.
The fries were $6 for frozen wedges. Â The Ono fish was good, except for the raw parts that weren't cooked. Â The "cool" "hip" style salads and accents were poorly constructed...as if somebody was working in a very good restaurant for a few months and learned some style, but they didn't learn how and were to serve it.
Goat cheese enchiladas were just YUCK.
I thought about getting a nice drink to cheer up my date and me, but thought that asking for a double would be shockingly expensive and still underweight to make up for the real need to make it a pony bottle and really change my mind.
My wife was very disappointed and will not be back.
Yum! Went for dinner with some family that was in from out of town on a recommendation, and everything was awesome. Drinks were good (a little pricey, but good), selection was great, food was awesome. I had the  hands down best grilled cheese ever (only thing that would have made it better would have been a really good tomato soup, but that's just my preference)! But what was even better, was my husbands dinner :) It was bucatini? I think? Spaghetti with pork and ricotta meatballs. They had the most amazing fluffy texture, and just perfect taste. Also had a fun looking atmosphere for happy hour or weekend drinks.
Review Source:There were some good things here - but some definite service issues. Â We were seated and had our server come promptly on a Friday night - so that was nice. Â The guacamole and house-made chips were quite good we thought. Â After a reasonable, wait our entrees came. Â My fish sandwich, unfortunately, was completely burned - both the bun and the fish. Â There was a distinct burning smell and the kitchen should have never sent it out in the first place.
When I flagged our server down, she took the entire plate away and said she would get another. Â It didn't arrive until after my companions were all finished. Â It was actually pretty good. Â But there was no apology, no manager that came by, no check adjustment - just generally handled very badly.
So the food shows some promise, but the service and the kitchen judgment definitely need some work.
Terrible service and overall experience. My friend, his fiancee, baby and I went to the Empire a few months ago. We arrived during the last half hour of happy hour and expressed an interest and doing to rounds of food orders and drinks. The waitress said no problem and took our first round of food orders. About 40 minutes later, and after watching people who arrived later than we did, our food arrived. The waitress seemed to have forgotten to put our order in and did not nothing to fix it. I mean, she could have been honest and all would have been good. The food was nothing special either. I would not recommend this place based off the service.
Review Source:We decided to go to the Empire Lounge for Valentine's Day and were not disappointed. Â The dinner was excellent and the options for the different courses were well thought out.
The Flatiron Stake with Chimichiri sauce and the roasted sweet potatoes were all sorts of tasty, and the Shrimp Pasta bowl my wife ordered magically disappeared in a cloud of yummy goodness.
The Caramel Bread Pudding with Caramel Ice Cream on top was the perfect finish to the evening. Â
Pro Tip: Â If you are going to do multiple courses, split the salad and the desert.
Pro Tip #2: Make a reservation unless you plan on showing up right when they open, while they do have deceptively huge space, it does fill up.
My favorite place in Louisville. Short menu, good cooking techniques and quality ingredients. The duck is just amazing. This said, I am not sure though if this is a Bar with a restaurant in the back or a restaurant with a bar in the middle! This can also be an advantage of course but it also take resources from both sides of the business. I have the idea that they don't really know yet.
Review Source:The owner of this place is completely riude and unprofessional. Â I went to see a band play the other night with some family embers. Â My cousin who recently turned 21 ordered a drink. Â When he was carded he only had his paper "temp" license as he has not yet received his license in the mail. Â The waitress refused to serve him because his paper license was expired. Â Mind you it had an expiration date of 2017. Â The owner then came over to take a look at his license. Â He took it to the bar and gathered most if the wait staff and bartender to take a look. Â Next thing we knew, they were all laughing and the owner came over with a smirk on his face saying that my cousins ID was not only expired, but fake. Needless to say we didn't order a thing. Â Bring back Pasquinis!!!
Review Source:I've had a special experience every time I've come here.
Amazing ahi tuna burger... best ahi tuna anything I've had outside of Alaska. Their peppery bucatini pasta is delicious. The pork and ricotta meatballs are worth the cost of a flight from California. The pork chop is hearty and tasty. The kale salad as well as the Brussels sprout salad are fresh unique ways to enjoy healthy veggies that will make you want more. The pancetta Mac n cheese is decadent and worth splitting, I judge it to be too rich for one person. Amazing!
I don't remember the service because I was having such a good time, so maybe that says something in and of itself. Go and enjoy!
My husband and I tried this for the first time last Saturday night, and it was a revelation. I can't believe some of the more negative reviews. I think there might be a slight issue with the way the outdoor dining is structured. The sidewalk intersects the seating, so there are constantly people strolling through this part of the "dining area." It appears that Louisville has designed it this way to take advantage of more outdoor dining in the summer months. In the winter, they essentially roll the extra  "dining platforms"  up and convert it back to parallel street parking. You can't really blame the restaurants for this traffic issue, though.
As for the actual food, it was stellar! We got a whole fried trout (our server helpfully suggested that we could easily share it if we got a couple of sides, and she also gave us the heads up that it would be "head on" because apparently some diners were disturbed to find their dinner staring up at them.) It was delicious. We also had the kale salad, which was so simple, but so good that I am now determined to recreate it at home. Baby kale dressed with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper, tossed with breadcrumbs to hold it on the leaves, and topped with parmesan cheese. We also had the mixed greens. They happened to be my favorites: rainbow chard and beet greens. Â
I have to say, with freshly prepared, seasonal fare this good, I don't know why so many people order the burger (yeah, I do actually know... sometimes you just want a burger!). Branch out a little and I doubt you'll be disappointed.
I really wanted to give Empire a good rating...I really did.
It might've been what I ordered but the pork chop was absolutely flavorless. I couldn't even finish it...which rarely happens to a girl who likes to eat!
I ended up trying some of my husbands dinner and it was better than mine.
The service was good but the food took a super long time to serve. Maybe this will be more of a place to drink and socialize versus eating dinner here...
We love this place. My wife and I make it a point to go here at least once a month because we enjoy the food and atmosphere that much.
The menu is always changing and they are always offering something really good and exciting each week. The wine selection is good and while it's usually busy, it's never too hard or too long of a wait to find a table.
The service is always friendly and quick. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for something new and fun!
Went to Empire last weekend after seeing the cool signage out front a few times, as well as the summertime seating outside. Â Good loungy space, but don't go for the food.
The good:
- Service was very friendly and we got seated right away in a sunny spot
- Good decor, without being over the top or hipster-ish
- Good seasonal beer selection
The bad:
- Burger was absolutely flavorless, although it was cooked medium-well as requested. Â I'm not a good cook, but I can do a better tasting burger any day. Â Seriously bland. Â And the burger was recommended by our server.
- Slow. Â The food took forever to get to us.
Might go back for drinking and bar food, but not for a sit down dinner.
We walked right in and were seated right away, without reservations, on a Friday evening (Open Table had nothing available though), much to my pleasant surprise. Â After being seated, our server came in a timely manner. Â We were also one of the first tables to be occupied in our immediate section, a wing to the side of the restaurant. Â We ordered some apps, like guacamole, hoisin tacos (misspelled on the menu), mozzarella and roasted peppers. Â They came out in a timely fashion. Â The guac was satisfying, the hoisin tacos were okay though. Â The menu said it came with housemade kim-chi, but it seemed more like a traditional Western-style pickled purple cabbage. Â Not exactly the same thing. Â The mozzarella, which is housemade, tasted like any other fresh mozzarella I've had. Â Satisfying, though. Â
Our entrees took a VERY long time to arrive and there were no assurances like, "Your food is coming right up" or "Sorry, we just got slammed," or anything. Â The other tables all around us got served (and most of them arrived after us). Â It was a bummer. Â My husband's tuna burger (which he requested rare) was well-done. Â The meatball grinder sandwich was not super well-flavored, so much so that my dining companion requested ketchup to put on it. Â I ordered the calamari salad for my entree and while I love spice and calamari, there was so much cayenne on the calamari, I couldn't really taste the freshness of the salad. Â Plus it was just a huge mass of shredded lettuce w/ the calamari. Â Really mediocre and disappointing.
This restaurant saved me from the bottomless pit of a broken heart as well as hunger! Feeling forlorn from a fight and famished from a 2-hour flight, the shuttle service driver from DoubleTree Hotel took me here to replenish my mind and body (and drink away my sorrows! haha I kid) What a great recommendation because I was delightedly thrilled!
I immediately sat at the bar and the nice bartender (whose name I regretfully forgot) offered me a menu. I took a quick glance at their menu and ordered a burger then proceeded to ordering a coldass beer. A burger and a beer: two proven ways to cure a broken heart. (Not really scientically proven but Anna-tically proven)
What I ordered:
Chicken Swiss= $7
Kona Chicken=$8 (for someone else, not I)
Fire Rock Pale Ale = $5
Crown & Coke = $6 (roughly)
In total: PRICELESS!
All in all, great cooked food, a comfortable and fun atmosphere, and friendly banter with the bartender, this girl left with a full stomach! (and an almost full heart) *insert tear here.
I like this place ever since i first read about it on yelp, and yesterday I decided to go and check out their happy hour menu. It was delicious, everything is made fresh for you right there in the chefs open kitchen. The staff was friendly and the service was good as well as the food.
We ordered the deviled eggs, standard eggs no special tricks here, and then we ordered the crispy calamari salad which was my favorite dish of the evening and apparently one of their staple dishes. It was tempura battered calamari with a tasty mixed arugula salad all tossed w/a vinaigrette dressing YUMM! I also ordered their Leek and Blue Cheese dip served with some flax seed crostini's Also YUMMM with 3 m's. Finally we ventured to try their pork nachos, now as far as nachos go these were not my favorite but they were tasty. I know it was from the Happy Hour menu which is usually a smaller portion but I could see where with the calamari salad and the nachos they are probably being a little stingy with the proteins and more giving with the fillers like arugula and tortilla chips, on the whole nacho plate there was maybe a large tablespoon of pork and not all the chips had cheese or pork some and id say at least half had nothing on them. Id almost rather have a portioned nacho that came with a little of everything on ea chip instead of a piled plate with chips and only enough cheese and pork etc to cover the top layer. Â
Other that that everything was good, its a cool place and i really like downtown louisville, its a quaint little town and with all the little outdoor restaurants and cafes it was pretty awesome. And they also have an aweome open air front seating where you can sit either inside or out on a wooden bar that looks in over the whole restaurant.
We washed everything down with a cucumber G&T an Empire Old Fashioned, which was served with cherry infused bourbon, and a couple Empire Lemonades made with freshly infused strawberry vodka, A++ on the drinks, and A+ on the service, the food was delicious and tasty but I think they should work on the portions of the dishes a little bit. I would definitely go back to try some of their other dishes, like the $17 gumbo with shrimp and chicken and sausage, Or their clams with Sofrito. Im sure its a meal in itself, well all I have to say is it better be for $17 bux. The rest of the menu sounded so delicious I wish I could have just tried a little bit of everything by walking around and sampling everyones dishes lol, fortunately I wasn't buzzed enough to do that so Ill have to just return for a second helping in the near future!
This place is hit or miss.
The calamari salad is so yummy. Kids burger was a burnt black little burger, I do mean BLACK, on a bun, period, no cheese no nothing, I am not sure if that is how they always come out but wow yuck. Service is hit or miss and so is the food. It is worth a go because on a good night this place is a real hit.
Empire Burger? Yes, pretty please!
We came for dinner on a Friday night with our little preschooler; we were seated immediately in a booth in the back, close to the kitchen so we could watch the food traffic.
For appetizers, we ordered the homemade chips with guacamole and grilled oysters (based on the waiter's recommendation). Seasoned with a lemon sauce and vinegar, these oysters are put on the grill until they open and served straight away with the sauces on top. Delicious--the little girl even tried one and liked it.
The homemade chips and guac were fantastic as well, but the taste of the oysters just lingered on.
We ordered the mac and cheese for the little girl, a tuna burger (medium well), and an Empire Burger (medium) with bleu cheese and bacon. My Empire Burger was juicy, the bun wasn't soggy (what? is that possible? Yes. And it was magnificent), and it came with homemade pickle spears (which are the way to this pregnant woman's heart). The tuna burger, based on the bite that I tried, tasted like a version of sushi-style garlic tuna on a bun with wasabi mayonnaise. And the mac and cheese (here's me clutching my heart), it was creamy and rich with what tasted like an aged parmesean cheese as one of the cheeses. My daughter didn't care for it (of course, she prefers the kind with powder and elbow macaroni), but the plate was cleaned off regardless (I wonder how!).
Overall, it was a great meal, and we will definitely be returning.
I'd just like to say that I grew up in Louisville since I was 2 years old. I definitely knew this town when it was nothing more than an Applebee's and the Blue Parrot. That was, literally, it. I am happy that downtown Louisville is expanding in so many ways, and I think overall Empire is a good edition.
I went to Empire once and it was sort of a fine, ok experience, but they hadn't been open very long. I think the best thing about this place is the daily 3-6 happy hour. You have to sit in certain areas, but many cocktails are $4, draft beers and wells are $1 off, and the wine bottle of the day is half off. This is a great deal, and we scored a bottle of wine for $15. To be fair, however, I knew the wine that we were served, and it's at most $9 a bottle, so these "discounted" bottles (which are not on the wine menu as everyday choices) are not really very discounted, since the rest of the wine menu is inflated about 100%.
I love happy hours that have food specials; that's a prerequisite for me. There is a $3 food menu here, with a few $6 items including a meat plate, a cheese plate, a small calamari salad and a small mac and cheese. We tried the chips and guac, meat plate and French fried potatoes. The chips and guac were fine, but a bit small. Probably 3 tablespoons of innocuous guacamole with about 15 chips. The meat plate (and the cheese as well, I'm assuming) were a bit restrictive, keeping you to one choice of meat or cheese. We received 5 50-cent piece-sized cuts of salami, with 2 dime-sized slices of pickle and 2, 2-inch long pickled snap peas. This came with 4 small toast points. It was fine but the flavors didn't accompany one another.
The salvation in all this was really the french fried potatoes. They were golden wedges of potato, and the serving for $3 was impressive. They weren't particularly well-seasoned, but the texture was perfect. They stayed crispy for a long time and the insides were perfectly fluffy. They really were a great example of fries, though I wish they were served with house-made ketchup instead of Heinz.
Overall, I would come for the deals, but I would not pay full price. I was happy to see them busy, but I think, to a degree, they are relying on the still-small restaurant environment of Louisville. Hopefully over time they will fully expand into what they can fully achieve, which I think is a lot.
Serious potential here, but not a good experience for my first visit. Â After being told that the cook would not cook my fish "done" I orderred a burger. Â How do you think my medium burger came - well, super well done. Â Should have seen my daughters children's burger, it was a puck. Â
Now things happen and what really sets a place apart is what they do when those things go wrong. Â I casually mentioned that my burger was not great and the waitress made the manager aware. Â He came to our table and made it right. Â I do appreciate this and I will give the place another try. Â Still, the rating has to ride for this visit.
Met some friends here for dinner and drinks during happy hour - $3 for most apps - great deal! The food and recipes are thankfully different and certainly a step above the regular bar and grille fare. We enjoyed meatball sliders, mac & cheese, chips & guac, buffalo wings and mozzarella crostini. Everything was excellent: full of flavor and cooked to perfection! As for beer, the selection was right up my alley as well with a couple of IPAs on tap! My double IPA was very fresh and served nice and cold.
For dinner, our group had the roasted chicken with rice, eggplant sandwich and burger. My eggplant was amazingly good and everyone else said their dishes were similarly excellent. For dessert, my wife and I shared the sampler and highly recommend it. Our friends shared the apple tart and loved it.
The atmosphere is nice: comfortable and casual with dark woods and intimate lighting. The restaurant never gets too loud - we were able to have conversations without raising our voices. Service was very friendly and attentive. All in all, this was a great first visit for us and we'll most certainly be back!
Living in Stepfordville (Highlands Ranch), it's not often we get to experience "up North" dining. This past weekend found us antiquing in Arvada & we used Yelp to search for some food choices. I always have trouble finding something my wife will tolerate since she thinks my only choices will be deep fried or Mexican. Though there's nothing wrong with either, I have to mind my p's & q's, or suffer the wrath of wifey...
Empire showed up on my Android, the reviews sounded good, the pic's looked good, so off we went. The wife got the "you're gonna' pay for this" look when we drove up & she saw the Route 66 style sign, but we forged on. We were quickly seated by a window with a great view of Main St. The menu came & wifey's look went away. Yes, she saw lots of non-fried stuff!!!
There were so many good yummy sounding things on the menu - here's our selections;
-Deviled Eggs. Now tell me, how many places can you order deviled eggs? I prefer the sweet pickle variety, these were not, but still very good.
-Shaved brussel sprout salad w/ toasted walnuts and pecorino. I'm a brussel sprout fan, but have never had anything like this delite prepared uncooked & shaved with toasted sugar coated walnuts. I will come back just for this salad, yummm...
-Grilled  1/2 chicken w/blue cheese bread pudding. Wife said this was quite good, I didn't try it.
-Coal miner's mac & cheese w/ pancetta. This sure isn't mac & cheese from the box, it was creamy & cheesy & a whole lot of it. Sorry arteries...
The service was good, the environment was good as well. Overall, this was a nice experience & a really pleasant surprise. Will we go back? Yes, any time we're up in the Louisville neck of the woods!
If you haven't been, downtown Louisville can be a fun change of pace, and the Empire Lounge is an apt addition to the neighborhood. Capitalizing on the American nostalgia theme that seems to be en vogue lately, the Empire lives up to the "lounge" in its name (minus the smoke of course).
We enjoyed the bacon wrapped dates, though I can't say I've had many bacon-wrapped dishes that I didn't like. The flatiron steak was a bargain. It was a nice sized cut of choice beef prepared to a perfect medium rare.
We finished dinner with a nice stroll down main street to aid in our digestion. All in all, well worth the trip.
I ate here recently with a friend and it was below expectations.  I probably won't go back  - just too many better places to spend my money.
We got there in time for happy hour but were disappointed to learn that the happy hour menu was only offered at the bar and in the lounge. Â Having settled at our table, we decided not to move.
The starter of almond stuffed, bacon wrapped dates was great but it's hard to mess that dish up. Â It was pricey at 4 pieces for $8.
I ordered the gnocchi after the waitress assured me it was finished in a pan, but alas, it was not. Â The gnocchi was mushy and the tomato sauce was unremarkable. Â It reminded me of a reheated frozen meal.
I also got the small mac and cheese w/ pancetta. Â For $8 it was a HUGE portion, so big that I double-checked with the waitress that it was the small. Â While it was a very tasty combination of cheeses, it barely had any pancetta and the quantity was just too much for such a rich dish. Â DIdn't finish it.
My last dish was the sauteed greens, which that night was chard. Â Big fail. Â These were the most bland greens I have ever eaten, the kind of preparation that turns people off from greens permanently. Â They tasted steamed. Â On top of that, they cost $6, which is even a high price point for well-prepared greens.
My friend ordered the salmon which she thought was fine but I thought was overdone.
The Empire is a solid example of New American cuisine. Â It had a good atmosphere and very good service (though the hostess seemed stressed out).
The food was excellent. Â I ordered the grilled pork tenderloin, which was marinated over night and had a great flavor, not to mention that it was cooked perfectly.
My wife ordered the salmon. Â It was undercooked (raw in the very very center), but the kitchen happily corrected this. Â Unfortunately, they went a tad overboard, overcooking it just slightly. Â It was complemented by it's pistachio sauce topping, which had a bit too much olive oil, making the dish too oily, but the taste was still quite good.
There were a number of other dishes I wanted to try, and I had a hard time choosing my selection, which is a good sign at a restaurant with such a small menu. Â I definitely plan on going back.
Disclaimer: I am totally *over* "New American" food BUT, The Empire is by far my favorite restaurant in Colorado.
I have never (in 50+ meals) been disappointed. Â My major complaint is that it's not in Denver. Although I admit that Louisville (probably) deserves awesome restaurants too, I would like to be able to swing by for happy hour sometime without having to brave 36. That being said, it's worth the drive.
What to eat: everything is good but the standouts (for me) are the skirt steak, deviled eggs, chicken wings, the burger, and of course, the risotto.
To drink: Pimm's Cip or an Empire Martini (I'm a sucker for bleu cheese stuffed olives). Lots of other creative cocktails, beer, and wine to choose from too.
Final tip: have dessert--even if you are really full--it's always worth it.
Of course the ingrediants are seasonal and local--like so many restaurants today-- but The Empire is also inspired and delicious without being pretencious.
I love this place. Definitely coming back many many times. Their prices are really good too for what you're getting served. I had a spicy miso frisée salad with calamari in it that was very tasty along with some fantastic mac and cheese bold with flavor. The mac and cheese was so rich, I recommend getting the smaller portion first. It's more than it looks when you start eating it. But I have to say,.... REALLY GOOD mac and cheese. This is something I'm going to be craving in the future. We also had their burrata salad that tasted humble and homemade. Although my boyfriend's pulled pork sandwich was lacking in flavor, that had an amazing coleslaw served with it. I wouldn't mind getting an entire bowl of that stuff. The desserts looked good but we were too full to order more food.
One thing I love about Empire Lounge is that they're very generous with the veggies and they all taste farm fresh. You would usually pay a price for that kind of quality and quantity but you don't here. Everything is regular priced which makes this place a little gem in little downtown Louisville.
I can't wait to go back and try more dishes!
I have eaten at Empire 3 times now, each time was really delicious. The calamari salad is really good (but share it, its big). They have a nice wine selection, and they typically have good specials.
Last night I had the Bucatini with local greens and beans, which was fantastic. Plus, its on the hip strip on Main Street in Louisville, a happenin' little spot of restaurants.
We drove up to Louisville based on the reviews here and it was definitely worth it. Â It's where Pasquini's used to be, and though I was sad to see the old place had gone it was replaced by something even better.
The atmosphere is low key, with dark wood and comfortable seating. Â It was nice to see a simple menu with a few choice items. Â Unfortunately, everything sounded so good it was hard to decide on what to order. Â Our server was very knowledgable about the menu and took very good care of us.
We started with six oysters on the half shell. Â They were very fresh and perfect, though they came with a vinegar-based dip instead of the usual cocktail sauce and horseradish. Â It was a new twist on oysters for me, and though I enjoyed it I think I prefer the kick of horseradish.
I had the lamb shoulder with polenta. Â My friend had a half order of gnocchi along with roasted cauliflower. Â We shared everything.
Lamb is one of my favorites, though I prefer lamb chops to the lamb shoulder. Â It's not cooked to order, so it was definitely slow cooked with no pink anywhere. Â Still it was delicious. Â The polenta was also good, but the lamb pieces were served on top of the creamy polenta. Â That meant that every bite of lamb contained more than a bit of the polenta. Â I think it could have been plated better, but it was still very good.
My friend's gnocchi was light, fluffy and buttery. Â A half order was almost too much because it was very rich. Â I would definitely recommend going with the half order and another side to make a meal, just like she did. Â Her cauliflower was also very good and a refreshing alternative to the usual veggies you can get at other restaurants.
We split a blueberry-filled pastry with ice cream for dessert. Â It was the perfect end to a fantastic meal. Â We didn't even have the check yet and we were already planning our next trip to The Empire. Â It's a comfy restaurant with the kind of food you would normally have to travel to LoDo to find. Â Check this place out!
Limited menu, average food, weak wine list and icky server. Other than that, nice atmosphere and good beer selection if you like Dale's and heavier beer.
Server seemed put out by doing a job and was way too hasty. Slopped our food down, while whirling around, and said "enjoy" in a monotone, rote tone. My husband and I immediately looked at each other, as if to say, "did that just happen?"
If you are looking for a place that has great food and a good experience, go somewhere else.
I drove by this place today and immediately started salivating while remembering their mashed potatoes with balsamic reduction gravy.
New American pub food, dressed up and absolutely delicious. Â The owner, and his family (at least the ones that work there) are amazing people, really personable and definitely inspire the best in the staff. Â The first time I was in here I had my nearly 2 year old daughter with me, we took turns eating and chasing her through the restaurant, the entire staff was really understanding and comfortable about the whole situation.
I have no idea why it took me so long to write a review here, and this is not really the compliment I want to give, but I recommend this place every chance I get, so here is my yelping word of mouth.
Eat here, get the potatoes, love life!
A fantastic restaurant overall, with great drinks, nice wine, and really tasty food. Â Tuna burger is excellent and the grilled chicken is fantastic- very moist and full of flavor. Â The fish specials are a bit pricey (i think they were around $24 last time I went).
My wife and I have gone to The Empire for several date-nights and it never disappoints. Â
The only time I've been slightly disappointed was the last time (1 of 5 visits) when we brought our 3-yr old daughter. Â The waitress was not very efficient, made us wait very long time before drink order, then long wait for food order, then a really long wait for food. Â She was obviously slammed, but seemed to willfully ignore our looks and leans and waves as we tried to get her attention. Â
This place would be the perfect restaurant if they were just slightly more kid-friendly. Â We'll be back for sure- but probably not with the kid as it was torture to wait for service throughout the meal.
Empire Restaurant and Lounge . . . Â a total surprise. Yesterday evening my sweetie and I picked up a friend and we decided to go on a short road trip in search of good Mexican food. Â We drove up to Lafayette to try out Efrain's which I'd heard a lot about, but go figure, they were closed. So we drove west until we hit Louisville where we stopped a reputable looking couple (?) and asked where the best restaurant in town was. Â They pointed down the street to this 40's neon sign that said "Empire Restaurant and Lounge."
It turned out to be a great find. Â I guess some would call it new American cuisine. You know: Â Local produce. Organic this and that. Â Frequent seasonal menu changes. The whole schtick. But you know what I call it. Ummmmm ummmm, gooooood. Â We had a delicious arugula / mint(!) / shaved goat cheese and walnut salad, followed by some honkin' thick lamb chops and mac & cheese and pancetta. The desserts (beignets in syrup and cream, and panna cotta) were scumpdillyicious. All in all a completely surprising and excellent dinner (and the servers were simply charming to boot).
Bottom line: Try it Mikey. You'll like it.
I met some girlfriends for drinks at The Empire Restaurant a few weeks ago and it was darling! The drinks were delicious and the vibe was cool - very laid back with a hint of coolness. We did not eat at The Empire Restaurant, but we totally should have as our experience up the street at The Melting Pot was seriously sub par and all of the dishes I saw at The Empire looked good!
I look forward to going back to The Empire Restaurant sometime soon!
We were looking for a place that uses natural, organic and local produce. This is the place.
What a find.
Very friendly wait staff. I called the restaurant to find out more about the ingredeints they use to cook with and received a friendly call back from one of the co-owners.
The co-owners have experience at other Denver restaurants like Jax Fish House and Lola's. Check out their website for information about the restaurant.
I'm a fan.
Man this place hits the spot in Louisville. Â It's just what we needed.
I don't think the decor could get any better. Â I love it. Â You instantly feel at ease and comfortable in this place. Â It's modern, yet extremely inviting and warm.
I love the use of local ingredients too. Â Good job chef.
The food seems to have improved. Â When it first opened the menu was all over the place and while creative, it was the opposite of being hard to decide because of so many good options. Â There were no single options that grabbed you. Â Everything was just a bit too creative if you know what I mean. Â Like a basic chicken dished marred by some outlandish sauce, etc. Â Also my wife doesn't eat pork and the menu was covered in bacon and pork products (which of course I can never get enough of). Â Also, fair warning, if you get the gnocci it's not what you think. Â It's three huge piece of potato pasta, not a bowl full of little ones. Â It's delicious though.
Anyway, the menu is a lot more welcoming to the average diner now, but still has creative touches and elegance. Â The beef short ribs are outstanding and fall off the bone. Â The gruyere souflee appetizer gets rave reviews, although it's a bit too rich for me.
I hold back the 5th star just because I feel the menu could improve a bit. Outside of a the beef short-rib appetizer there are no dishes that I've had that really satisfy. Â My wife has gotten a few "eh" dishes too. Â It's also slightly on the pricey side for the quality.
The empire is a great local joint for Louisville and I'm glad it's there. Â I look forward to it evolving and hopefully improving on the menu as they have over the past year.
Not what I expected. Â Good beer, and a great bar. Â Having never been to Louisville, I was thinking "middle of nowhere dive bar". Â Instead I find a rich and dark litlle restaurant with great atmosphere. Â I have't tried the food yet, but I shall return!
The menu and the beer selection alone are enough to bring me back. Â Very friendly service, with plenty of people-watching opportunities around.
Louisville just doesn't have good food options. But, when Brendan opened The Empire...he changed that. This is a great place for good food if you're just occasional visitor and it's a good, local place if you're a barfly like me.
I'd review the menu, but it changes fairly frequently. Overall, I've yet to have a bad meal there. Even the mac and cheese is special.
A year later, The Empire still doesn't disappoint. The bartenders make great drinks (I'm partial to the Old Fashioned (ask Lexie to make it)) and the food is still superb. My only complaint is that they don't serve the Mac n Cheese in the silver buckets anymore.
The Empire was delightful. Â
Its non-Boulder location made it that much more appealing, especially for a restaurant that could fit in very well with that crowd...
The dark wood interior and leather furniture, red lanterns and cozy location; it was cool and hip and sexy, and not a bit pretentious. Â A nice crowd.. families and couples and girls' night out, man dates and prom kids.
House made mozzarella crostini... Fabulous. Â
Charcoal grilled pork chop with grits.. Â A+
Grilled Leg of Lamb, goat cheese enchilada.. A bit too rare for my liking.. but, good.
Ricotta beignet with caramel, mascarpone ice cream... WOW! Â A bite from the warm middle and a bit of ice cream on top.. d.e.l.i.s.h.
Our table by the wall divider was secluded and cozy and a perfect spot to eat and talk and eat and talk, but, Â next time I want the table under the EAT sign.. Â
The service was okay.. not overly friendly, but, accommodating..
The Empire is off the beaten path.. but, it's off the hook!
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