The Empress in Hackney

The food in general was of a standard for a gastro pub but the attention to detail is where things went slightly off. The beef was of exceptional standard but was served on a pin wheel sized plate along with the potatoes that had only seen the inside of rational for a few mins for reheat. The Yorkshire was tasty and had been cooked in a good bit of dripping , for me the worst part of the meal was the gravy that had either been water down due to amount of covers or taken from the puddle outside of the front door. It was cold and lacked and any form of flavour and was cascaded on the plate similar to the water from when you clean dirty boots. Overall nice environment with an emphasis that the attention to detail could be slightly better.

Really great food, super friendly service.

A warm, cosy and friendly neighbourhood pub with really good quality food and a good selection of independent beers on tap. Great balance between boozer and food joint. The food is fairly priced for the quality. Onglet steak and chips with a pint of Five Points Best was delicious.

Service and atmosphere incredible 🥂🙌🏻 food was delicious , especially for a pub - lovely place for a catch up dinner or cocktail

Lovely pub but the food is hit and miss. I’ve eaten here a couple of times and it’s very expensive for what it is, although the drinks are fairly priced. We visited today and I had a mushroom dish that was so gritty, it was like eating sand. I obviously sent it back and had something else but the chef said it was meant to be like that which is incorrect. Black Trumpette mushrooms need to be thoroughly cleaned otherwise they are inedible. My boyfriend had a steak that came swamped in a sauce, accompanied by a tiny bowl of chips, very underwhelming. We had a couple of starters that were great but the mains were very disappointing. There was also not much choice for people that prefer choosing fish or vegetarian options like myself.

Came in Friday after work - the staff were incredible! So friendly and attentive behind the bar and on the floor! We just had bar snacks and drinks and the bar snacks were the most incredible tasting food! My boyfriend and I shared the samphire bhaji and the Korean chicken wings and both were 10/10! The portion sizes were generous and a great first feast here and will defo be coming here again!

Great food and very generous portions Plus a bull terrier on the sofa! What's not to like. I had a spicy chicken sandwich with lovely chips 😁

Amazing Sunday roast. Really recommend the sharing pie!!

We had an excellent lunch at The Empress. Very impressed that they were able to produce a good range of gluten free options. The food was really excellent, well presented, generous portions and delicious. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the service was speedy and efficient. A real treat!

Great food and lovely staff. I had a small baby and the staff made me feel really welcome

You can read a lot of good reviews on the Sunday Roast which I can’t say anything about as I’ve never been here for it. But the Monday deal is a total trap. The portion is tiny, the food is cold and the service is slow. On top of that, the starter came ages after the main course. I understand it was a busy evening, but folks, get your act together. All I can say is that I’m not impressed, nor Empressed 😑

The Empress is one my favourite pubs, but I've recently learned that they have taken the baked Camembert off the menu. By far the most popular item on their menu for years, they abruptly cancelled it, replacing the abundantly delicious cheese with a minimalist burrata dish that's neither appetizing, nor popular. Why places do this, I will never understand. If something works, don't mess with it. What's more, when I called and politely asked if the baked camembert was ever coming back on the menu - noting how much I loved the dish and the pub - I was greeted with a borderline aggressive response that was dismissive at best, provoking at worst.

🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵⚪️ Very friendly pub as we like to imagine them. Invigorating food, extremely pleasant, adapted to the environment! However, the place quickly becomes noisy.

Always a pleasure to visit the Empress when we are over in london to stay with our London Duff's.

Lovely pub in the center of the busy Hackney village . Staff are nice and atmosphere is welcoming . We enjoy going there with the kids and family

Garbage place, rude and disrespectful

The Empress boasts a cozy and vibrant atmosphere thanks to its charming layout and decor! The food prices didn’t quite match the gourmet taste, but it was still nice. The beer selection is average — could definitely use a little pizzazz — but the friendly staff make every visit enjoyable. Perfect for a relaxed night out with friends!

Had a terrible experience there yesterday. Went there for my partners birthday and faced the below issues: - waitress did not know the sizes of the plates or dishes as she ‘had been on holiday’ - the waitress forgot about one of our three starters - waitress didn’t ask how I wanted my steak so I had do find her to tell her - I asked to swap the chips for a side of broccoli or boiled potatoes as I can’t have gluten, and she came back with a plate of salad leaves. I asked if I could get something more filling and she said ‘of course’ and brought back the same leaves with dressing. Was basically paying for a steak that cost £24. - overall terrible service and too expensive for what it is. - not gluten friendly unless you’re happy to pay the same price as someone else for less food.

Great local pub with a very good roast. relaxed atmosphere and good service. Could slightly improve the dessert menu, but overall recommend for a Sunday Roast with friends, family or couples.

Wonderful menu, venue, staff, a lovely place to just meet or celebrate

Food amazing. Service amazing. Venue amazing.

New chefs are really knocking out great food here. Thoroughly enjoyed every dish , thankyou !

Flounder on toast was very delicious. I will happily go back with friends to try other dishes on the menu!

Shared chicken pie, it was shredded chicken in an overly floured whitish sauce filling. Not great.

Had an awful experience some Sundays ago, waiter Ben wasn't V accommodating with my pram and when the table next to me stood up for me he told them to mind their own business and shutup? Bit of a lunatic

Nice pint of Paulaner Munchner Helles. Nice pub

The best pub in Victoria Park, East London. Exceptional staff, great variety and really good food. Don’t miss Monday night dinner + drink for £10.

My siblings and I went there for dinner. We were served by an British bartender. She treated us very rude and with bad manners. She made us feel very uncomfortable. We asked her for a spicy sauce, she said they didn’t have any. Minutes later, an Italian bartender (sweet and smiley) came to our table, we asked her and she said: “OF COURSE”! In Spain we call this racism.

Service with a smile 😁 good vibes.

On a spontaneous visit to East London, we stumbled upon a delightful pub near Victoria Park that left us thoroughly impressed. This hidden gem quickly became a highlight of our day, even though we only had time to order a few sides. From the moment we walked in, the welcoming atmosphere and charming decor set the stage for a great experience. The service was exceptional, with friendly and attentive staff who made us feel right at home. Despite our limited order, the quality of the food was outstanding. Each side dish was flavorful, well-prepared, and presented with care. It’s clear that the kitchen takes pride in their work, and it left us eager to return for a full meal. The beer selection on tap was another highlight. With a variety of local and craft options, there was something to suit every palate. Each pint we tried was fresh and perfectly poured, adding to the overall enjoyment of our visit. It’s a shame we couldn’t stay longer to explore the main menu, but based on our experience, we have no doubt that the mains would be just as impressive as the sides. This pub is a true find, and we highly recommend it to anyone in the area. We’ll definitely be coming back for more! Highly recommend

Such a lovely local find ! Great for drinks or for a good roast - accompany with the Bloody Mary

Really great place to bring our whole family.

Great spot with a lovely welcome. Food was disappointingly average with a very fatty piece of roast beef and tired, dry roast potatoes. A bit school dinnerish. Everyone delightful but the service all seemed a bit chaotic with different staff bringing us the wrong things, having to be asked for the horseradish sauce and apple sauce, and bringing one entirely wrong meal!

I enjoyed my meal, and the service was outstanding. However, culinarians need to divise a word to describe a pastry covered dish so that those expecting a pie - which was the word used on the menu - are not disappointed. I'd given up verifying whether a pub's pie offering was in fact, an actual pie since most establishments have realised the futility of masquerading pastry-topped casserole as legitimate pie - my work, and that of countless other pie-appreciating customers seemed complete. Clearly, there is more to be done.

This establishment is racist towards its staff and has a racist manager, Ben. I would discourage people from eating here and giving their money to such a poorly managed and disgusting business. Shame on the manager and everyone that is complacent at this workplace. There is a lot of us in the E9 area that are aware of this too and we will collectively not be eating there and will be encouraging other people to do so. Good riddens.

One of the best pub Sunday roasts ever had. Starters were simple but well done - ox tongue and pork croquettes. Good beer & nice service Will revisit

Fantastic place. Best stake I had in a long time, lovely atmosphere and amazing service. Miguel is a great server. I recommend this place , fantastic food, everything was proper good.

Great food, great service, cosy settings, love this pub.

We’ve been coming here for over 10 years and the food and service are always exceptional

The service was incredible. It was really busy but the friendly waiter was always buzzing around and extremely attentive. We were in the dining area and we kept ordering drinks and took ages to order dinner so he was very patient. I can’t remember his name but he was Scottish. The atmosphere was lovely and I like the low lighting other pubs in the area have bright kitchen type lights!

Mondays deals and specials are great! Always good service and nice vibe too!

Lovely pub with very friendly stuff

Pleasant pub with nice food. Very pleasant staff and a cosy interior.

What a night. We had such a delightful evening made even more special by Miguel the wonderful waiter who made us feel so looked after and laugh very hard. He made our night to be quite honest!

Miguel was our angel on the night, fantastic service. Guided us to a thoroughly delicious steak, all the while bringing joy and laughter. A wonderful evening was had.

Great food and great pub - we will be back!

The food tasted great, the service was amazing but a few hours after eating, both me and my partner started to feel unwell. We both had strong stomach aches, and he got all the symptoms of food poisoning. We both had Sunday roast, pork and beef respectively, and chocolate coffee cake. It’s a pity because when we left we thought we’d make it into our special occasion place.

The food was overpriced (one small mince pie costing 8,5 plus service) with inconsistent quality (the mushroom tart was so dry and basically tasteless). The service was average with rude and defensive staff. The place gets so loud it's difficult to hold a conversation. Avoid when possible.

Delicious Sunday Roasts....Pork melt in the mouth and so tasty. Beef a little pink for my partner who wanted well done...they enjoyed it nonetheless. Relaxed, warm atmosphere. Attentive staff. Hum drum of conversation can get loud. We enjoyed ourselves very much and will return. Our cost £36ea with a couple of drinks. Btw, if you like a Yorkshire, it comes with the Beef, sadly not with your Pork, that would be extra... £1. 🤷‍♂️🤷🤦‍♂️

My negroni was delicious, but you could smell the downstairs gents loos while sitting at the bar upstairs.

Roast was pretty poor, it came out lukewarm and the potatoes were dry and tasted like they were reheated. The beef was also extremely tough and chewy despite asking for it pink. They also charged extra for a Yorkshire pudding which should be included! Starters were good however as was the service.

A really great pub! We were huddled outside after the Victoria park 10k waiting for them to open, and one of the staff popped out and asked if we wanted drinks etc. was so kind as they didn't open for another 15 and made our two runners day! We all had the roast beef which was delicious. We all agreed it was one of the best roasts we've had in London (sorry I forgot to take a picture, we dived straight in!!) Would 100% recommend and will definitely come back next time we are near!

Went for a Sunday roast dinner and the beef roast was magnificent. Cooked at perfection and generous as a portion. Highly recommended!

Fantastic Sunday roast, the beef was perfect and service was exceptional! We finished our meals off with a cheeky Tokaji

The pub itself is in a great location, not near a tube but didnt bother most of us. I invited a group of mates for lunch and it was great, from the welcome, the service and the food. Nice bright room, casual but professional. We had selection of starters then had our own mains, all cooked as they should! Good drink selection, local beers and some off piste wines too. Still the best pub in East London!

What a great find. Staff is so very kind as we were with our dogs and a baby and they helped us out with anything. Burger was delicious, location is really close to Victoria park and it’s a very cosy and simple interior with a wheelchair accessible entry and toilet.

One of my favourite East London pubs - now a gastropub. Had dinner there last night, was delighted to find partridge on the menu, which was delicious. Also good ale, and good wines by the glass - and great service.

This was supposed to be an enjoyable family meal but it was far from that.The girl serving was pleasant enough but didn’t have a clue.The pigs head croquettes at £9 was not a croquette at all but a single fried meat cake with tough dry meat inside.The flat iron steak at £24 was tough and tasteless and cold with a bland sauce which was a waste of time.This must be the worst place to eat in Bow Village and grossly overpriced.Avoid this establishment unless you just want a drink.

I regularly book for the monthly Frugal Feasts which are always incredible value and delicious (book early!) but I took my whole team last week for our annual (pre)Christmas dinner and was impressed by how well they managed a big table within the main room (without being forced into a dull "function room"). Lots of menu options to suit everyone, excellent food, brilliant service and fantastic atmosphere.

We popped in for a drink and ended up ordering some desert. Really cosy atmosphere, great food and excellent service. Dogs are allowed. The chocolate tart and fruit sorbet was amazing.

The steak (medium) was wanderful. Service very very good.

A really nice place to stop by on a Sunday. The staff were super friendly, the atmosphere was great and the Sunday roast was delicious!!

What a gorgeous little pub. And wonderful staff who really understand that it’s ALL about customer service & friendliness. We’ve enjoyed the delicious vegan Sunday roast, and there’s a terrific £12 meal deal on Monday nights. Cannot recommend this place and its warm cosy ambience highly enough. And a heads up for the Hackney brewed pale ale. 💜💜💜

Very reasonably priced beers. Had the flat iron steak and chips and it was unreal. Highly recommend.

Attractive, open and light space immaculately presented and with great outdoor seating - excellent range of beers served by charming staff. Very much looking forward to coming back to try the food, which looks fantastic!

Really lovely atmosphere, spacious vibe, lovely staff, great food, reasonable prices. Lovely summertime vibe. Beef and pork roast both great

Had a couple of pints as was in the area

I love this pub. Great beer, and excellent food - not your normal pub grub, but rather elevated.

Came for lunch before going to Field Day festival on Saturday, had pre-booked a table as a large group. Whilst the pub was busy it certainly wasn’t insanely so. Our table all ordered our food at the same time (a mix of starters, small plates and mains) and were asked if we wanted it all together or just as it was ready. We opted for the latter but assumed that this would mean that starters would come first (there’s a clue in the name there!). Anyway, some dishes came very quickly, others took ages and some simply didn’t come at all (with no explanation or apology). One of our group got his steak main course and then his starter arrived half way through! Worst of all however, one of our group (a vegetarian) was presented with his dish of (supposed) arancini by a waiter who clearly didn’t know what he was serving, only to discover having started to tuck into it that it was in fact a chicken and chorizo croquette. Not ideal at all! When we flagged this, to say the response we got back from the staff was non-plussed/rude would have been an understatement. When the bill arrived (we’d given up on the dishes that didn’t arrive by then) they hadn’t bothered to check it or even offer any sort of recompense for the chaos! Such a shame as the food (that did arrive) was very tasty - the service however, was utterly hopeless!!!

Tasty Sunday roast, adequate mocktail and a good dessert. Popular with celebs too

Nothing wrong the the service or atmosphere but the food was bang average.

I went there with my work colleagues. I made the reservation about 3 months in advance, not knowing that The Empress will have the frugal feast that night. That meant a closed menu of 3 courses for a fixed price. There was no allergen information on the printed menu and we had to rely on our server's giving us information on food. Apparently they make their foccacia with butter?! I find it unacceptable that a pub like The Empress, in Hackney did not bother to mark allergen information on their set menu for the day! There was also no flexibility on the pricing given that members of our group could only have 1 main and 1 dessert out of the menu, due to food allergies. And one last thing (but just as annoying) is the messaging service to confirm and remind me of our booking- which was borderline harassing! I received 4 messages within 24h, the last one being 30 mins before we arrived! The food that we did manage to eat was fresh and good and perfectly seasoned. However, some of us did end up paying £35 for having a main only. So overall I would not go to The Empress again and would not recommend it to my friends and family.

Wonderful food always at the Empress

I had the most delicious lunch I’ve had in a while. I had the chilled tomato soup and the melon. So so impressed. And the staff were really wonderful. Would recommend and would come back

I came here often when I lived close - today came for a roast and they’ve removed the veggie roast for some reason. It’s Hackney and there are a lot of vegetarians. Ruined my Sunday.

Good to see all the old faces back on the manor.

The man who looked like he was in charge was super rude. I had ordered a drink and had just finished after which he told me he would give my seat to someone else unless I ordered something. A very short term view of good customer service in my opinion. Avoid.

Honestly this place has great food terrible service one of the waters there kept hovering around us and made us really uncomfortable when, we tried eating in peace the water kept asking us about the food none stop I must admit I don't recommend going there terrible service.

Best Sunday roast in Hackeny! Love this place.

Firstly, the staff are awesome, really nice and happy. Then the food, we had a roast today and it was amazing. Highly recommend the roast beef. The pub itself is a lovely open space. The dining room has gorgeous leather seating along the wall and traditional tables and chairs running along that. Great bar and bar staff with lots of whiskeys too. Really great experience.

Been coming to this place since 2015 and it sadly continues to move downhill. Most staff seem nice and helpful, unfortunately many do not seem to hang around long. And inevitably from time to time there seems to be someone who just doesnt get customer service and spoils things - in this case a young bar manager aggressively suggesting to my partner that a well done steak was actually medium (tough and no hint of pink). The waiter had already removed it agreeing was overdone so a surprised someone else felt a need to intervene - maybe if had said steak in front of us at that point could have had a better debate. And then not replacing it before I finished my meal 15mins later (not sure how long needed to cook a steak). Poor attitudes are quite a rarity in this area, and it is a shame whoever is running Empress cannot seem to keep hold of any good staff.

Great bar and food - but the toilets are revolting!

Horrible experiences waitress extremely unpleasant, bar staff talking behind customers back. Over heard bar staff gossiping about customers and laughing very unprofessional and unpleasant.

The customer service was very poor and I was made to feel very unwelcome. There was a distinct lack of diversity and I was clearly made to feel that I was unwelcome

Very poor experience. Made to feel very unwelcome , lack of diversity and ok if you fit a certain clientale

Rude! Pub was busy but the man who appeared to be the boss sent all his efforts and time in telling us how much we were in the way and could we go somehwhere else. Won't go back until he's left.

Everything was good except the Sunday roast beef which was a brisket cut, well done, and tough

Went for Sunday dinner. Lovely atmosphere and the staff were very smiley and nice. However I had a roast dinner, vegetable wellington, it was very poor, the only vegetables in the wellington were lentils and mushroom and the accompanying vegetables were a let down. The red cabbage was cold and the potatoes looked anemic. And there was the tiniest amount of gravy I have ever seen. Yes I should have spoken up but it was a meal out treat that I wasn’t paying for and I didn’t want to appear ungrateful.

Good food good service with a friendly smile great beer Whats not to like?

Great pub with great restaurant inside. Good selection of beers and wines. Very cosy. Food is of a very high standard for a gastropub.

Gets better every time! The food has been high quality for some time, but the service goes from strength to strength. Most notable the thoughtfulness of the maitre’d to offer to bring out our young kids’ meals quickly before the adults had even ordered. Pork, pollock and beets starter all delicious. Cheerful, airy space. Enjoy! (Bonus point for well kept Five Points best bitter on cask)

Popped in for a roast, delicious foood, warm service, lovely local with great atmosphere. Will be back & the guinness was on point. Bloody Mary's also Slap.

Very good customer service and food is tasty!! Will come back.

Can’t beat it! Been coming here years. Lovely staff. And the kitchen always kills it. Amazing food at a reasonable price.

Now they even serve the world's best beer "Augustiner" and the price is very decent for the UK at least

Dog friendly 🐶🐶❤️ Originally recommended from a friend. Walked in on Sunday looking for a table of 4. Considering the location just outside Victoria park hopes were low but we incredibly got ourself a table. The manager at the door was very welcoming and accomodating. Bloody Mary is served with freshly grated horseradish, SO yummy! Both pork belly and beef roast were delicious. Staff was really friendly. Rhubarb crumble was incredible! A perfect Sunday, thank you ⭐

We used to love going to The Empress when visiting the area pre-Covid but staff (and chef?) have changed and this time it was disappointing in 2 ways. We ordered food on arrival - just a main course. Other people arrived on either side of us and ordered main courses too. After a long wait we noticed that the other tables had their food, and we were still waiting. We had to ask what had happened to our food, and it seems to us that our order had ‘got lost’ somewhere. The staff were extremely apologetic and dealt with it well. The food when it arrived was very good, especially the pork belly. However, my main course arrived having been described on the menu as pork belly and mashed potato. On ordering I specifically asked if there would be a vegetable with it as there are quite a few vegetables that I have to avoid (I’m not allergic but eating them causes unpleasant consequences). I was told that there wasn’t a vegetable with it and therefore ordered a side of a vegetable I can eat. When the food arrived the pork was sitting on red cabbage (which I don’t eat) as well as mash. If the item had been listed in the menu (which it should be in case of allergies etc) I would have asked to not have it plated (this would also have saved the restaurant money and avoided waste). When I pointed this out to the staff the response was that they sometimes added extra things on the plate. I mentioned that this could have a disastrous effect for some customers due to allergies and the server eventually agreed. However this is the second time in 6 months that this has happened and I had the same conversation then too! I am unsure as to why this is happening- the menu written up before the chef has decided what exactly to serve, or the menu writer who has omitted items that should be there or the table servers who haven’t been briefed correctly on what is in the dish or the chef suddenly getting over ambitious and adding extras. Whatever it is, it has made us realise that we won’t be returning here after many years of lovely meals. We do however appreciate that the table servers dealt with the long delay well.

Leuke plek in Hackney , alleen maar locals , kleine kaart en het eten is ok . Geen Michelin ster maar lekker . Nadeel is wel dat het een pub en restaurant is dus je moet wel tegen enorme herrie kunnen . Zelf aan een tafeltje voor 3 kon je elkaar moeilijk verstaan door de enorme herrie in de tent . Maar niet onaardig om n keertje mee te maken. Tis trouwens niet bepaald goedkoop .

Had a wonderful birthday meal with friends here. The tempura vegetables were lovely for starters, the duck breast main was amazing, as was the puds - I tried too many to remember them all, but loved the rhubarb crumble. The staff were attentive and even treated me to a birthday beer. I can't wait to visit again. Knocking a star off as the gents was a bit below par. 👃

Nice food, mid range prices. Toilets lovely. Beer selection large but not much to my taste.