the empress hotel

divine italian she knows what she's doing. beautiful menu. lovely, cosy atmosphere. the beer garden is one of the best in this area. found it hard to choose from such a delicious selection so pretty much ordered one of everything and each dish was executed to perfection. real italian food with lots of flavour. a new favourite for sure. great beer and wine selection too. thanks guys.

am i empressed?. i have been here twice since the renovations were completed. this used to be my local for many years. gone is the pool table and the fire place has been obstructed by dining tables. squeaky unstable floor is still there though! i was impressed with the selection of beer on tap and the staff are happy to discuss tasting notes and find something which pleases you. the beer garden is certainly large enough but could definitely benefit from some heating! i have eaten here once and couldn't fault the service - easy ordering system and fast service though there weren't many people in the pub that day. i had ordered the burger which came with a serve of salad and a large mountain of chips. personally i could have done without so many sides and had a larger burger however it was hot, tasty and cooked to my specifications (its served pink but i don't do pink). i have to say that i am sitting on the fence about this place. it has lost a bit of its grungy charm along with its band room and pool table. there appears to be a focus on creating a more "family friendly" venue evidenced by the number of children, prams and footy on the tv. not sure how i feel about that either. i guess the local demographic has changed to some extent and the new managers believe this is best way to capitalise on that. there is adequate seating but i wouldn't call it exactly cozy. while the service is good and bar staff are friendly, there is not much which differntiates this place from any other pub which has recently gone through a makeover. perhaps i am looking at the past through the fingerprinted pint glass of crappy beers gone by - i am not sure that i will reclaim the empress as my local but then maybe its time to move past the need to have a local....sigh

great service and great parmas! although they desperately need a heater in the beer garden.

like sitting in a creche. filled with children, no table service, average meal at $30. not impressed. in ordering at bar, they got the order wrong, then took over half an hour to bring out 2 parmas. so service very poor also. one meal did not arrive at all. attitude of staff ? oh well - but no apology. gave up and went elsewhere. too much money for sitting amongst someone else's screaming children (one was throwing the dining chairs about unchecked) and such poor service. if this is your clientele empress bill yourselves as such and charge mcdonalds prices.

great local pub with atmosphere which is hard to get. but the standout here is the food. presentation is really good. our crew had pizza, chicken parma and meatballs . all happy. there’s a good range of beers on tap.
what’s not to like.
well done guys there’s a lot of competition in the area and you’ve nailed it.

i called in here for a pre drink as i had dinner plans across the road.  this is an old school pub, no real bells or whistles about it and i absolutely loved it.

not only were there dogs inside sitting at the bar with their owners, i know right - how amazing! but there were locals sitting at the bar, chatting away and it felt so cosy coming inside and sitting with them.

a good beer on tap selection and i really did have such a nice and chilled time here.

this is one of our local pubs, but besides from it being nearby (with a nice beer garden & great place to watch sports), it is the great food that keeps us coming back: by far some of the best pub food in the area. they have a varied selection of dishes to choose from, with changing specials all the time, and on sundays they fire up the smoker & serve up delicious, slow cooked, bbq-style meats and sides too! i don’t think i’ve ever ordered anything here that i didn’t love! :)

i called into this pub w a mate for a beer. the service was good.

this place has some good craft beer options on tap. i tried a watermelon beer which was really tasty, and it was reasonably priced.

the watermelon flavour to me wasn’t too pronounced so you could easily have a couple without a problem lol

overall this was a busy pub and i’d be happy to go back.

had a sunday sesh with a mate. the food is definitely better than the average pub grub. i had the chicken wings, my friend had the pulled pork burger and we shared two sides- charred brocolli cms the green beans. the brocolli was so delicious that we immediately got on our phones to find a similar recepie! the prices are a bit steep.

just popped in for a drink before an appointment. great beers on the tap, chose the mountain goat pale ale infused with blood orange and grabbed a schooner. must say the cauliflower fritters with caramalised onions was amazing, just melts in your mouth.

service is quite relaxed and friendly. has a separate dining area too. few families around and great ambiance to catch up for few drinks before a big night.

popped in for a drink as you do when you’re a little early for a meeting in the vicinity. i liked the feel of the place instantly. it has a comfortable friendly feel. the people propping up the bar were all in a good mood too as were the guys behind the bar. the music playing was nice as well. nice is good in my world. always a great place to start. a shout out to the server who gave me a sparkling soda gratis. she’s not forgotten and instead in accordance with policy is specifically honoured in this little review. i’ll return here in future for a bite to eat. locked in.

good local pub with plenty of good beers on tap. the weekly menu specials include $10 pizza nights and plenty of pub staples. give it a try for a good value night out.

if this were a straight forward review i'd give the place 3-4 stars but any place that's banned straws gets a 5 from me!

food was fine, nothing groundbreaking but perfectly adequate in quality and price. i come here maybe 4-5 times a year and always get food. venues pretty good, hasn't gone the full hipster thank god. pool table is great but in an awkward spot. 
great beer garden but having smoking and non-smoking in the same garden just highlights the stupidity of the new smoking laws.

really disappointing.  has been renovated and had all of its soul removed in the process!  bleak, character-less dining room.  dull front bar with no atmosphere, empty the night we went.  hipster staff more interested in stroking their own egos than in providing genuine hospitality, borderline rude at times.  hadn't been to the empress in years and decided to give it a try because the menu looked good.  food was okay but honestly, don't bother!  such a shame, used to be a lovely pub.

this place has been renovated into the type of place that mercedes drivers go to with their kids when they want to feel cool. the old vibe of the place has been totally killed and now it feels like a little piece of chapel street in the inner north. no thanks!