The Belfast Empire in Belfast

Good venue but pricey drinks. Bouncer was friendly but forgot who we were :/

Gorgeous venue! I would go see anything here!

25 to 30 years ago was last time I was here. Had a great night. Sound system needs improved but vibes were great, pints were good. Fun was had!

A nice little place with a good pizza. Not great but hits the spot at a good price

Went to see a gig. Great small venue, great sound. Good service.

ah i loved this place 25 years ago and I love it now. hasn't changed a bit, but in a good way.

One night in Belfast. Got a recommendation. Ordered food. Never showed up. Kitchen missed the order. As a restaurant you have one job. Fail.

Great spot for live music. Great bar staff and door staff too

Had a great time there last night at the Stereo MCs, 1st gig I'd been to there in ages.

Great atmosphere, good beers, great cocktails, fantastic live venue

We saw a local band, Now the 90s in September 2023. The venue opened at 8:30pm, and the band went on at 10:30pm. The venue is not too small but intimate, no bad vantage points for seeing a show. A little too crowded for my preference though. While waiting for the band, they played some 90s hits, you know - Britney Spears, NSYNC, blink-182, etc. There were a few songs that us Americans didn't recognize (clearly very British) but we had a great time and danced along. It got really crowded before the band went on (sold out show)! And once the band did go on, we didn't know any of the first 3 songs... But eventually recognized some global pop songs.

Came in very late but was still welcomed by both door and bar staff, nice venue.

Brilliant historical venue well worth a visit 😀 have some fab acts on so keep an eye out

Had a really good night at the 90s night but there is no air conditioning, no doors open so the heat was unbearable.

Great Venue, Surprised how beautiful the building is inside and out ..

Attended the Ken Haddock night, brilliant from start to finish.

Food is lovely, some great pub grub staples to choose from. Service is quick and friendly, great place to grab a bite to eat or have a drink with mates or solo. Fantastic live music also! Awesome wee spot for a great night's craic!

Unfortunately I can't rate anything because no discrimination-free access was possible and my wife couldn't get in with her wheelchair; no longer up to date!

Good blues music downstairs on a Thursday, free. Food is reasonably priced and presented well, in the early evening. Numbers seem down a little, in Belfast generally, but student returns will boost it.

We know of a jazz evening scheduled for 10pm and we arrive early. We enjoy an excellent Guinness and then 2 hours of performance by a band of 4 very talented young people: Chris Taplin Blues Band

🌟🌟🌟🌟 I recently attended the Bollywood Night at the Belfast Music Empire Hall, and overall, it was a fantastic experience! The atmosphere was vibrant, filled with energy, and a great mix of people came together to celebrate Indian music and culture. The highlight of the night was undoubtedly the DJ, who really knew how to get the crowd moving! They played a brilliant selection of Bollywood hits, blending classic tracks with the latest chart-toppers. The transitions between songs were seamless, and they constantly engaged the audience, encouraging everyone to join in on the dance floor. The venue itself is well-suited for events like this, with good acoustics and a welcoming vibe. The decor and lighting added to the festive mood, making it a perfect setting for a night of fun and celebration. If I had to point out an area for improvement, it would be the wait time at the bar, which was a bit longer than I expected. However, this did not overshadow the overall enjoyment of the night. I left the event feeling uplifted, with a great sense of community around me. If you're a fan of Bollywood music and looking for a fun night out in Belfast, I highly recommend checking out their next Bollywood Night. I’m definitely looking forward to attending again!

Large venue with multiple bars / areas. I was downstairs for a trad session on a Wednesday - great spot. The upstairs venue was quite busy as well.

Great buzz, place was full. Too warm, no obvious ventilation in place/working

Here for a show. Get in line early if you want a good seat.

Unique atmosphere, great bartenders. The music was a bit off-putting but I suppose it depends on who‘s playing.

Great pint and a venue like no other!!

Great venue for comedy and music.

2022 - £6 for a pint of Guinness and it's not even poured properly. Save your money and go to Parlour nearby, better pint for less money Edit for 2024; went recently to give it another go, £6.70 for a pint and I didn’t even get a quarter of it because of the poor quality of the pint. Absolutely ridiculous, avoid avoid avoid

Magnificent place to have a beer.

Very nice pub located downstairs. Food was great, drinks well priced, just a bit down but that may have been a Wednesday night.

Would visit the empire regularly with my father (occasionally friends) for football and the odd bit of food. Always good spot to watch football and food always spot on , reasonably priced as well. I would say the empire, laverys and the bot would be your only real choices for city centre football if you want to have a good view of screens and hear commentary , but for me the empire pips the other two in my opinion. The only negative for me is the fact they don't play build commentary to match and instead only can hear it once match has kicked off. Not sure of the reasoning behind this but I know this annoys many customers, especially the supporters coming to spend money to watch their team. Same rules apply to post match commentary and player/manager interviews. Staff usually always friendly and accommodating. A special shout out to the lady who went and got a jumper and towel for my elderly pensioner father as he was extremely cold. That's the only other negative for it. The place is usually quite cold which takes the shine of the experience. The air conditioning is too cold and I'm usually a very warm person. I'd advise to bring a hoody and some gloves and hat for this place if you want to keep warm. Only reasons I haven't gave this place 5 stars is the temperature of the venue and the match commentary issue as advised above. Very good bar other wise and would recommend to anyone.

Place is dead most times, better craic across or just down the road and the pints aren't much dearer. Thursday night's okay though.

Stumbled across this place what a find loved it. The band that was playing was great people up dancing great atmosphere

We had the classic fish and chips and a guiness. Can‘t go wrong there. In the music hall there was 4 bands doing rock‘n‘Roll. What a beautiful venue to enjoy live music.

Nice venue but the door staff are a little overbearing. They seem to have been given a very strict rule book to follow. You can't stand here. You can't put your drink here. Makes it seem a lot less relaxed than other venues in the area.

Great night out. Staff very attentive and quick service.

Bon Jovi Experience was amazing 👏🤘

During the day very quite, but still nice and warm. Only in for a few drinks

Great night out,bar staff were amazing,door staff very professional but thought there was too big of a crowd in...

What a classic pub, so ornate with a real oldie worldie atmosphere, good free entertainment also put on. A great range of drinks available, unfortunately I can't rate the food as I was just there for a drink

Bring lots of money with you, also soap for the toilets, as well as a towel. You'd think such a popular place would have this stuff already. The only time I'll be back is if I have to! I'm actually shocked at how poor the place was

Great atmosphere, food lovely and drinks great. Would go back again very friendly staff.

Went to see Mack Fleetwood. Doors opened at 8pm. Pretty big queue to get in and a scramble to get a table/spot to watch. It was after 10pm before the band started. Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy lol. Great company tho and had a good time. 😃

Set an old church and over two floors, with a bar downstairs and the music hall upstairs. This is a nice venue for live music and comedy.

Ken Haddocks Sunday Supper Club is always great on a Sunday night

Was nice enough for burger and chips but it's not worth driving to belfast just for the food here. Staff are nice and friendly.

I attended here with one of my best friends, for a 90's night event. Staff were very accommodating and helpful. Unfortunately I had my drink spiked here and ended up in hospital.

Great spot for comedy, can get quite crowed

I enjoy going as it is a great live music venue.

Great bar for watching sports.. watched the Ireland Wales Rugby..good atmosphere but Guinness is £6.10 a pint!

This is an amazing venue for some of the best entertainment to hit this city. The only downside is that they don't serve 0.0 upstairs.

As always, the empire provides wonderful vibes and lovely staff

A good music venue for artists but not so good for the audience. Mostly standing and looking queues to get in. If you are in the know you can get in early to get a seat.

Always have a great night when go here. Staff are very friendly.

Fantastic venue for concerts. Sound is great, atmosphere is amazing. Love this place.

Nit staffs fault but just not enough staff

Went to see the Bon Jovi experience, and boy was it an experience. Unfortunately not a good one.Doors opened 8.30pm the place was packed to such an extent that even the staircase was packed with people standing shoulder to shoulder and blocking them. 1030pm came and still no Bon Jovi , at this point we left, as we had to fight our way to bar and to the toilets, not very satisfactory. Won't be back there any time soon

I'd you want somewhere for music and sports this is a place to go. Especially on a comedy night upstairs on Tuesdays

Nice bar for a drink 🍺 Nothing much else on tonight.

Great if you love loud music I was just to old for this place

Great night at The Empire watching one of the greatest bands to come out of Belfast, The Adventures. What a performance the band put on!

Fabulous atmosphere, music and company 👌

Visited the music hall upstairs for a gig. Great venue and atmosphere and very good acoustics for any type of music

Great live band venue Guinness 4/10🤮

Raised on rock always a great night out. Didn't have any food was late getting there, bus strike hazard

Really nice, great comidans, the entrance included a pint of Harp.

Love the Empire, never change. It's a beautiful spot, EXCEPT please lose the plastic glasses! Why would you do this, it really disturbs that you're using single use plastic for every drink served night after night. Got to rethink this one???

This is the best place in Belfast for live music. Friendly staff and great crowd

We went to see the Bon Jovi experience. AND WHAT AN EXPERIENCE IT WAS , ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. Doors opened at 8.30pm, my partner and I went to the upper balcony where we got a seat. Within 30 minutes the place was overcrowded. I had to push my way down the stairs, as people were standing shoulder to shoulder on the stairs. The bars on the ground floor and the upper balcony had people standing shoulder to shoulder and about ten deep. Where we were seated just infront of the bar, there was no space whatsoever, with people standing shoulder to shoulder. We kept wondering when would a band come on stage and at 1030pm still no band had arrived. At this point we left the venue as it was totally overcrowded and possibly over the limit for fire safety regulations. At no point did I see any staff clearing exit points or the stairs. To me the whole thing was a great big SCAM. Get as many people as possible ramed in and rip them off for two hours or more, before the band started to play. Had I known before hand this was going to happen, I would never have bought the tickets. I complained to Ticketmaster where I bought the tickets and they just said not their responsibility, take it up with the venue. To top it off, I bought a pint at the ground floor bar, handed over a £20 pound note,bar man gave me £4 change. Nearly pulled him over the bar, no apology nothing, just thought he would try his luck. PLACE IS A RIP OFF, A refund for my tickets would be appreciated. I sent them an email asking for a refund, over a week ago , still had no reply two weeks later, speaks volumes about their customer service

Great live music on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday and Sunday downstairs for free. Wish they would start a bit earlier and not have it excessively loud though. Staff are always very friendly and atmosphere is great.

Excellent setting for concerts.

Brilliant venue for concert Had fish and chips in bar before Concert Great friendly venue

Staff can be hit or miss and its a bit pricey but good gigs and atmosphere,good door staff

Busy venue but served quickly at the bar. Great night listening to Dom Martin.

Great place for comedy on Tuesdays

Great spot for gigs really enjoyed it

First time back in a while. Love this place. Great atmosphere.

Waiting staff very slow to come to tables unless it's a big party.

We went to a comedy nite on a Tuesday it was very good. Get early to get a good seat . You get a free pint of Harp with each ticket for the comedy club

Great place for a pint when watching football.

Good bar. But they allow vaping. So won’t be back

Staff are friendly and efficient but tables downstairs need cleaning and the floor upstairs needs a serious deep clean, you just get stuck to it straight away which takes away from how great the venue is.

Great bar. Great entertainment.

A spare of the moment gig booking while we were over in Belfast. A most excellent choice. Music was fantastic. Atmosphere was better. A relatively small venue for a gig. Which makes it perfect to have one.

Absolutely loved the soldout gig! Amazing venue, outstanding hospitality!! Guns N’ Roses Experience UK wanna thank you guys and seeya next time!!!!

When it's good, it's electric in the Empire. Pricey for drinks though.

Fantastic find, live music the guiness was superb and staff all friendly. Great ambience. Would definitely recommend

We saw live music on Sunday night. Great band, people dancing and good drinks. Highly recommend 👌

We entered spontaneously for advertised live music. Great atmosphere, prompt service, friendly staff, delicious beer, and most importantly: Awesome live music and great crowd!

Great atmosphere and sound with great options to sit and stand on the ground or balcony. Drink prices are relatively reasonable.

Solid spot for some pints and music. Nothing crazy either way but the aesthetic pushes it to four stars. Service was quick before it got busy and the pint came from a can so I can't speak to the quality. Haven't had the food.

Always a brilliant night, such musical talent. ROCK ON!! 👌😎

Great night out on a Tuesday. Always a good laugh.

Went to see The Rolling Clones gig . Great tribute band. Good atmosphere Basement bar after for pint and live music.

Attended a small wedding upstairs. Friendly staff. Decent Pint.

Attended the emo isn't dead dj night, really cool venue

Great bar service. Friendly staff. Brilliant live music.

Super entertainment,staff excellant.

I was there for a wedding reception what a place to go for any special celebration staff were exceptional lots of room even if you need the extra room in the gallery I couldn't speak highly of the way we were treated

Excellent, good friendly staff.