The Empire in Great Yarmouth

A 5 star review warranted what an amazing building. When I walked in I got lost by all the signs I couldn't read because there was many. If I really want to be fussy I'd say the white wine only comes in one size and the beavertown Gamma Ray is lethal but that's my own fault 🤣 We didn't try the food but that's a definite for the next time we visit. See you in future, Thanks

We went in the evening for drinks and to watch a band, was fun.

Absolutely bonkers venue. Highly recommended

Went with a small photoshoot group with a couple of models, welcoming and friendly. Look forward to returning when in Yarmouth again.

Great place to visit in Yarmouth on the sea front. Atmosphere is great and the decorations are brilliant. Service was a bit slow. But it was busy. My burger was amazing, but my partner was disappointed with the wings. Overall a great place for everyone alike, very child and dog friendly. I'd love to come back to see an evening event as it looks like it would be great fun! The child we were with unfortunately couldn't eat her child's pizza as it was covered in herbs/oregano which is a shame, but overall trip out was great. Highly recommend this place for all.

First visit and not our last, meals were very good along with the staff, thank you.

Beautiful place. The best burger and pizza in Norfolk. Great kraft beer.

Great Food, Good Vibes & Much Needed Family Adventure

Great food, great atmosphere. I recommend

Love this place. Great atmosphere, friendly staff. Delicious food. Would come back to Yarmouth just to eat here and dog friendly!

August 2024- went with my partner and 2 children. The children's pizzas are huge! The burgers are a great size. The food is all fresh and tasty. I had a lovely Gordon's pink gin. Very good. It's a bit pricey but very tasty and the atmosphere is great. Very quick service. Staff friendly and leave you to eat without hounding you every 2 seconds, which is brilliant. Easy to order. Would like it if I could have proper cutlery as I couldn't cut up food for my young daughter. Also, I'd like it if sauces were available. But this is absolutely amazing. We went three times on our one weeks holiday for dinner. August 2023- Went with out 2 children and loved our meal. Would be nice if they had puddings. August 2022- Came here for dinner, ordered through the app, and it came very quickly. Was the best food we had all week! The adult burgers were delivered sharpush and well seasoned, and the chips were amazing. My daughter loved her kids' meals. All good-sized portions for the price. The decor is different, very nice though. I loved the lighting. It was quiet inside when we went around 4 pm, with quite a few people outside for drinks. I imagine it coming to life in the evening. I really liked that dogs were welcome as we had our well-behaved frenchie who fell asleep under the table. One of the staff offered him some water also. Friendly staff. Will definitely go again!

Needs better beers and ciders some good bands/ singers

It was great more than expected we went early afternoon which was good but I shall have to try night time as they have entertainment which looks good , good service.

The BEST pizza we have ever had! Hats off to you all as the food was next to none. Beer very good and prices not too steep either. Thankyou

Was not keen on the flyer touting outside, but had already said we would give it a look. I'm so glad we did. It's brilliant inside 👏 Give it a look if you are passing. All the food and drinks were great, freshly made street type food. Service was all on an app and no hassle at all. Will be back. Many thanks.

Very nice !!! Atmosphere super, live music !

Great place to go young or old. Food is great

Didn't eat here, but no issue with service at the bars. Great entertainment. Unusual and interesting decor.

What a great place polite and friendly very impressed with the layout will come again .

Amazing place the building is fantastic inside and out great night witj live music

Just popped in as we were passing great burgers, pizzas were good as well

The best food in Yarmouth! The burgers are amazing and the nuggets are made from proper chicken breast. Save yourself time and don't read the rest of this post just go! The environment is great for little ones, visually and acoustically stimulating and if you need a quiet place they have a few nooks to relax. Don't be put off by the front stairs, just ask and they'll open the side door. Can't speak for the late day, after 1600/night life. But it's a must go. The toilets are by the front door, just so you don't have to ask.

We went to see the live band called 'Uprising' at The Empire on the seafront, they opened with, 'Highway to Hell AC/DC. The mix of songs were excellent and the audience was encouraged to sing and dance. It was an enjoyable experience and i would visit them and the place again, it added a lot to our holiday, most enjoyable.

The venue is amazing. Massive open tall roof with cool interior. Also regularly shows live music. Great night spent in great Yarmouth.

You can't go to Great Yarmouth without going to the Empire. Perfect in every way. The food was excellent, the staff were friendly, the decor is eclectic, in probably the best building on the sea front. Just go in, find your seats, order from your table or the bar, very straightforward and easy, food and drinks with you in no time at all, and quality food. The best burger and pizza I've had. I would definitely come back to Great Yarmouth just to go there. It is that good.

What a surprise! The inside of The Empire is not what you expect, as you go through the doors you're transported to a street cafe scene, with different areas for you to sit, you could be in the pub, and open bar, a cocktail bar or on 'the street'. It's got TV screens so you can watch the sport, etc. then in the evening it becomes a live music venue. The food was delicious, we had 2 pizzas, 2 loaded fries, chicken wings and drinks. The pizzas had plenty of toppings, all of the portion sizes were generous, and it was reasonably priced. If there weren't so many other places to eat, we'd have gone back more than we did. 🤘🏻👍🏻

Absolutely stunning, authentic, quirky venue. Beautiful food which was served timely and hot. Staff are Incredibly helpful, attentive and kind, nothing is too much trouble. You get the whole package at the Empire! You won't get better along the seafront, take a trip! It's worth it. Drinks are so reasonable compared to other venues. Every thing has been thought through. 1) could do with some better advertisement outside and more marketing to encourage people in, advertise Bun exchange and slice - people love that food so show you deserve to show it off 😊

Absolutely fantastic what they have done with this place. We recently called in with our family for drinks and food, and just wow. Excellent atmosphere and service. Will definitely be calling in on our next visit to Great Yarmouth.

We went to an old school garage night here recently and we were all disappointed. The DJ's played garaged 'themed' music but there was not any old school garage played whatsoever. We were just pleased entrance was free.

Arrived mid evening on a Tuesday when there was live music. Decent atmosphere and plenty of seating. As per the first image, I find it outrageous that you have to pay extra for things such as cheese, onion rings and even chips/fries. Surely these come as standard with a burger? This being said, the food is really, really good! Don't expect bog standard frozen nuggets when ordering the kids' nuggets & fries.

This is by far the very best evening venue Great Yarmouth has (or dare I say ever has had) to offer. Fantastic food, great beer, accommodating staff, current, on trend and fun decor! In addition, from what I’ve seen the entertainment is spectacular - we saw Harber Lights, a sensational band. Excellent vocals and musicians. We had pizza - rustic (not greasy/slimy) and made with love. This place really should (and does) attract people to GY specifically for it. It’s an excellent addition to the sea front and long may it continue. Well done to all involved! My ONLY criticism is the acoustics - speakers mostly surround the stage area and work on improving the sound in other areas of the venue would be an advantage to get the proper ‘live / surround sound’ feeling.

Place is dark and not welcoming. Table service barely works due to poor wi fi . Food choices bang average, like the taste of it. Definitely won't be revisiting. Staff were OK.

Popped in just for a quick drink but could have stayed all afternoon. Love the attention to detail with the decor that has clearly not changed any of the beautiful architecture. Great atmosphere, simple but tempting menu. Looking forward to going back.

Only had drinks and to watch the band The Jacks great night

Quirky bar with live music TV screens. Fun vibrant place to be.

Great night out when my wife and was in Gt Yarmouth. Band always playing, beer was good price, everyone was dancing. Will come again!👍🏻

Opened at 6pm. Turned away at 5.59pm.

Fantastic place to go for a good night out x

Great bands and a really good vibe

If you're looking for a great place to start your evening then look no further. Selection of live bands and acts every weekend plus a monthly comedy. Food is available but I haven't personally tried it yet, but it did smell and look good. Maybe next time.

Visited for the first time, drinks felt reasonably priced and the band playing that night, a 90's cover band (game on) were very good

We had a lovely chat to the doorman. A very welcoming place and their burgers are the best I've tasted 😋 They alow dogs and children until 7pm They have good live music and then their resident DJ A must visit for all ages

What a great venue. It looks amazing inside. I saw a great covers band called The Someone's. They were very good as well.

It's a great place to see live bands and have street food with drinks. The only downside is the food order closing time. Dogs are allowed at the venue but it would be a bit loud when bands are on.

A Fantastic venue. There is so much going on with the Decor, it was mesmerising. Good Drinks and food too.

Did not eat here, just drank. How fantastic is this place! Thats what i call a show bar. It is so nice after all these years coming to yarmouth, seeing the empire shut & looking like it is embarrased to be here, to see it finally open & put to good use! The place looks amazing, staff are all very friendly, happy & fun to talk to. Been told its all part of the world famous hippodrome circus family, SO in the words of the fantastic Johnny, "i'm enjoying myself"

Love it. Food was amazing as was the server who helped with allergies! Get super busy though so go early!

-1star as some more vegetarian options would be good Seems they have a limited menu at the moment

Love this place! We will visit every chance we get.

Martin serves and incredible cocktail and looks after his punters incredible bloke toffee aople shot is a other level top bloke!

I had the nach yo burger and it tasted absolutely amazing I've ate at a few different places in great yarmouth and this one is the best place for food the smash burger melts away in your mouth and the flavours combined is perfection definitely will be coming back here. The atmosphere is great too and the beer options are great definitely recommend going here

Great night, fabulous atmosphere. Live music and DJ very good. The only downside was waiting upto 35 minutes to get served, very unorganized and slow.

Good range of food. Went there for lunch and was able to get a table. Atmospheric venue.

Great atmosphere, food was great, the thing I would say is why is there no proper beer on tap for the older generation. East coast ipa. Doom bar. Worthingtons,

An incredibly welcoming venue to people of all ages with a great atmosphere and incredible interior decor. Delicious food too, and regular live music

Absolutely awesome place! Great selection of drinks, street food vendors to suit all tastes and just a beautiful venue!

Visited for first time ever, despite previously living in the great Yarmouth area for 11 years. Excellent band gigged, my mate is in the band. Visited from Norwich just to see them again.. Superb venue.

Didn't try them food so can't mark that down. Whole place is really cool and funky. Not what I expected at all. Great atmosphere. Can't believe it's in Yarmouth!

Excellent choices of street food. Good choice of craft beers and ciders. Friendly staff. Good music and a great atmosphere

Cool vibes, defs worth visiting if your in Great Yarmouth. Awesome venue with great music. The space is tastefully decorated

We just had a drink here but loved the decor and atmosphere lots of street food options

We went to watch a local band play. We didn't realise they did food here & had eaten before. But the whole night was BRILLIANT. The staff were really lovely. The atmosphere was just so happy, relaxed & friendly. The actual building is BEAUTIFUL. It screams of Years gone by. The outside of the venue was my favourite. The balcony where Laurel & Hardy stood, among other legends from entertainment along with the now closed ticket booths are so historic. And BEAUTIFUL stained glass windows. The booth where you got your sweets & popcorn. This all marries past & present wonderfully. And every weekend they have live music. If you're in Yarmouth check it out. The prices are fair. Next time we go, we'll check the food out. Hope you think it looks as great as I do.

Great place to eat and drink. A gem.

There are too many drunken idiots.. The building is stunning, and the live band was fantastic. Good cocktails ! I just didn't feel safe there with my family as the night got later, in terms of the drunks and not enough security for a place that large . We all enjoyed it for a while, and then it just felt it was time to leave to be on the safe side

This quirky place is full of character. Lovely venue with decent food and good selection of beers. It's great to see it back, up and running. Definitely worth visiting if you are walking along the seafront. We will certainly be back next year. 5 stars from us. 👍 Truly recommended.

Loved the app ordering, could do with a dessert based vendor in there.

Great food beer and service. Went during the day.

Best chicken burger I've ever had and great atmosphere x

unreal inside, really good atmosphere, sweetcorn was amazing just wasn’t a fan of the halloumi fries x

The Empire, a former theatre, these days is a multifunctional establishment, including a pub, restaurant, and music venue. But don't trust the billboard outside, promising a wide variety of craft ales. NONE of them is actually available on tap, nor kegged - just a few bottles from Brewdog and the like for which they charge outrageous prices. It's a tourist trap, essentially, much like a Venus flytrap, that lures you inside with its colourful appearance. And the inside of of this establishment is certainly colourful, somewhere between Disneyland and a Las Vegas casino. Certainly worth a brief look for the duration of drinking an overpriced pint of lager. I can imagine that when they're having an event it can be quite appealing. It's just not appealing as a pub. There is outside seating as well.

A really atmospheric place with great sets and lighting. The bench seating is very basic for the prices and I've had to leave as fellow guests could not put up with it for more than one drink. Standing for a gig is fine though.

My second visit....First was last year on day trip.....I love the look inside this place and although food is mainly pizza chicken wings and burgers what we had was good and staff were helpful when I asked about a certain sauce..love the atmosphere but as we only visited during the day I don't know what it's like come evening....but I'm guessing very lively as they have live music

Great place, amazing live music

very good service and friendly staff , good food , nice place , highly recommended 👌

2 for £13 at certain times for cocktails. Must be the same but an excuse to get 4 or 6

Nice and friendly atmosphere,good for enjoy live music and friendly people

Good atmosphere with live music. Nice cold pint of Stella and pub food. Main entrance and facilities not for ♿. Large steps to entrance. However, been informed side entrance wheelchair accessible. .

Walking along the promenade in Gt Yarmouth with my daughter looking for somewhere to eat for lunch. The endless number of fish and chips, burgers, KFC, all day greasy breakfasts seemed to be all there was on offer. But then walked past the Empire and saw a sign saying street food, so my daughter and I looked at each other and said ''why not give it a try''. What a revelation. They have clearly given the place a lot of thought and effort into its décor and layout. It looks wonderful and very welcoming. Great food choice with reasonable pricing. We went for the Mexican menu and had a few dishes to share. All were wonderful (and all are veggie) and very tasty. Portion sizes are reasonable and service is very friendly and helpful. Couldn't recommend this place more highly Ignore the usual greasy food joints and give this a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Omfg what a meal very best friendliest staff time wait was next to no time at all piping hot very the best food I have ever had and kids eat all of there food

This place is awesome. Love everything about it.

Really nice set up inside, stands out from the other venues on the seafront. Street vendor like food stalls inside.

Lovely venue, great food, good drinks, helpful staff, reasonable prices. Fantastic. Highly recommended. Great music too!

The best burgers in Norfolk. These beat anything I've tasted they are incredible. A smash pattie of perfection. Everyone is silent when eating these bad boys. Yarmouth gets a bad rep, but this place is pretty cool. Order from your table, service is quick. I haven't tried the other food they do here, but its become a pilgrimage for a burger, worth the travel. Great family place to eat. Only visited during the day.

Fab building and lots of sparkle - but do not ask for any cocktail 🍸 did not try food...

A strange themed area in an old Theatre/ Cinema that offered street food and craft beers to enjoy whilst listening to live music. I was only in for a quick pint on a hot summer's day and enjoyed my Camden Helles. Venue was not overly full but it appeared that most tables were purchasing food. I can only assume by this that the meals were of decent quality?

Food was outstanding best burger i have ever had. The service is always with a smile and welcoming vibe. Atmosphere on a Saturday night is out of this world.

Not a particularly welcoming atmosphere in here - staff all looked quite glum on a Saturday afternoon. Drink orders, after the app had been downloaded because we wanted cocktails came out incomplete, so had to chase that up. Drinks themselves were nice and reasonably priced. We found a snug downstairs away from the crowds where the music was just a bit quieter - though the music itself was a good mix. All sorts of weird paraphernalia to be found down here - quite Egyptian themed, which I liked. Overall a mixed bag.

WHAT A PLACE WOAH! WAS A BIT UNSURE ABOUT THIS PLACE WITH HAVING CHILDREN 1&4 WITH US BUT WHAT A VIBE THE GUY ON THE STREET OUTSIDE convinced us in lol and was glad he did they had a live singer on at 4 pm which they were great ordered drinks and food via the app they came all in good time staff awesome with kids and food was fantastic a lot of stuff on the menu seemed to be vegan? So be careful what you're ordering. Pizza 100 outa 10! All the stuff over the walls was such a vibe fanastic place shame we had to leave as the kids weren't feeling the vibe lol

Service was excellent, not much room to put up a highchair if you have a little one and no access for buggies or weelchairs, myself and my boyfriend both had the chicken wings (bbq) and a pulled pork burrito on Saturday and have had violent sickness and diarreah since (2 days now), the wings looked fully cooked and were crispy if anything so would 100% say it was the burrito, such a shame as it is a lovely place, just need to put more care into their food.

Great building, mish mash of contents

Such a fun use of an old theatre! Loved the burger I had, and will definitely be back for some live music next time!

Great unique place with really cool decor

Shame about this place, different street foods and beers which is quite expensive and the menus were filthy and sticky not great when using your hands for food disgusting really ended up going somewhere else.

Fantastic night out, great live band, lots of drinks

Brilliant as ever, service is good and food always on point. The app really helps when its busy as they bring everything to your table. The music is always awesome, some great playlists. The bands are not bad too.

No live music, expensive drinks, underwhelming "street food". Interior looks fantastic but two weeks running the website is out of touch with reality. Nicked a beer glass to make myself feel better.

Very quirky and interesting venue. With s good atmosphere. The staff i dealt with weren't particularly friendly or seem to know what they were doing and could do with more training and experience in customer service. Cocktails were average. But all in all a place I'd recommend.

We are a family of 5. It was a great place to eat. Before 9, families are welcome and we really did feel welcome. Really interesting decor and great music. The food was amazing and having the selection of 3 different types of street food was handy because there was lots of choice. Will 100% again next time we are in Great Yarmouth!

Free entry and pleasant staff. Attended a Drag Show on the Friday night, which was eye-opening and very entertaining. Then went to see live music on the Saturday night. Enjoyed both shows and also some of the food on offer. Very nicely decorated inside but a bigger dance floor would be great. Fun times!

Highly recommended can't wait to go back... Wished I lived closer