the empress hotel

divine italian she knows what she's doing. beautiful menu. lovely, cosy atmosphere. the beergardenis 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 beergardenis 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

this is one of our local pubs, but besides from it being nearby (with a nice beergarden& 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! :)

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 beergardenbut having smoking and non-smoking in the samegardenjust highlights the stupidity of the new smoking laws.

the only thing remotely good about the empress is there impressive beergardenand sports showings. other than that the staff are always unimpressed when you ask anything of them (for a drink even), the food is overpriced and very small.
i still regularly go to the empress as it is in a great...

nice renovations. whilst it'd still be great to have a band room,  the use of space with a new beergardenis a winner, especially now that it seems we are past the hump of winter. they have a good selection of beers on tap and a good take on the pub menu. i tend to get the parma, which comes with fried garlic potatoes... get these things as a stand-a-lone item already! they are awesome.

great place for some casual drinks with mates.  friendly staff who are always up for a chat.the only downside is the beergardenclosing so early, but i think they're working to have that changed in the future.have made this my new local!

have been here a couple of times with friends who live in the area and only have positive things to say about it.. the chicken parma i rate as the best in melbourne with not too much cheese or sauce (too often done for a lot of parmas) and generous amounts of prosciutto as well as roasted potatoes and caper slaw (amazing!). the beer selection is amazing (may i suggest the oatmeal stout), ambience is great especially on the weekends when the footy's on and the service is always great with enthusiastic bar staff always keen for a chat. the beergardenis also a must in the warmer months.

the empress is a must..

really great experience. used to be a punter at the old empress hotel, at times food was average and so was the level of service but it had its own flair now that it has had a makeover its style and flair still rock out hard was super pleased at the level of service given by the staff seeing as they have 15 delectable craft beers on tap it can be a bit overwhelming but the friendly learned staff guided me through a wonderful journey of some crackin beers and 21$ for a jug of my new found favourite beers is amazing there parma is somthing else great food at a decent price waiting for the beergardento open then assuming i ll be living out there the majority of my days off ,so all in all super experience at the empress!!