The Empress On The Stray in Harrogate

Poor quality food - NO vegetarian options, despite the online menu suggesting several options - average pub food - disappointing.

Place rang 30 mins before our booking to inform the kitchen was closing

Decent location and good beer selection but utterly miserable staff.

Asked for my bitter to be poured right so it wasnt 90% head. Was told ‘not to tell her how do her job’ then she proceeded to over fill the same Pint whilst being incredibly awkward and purposefully abrasive. Wont be drinking here again.

We held a gender reveal party in the function room for around 70 people. The venue was great, there was a bar in the room especially for the party and they put extra staff on for it. We went a few hours before to decorate the room and it looked great! Would definitely recommend their function room for parties!

The staff here are so Friendly, we popped in for our tea and were over the moon with the servings of traditional tasty food . We highly recommend this place and will be back on our next trip to Harrogate.

The service was fantastic. The staff were very friendly and the food was great! I would come back over and over for the local experience!

Just been for Sunday lunch and couldn't fault it. Great selection of vege which you can get a second helping of. All lovely, warm and fresh. My dogs were welcomed and given a water bowl. Will definitely be visiting again

Love going to the Empress. It's a top notch local boozer. The food is great and the beers are top quality. Always a good atmosphere and they often do something special for your typical calendar events like bonfire night or Halloween. The staff are attentive and very helpful and welcoming. I've been coming here for over 20 years!

very cool place. there are different classes on the second floor. had a lot of fun to do life drawing ☺️

Nice vibe to this establishment and an excellent pint...

So booked on line for 8pm for dinner for 4. I know it was mad Friday but…. Arrived early, was told to sit at any available table. 8pm on the dot went to order food only to be told ‘s*@t, we have just closed the kitchen’. Had heard good things from locals so thought we were onto a good thing. Not At all. Disappointed. Disorganised and miserable staff. Do not recommend. Beer in plastic glasses too, really????? Not good planning Empress!!

Delicious Christmas lunch with all the trimmings, generous portions at a fantastic price. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Highly recommended.

Excellent amount of vegetables although would have preferred it a bit warmer. Staff excellent and couldn't do enough for us.

Wonderful place for sunday lunch. Great food and pleasant staff.

Called in as we parked nearby for the football what a great little pub.Realistic prices,friendly and a nice atmosphere.Plenty of draft beer choices,bonus!!

The bar maid was miserable, unhelpful and serving us seemed a burden. The food was mediocre, but not awful. However two of us (who had the same pizza) now have really bad stomaches… She didn’t ask if the food was ok or anything else we needed, she only bought over one knife and fork for 3!!! We had to ask for more and she actually huffed! It looked beautiful from the outside, but inside was grimy and uncared for.

Nice Pub with food and live matches.

Nice place to have a drink 🥃 and take the load off for a abit .

I seldom give anything 5 stars but the Empress is just great. Incredibly welcoming staff and a well balanced atmosphere. Choice of beer is excellent. Can't say I've eaten here but the the food I've seen looks and smells great.

Staff and service very good polite and friendly . Food was very good a enjoyable early evening meal

The Empress is a fabulous pub looking over the famous Stray in Harrogate. It's been one of my locals for many years, and is the perfect place to go for a quick bite to eat or a beverage when the mood takes me. The outside area is great, the pub is dog friendly and the staff are lovely. The Sunday Lunch Carvery is superb, and hits the spot every time.

What an amazing place we found today, the food was so delicious and really good prices, the staff were amazing, the pub it’s self are with big windows that let the nice day light in, in the ladies bathroom they have baby changing tables which is amazing and bags there you can put used diapers, the music is so good as well, for sure it’s will be our regulars when we in Uk

Excellent carvery. Very tasty. Good choices We were in a party of six and all thought this Good beers as well.

Food is amazing have eaten here several times. Staff are friendly

Thursday night is quiz night! Fantastic atmosphere and not at all competitive, 😂. Great fun. Always well attended. Do some charity fundraising quizzes too. Plus half time snacks 👍. Food is great - as long as you are a carnivore. Come on guys! It's the 21st century. Vegetarian customers want to eat more than a cheese and pickle pannini for dinner, even if it's served with a salad and chips 🍟🥗🙁. Bar staff always friendly. Would be happy going in here on my own for a drink, to watch a match and not feel uncomfortable.

Quite often call here pre-match for Harrogate Town home matches. Can get Quite busy, but the staff cope well. Early KO's on big screen. Good call.

Decent selection of beer and large food portions set on a pleasant part of the Stray. Pub of choice for match-going Harrogate Town fans (and away fans).

We had a beautiful funeral party here for my Mum utilising the function room and facilities It was perfect, the staff were wonderful as was the manager Trish, we were treat so kindly and professionally all afternoon, it was a wonderful party and a great send off for my Mum, can't wait to be back at the Empress for a drink and food, in happier circumstances.

Had my sisters wake the staff were miserable how they work in a pub and have no customer skills is beyond me ! They told us we had to be out by a certain time due to a pub quiz ! While a few of us awaited taxis and lifts we were intimidated to move away from tables that they were putting reserved signs on all of them ! We found one with no bottle so sat down to then be yelled at that we had to leave as it was reserved ! This lady was very rude it had been an emotional day not what we expected after spending alot of money in there as were a huge family .we then asked for management details as we weren't happy to be given false details then Trish said to a member of my family you need to stop taking drugs !!! Which is ridiculous and very presumptious of her .we then left and awaited outside to have two of the ladies standing at the top of the stairs intimidating us even more .so I would never recommend this place unless you like miserable people ! The food for the price was terrible beige food ! Very limited amount for how much it cost. Definately feel the management need to do a customer service corse !

Nipped in for a pint before the footy game, which was called off, good pub and well priced

Went in after the football after the accrington game, good atmosphere and good pints of draft. Had a good natter with the locals. Good old pub! Enjoyed it.

The empress is looking tired and in need of an update but the food and Ale is top drawer.

Great coffee, excellent chips and pleasant service. We stopped off here for lunch and it was very pleasant.

Food was nice, generous portions. We landed on quiz night so was busy with a friendly atmosphere. My partner forgot his jacket with our keys in. Luckily one of the barstaff was very vigilant and chased after us to return it. Many thanks and we owe that lady a drink. We'll be back.

Great stop as we walk home from town. Great family pub

Had my mums wake here on 15/12/3023 and they were excellent ,food buffet style was very good , great service 👍will definitely be back Thank you

Great food and a lovely cosy place

Food was cold. Served on what was called a Senior Which was basically a plate slightly bigger than a side plate. Will not be going back there

Really great atmosphere. Lovely in summer for families

Carvery is cracking, just down the road, definitely will be baxj

Lovely food for the price, nice little pub. Did get seated a bit awkwardly facing a wall in the path of the men's loo but it was still a nice meal for 2. Good music too compared to other places in Harrogate.

Great food for all the family. Amazing Sunday roast.

Good food, popular pub. Quiz night Thursday.

An over all fantastic experiance and fantastic food and value for money.

Utter waste of money food was uncooked and cold I like firm veg but the green beans at best were blanched the parsnips were so under cooked the knife would not cut them. Broccoli was the only warm veg what a waste of money

Food was brilliant. I had the lamb burger special and the wife had the empress burger. Chips were proper chips and not frozen ones. Burgers we juicy and cooked just right. Beers were also good and the atmosphere was excellent.

Good pub, with nice selection of beer. Shows all the sport, though I withhold avoid when Harrogate Town is playing at home as cab get very busy.

Didn't have a meal but the place is lovely, toilets are spotless, staff are so nice and very helpful - could not want more from a pub - marvellous

Great atmosphere, short walk to Harrogate Town FC

Meat cold, food warm not hot, very bland choice of veg and roast potatoes were soft and cold, bar staff older woman maybe landlady? and a dark haired lass had a horrible attitude problem. Not welcoming at all wouldn’t go again for that reason absolutely no need to be like that. Wasn’t just with me was also with other customers. It’s free to smile, if we wasn’t hungry we would of gone somewhere else also accused me of lying about the drink I wanted when others heard me say 3 times the drink I wanted, so asked for it to be swapped and they said with a stinking attitude “no doesn’t work like that you have to buy the other drink” disgusting attitude pair of them

A fine pint and an even finer carvery

Went in for a meal with my son, he chose the pizza I chose the cheeseburger. At £12 I expected quite a good meal, not the case, the burger was burnt and the cheese was rock hard, it was more burger van food but triple the price. My sons pizza was good, but I wouldn't eat there again.

went in before game very friendly staff just a little busy due to it being a match day member of staff had to change barrel which slowed things down but but overall very good. big sapce out back aswell.

Not a bad pub just off the roundabout..... not very much parking. Drinks where quite expensive. Not brilliant but ok for a quick drink and move on to the next pub.

Very friendly welcome in an historically important property, great beer, good food, really nice outside seating... Highly recommended (maybe not for all when Harrogate FC are playing at home).

Great pub for drinks in the sun. Sit outside or lounge on the deckchairs

I didn't eat but there were others eating. Just one drink with family to discuss things but quite noisy. Busy but friendly. Not my type of place but that's just my opinion. There were plenty of there people who seem to be regulars.

Booked on line and told them one customer was vegetarian so expected something for that. When we ordered our drinks got one voucher for a vegetarian and one for the full buffet. Had one normal Sunday lunch which was cold and the beef was tough. #The other was a vegetarian one we ordered on line I only got a ~Yorkshire Pudding and vegetables so was very disappointed the vegetables were cold, overcooked and not seasoned. How can you not cater for Vegetarians more very poor will not go again. When we gave them feedback they were surprised that we did not like the offer get real.

We wanted a quick lunch and a cheeky beer. Served us well. Big portions so we shared a ciabatta with chips . Good service and friendly

Been today ,been many times but today was poor,Sunday lunch wasn't hot,warmed it up with gravy,prices have gone up.tokd chef about food but no response,I wasn't the only person, will seek a different pub.

Had breakfast on our way to the races

Awsome venue very helpful for catering for a funeral! And assisted with Karaoke helping the family have the best time! Thanks team

Nice place good choice of drinks nice family friendly place good food nice staff, pool table, sports on tv, sat out in the beer garden out back and it was very nice in the sun, it's a great place and will be there for the rugby world cup this year

Very nice pub with nice food and service

Great pub for sport great outside areas top staff

First up we chase the Empress because the last time we were there was the Queen's Silver Jubilee and I remembered it as a reasonable upmarket pub. We looked the Menu up an line and saw they had several dishes that we fancied so we made a booking. When we got there I advised the Bar person that we had a reservation and she said sit where ever you want and handed us some tired looking menus. When I went back and mentioned the dishes that were on their website, but, not on the menu, I was told that these were new menus and the website had yet to be updated, the Menus may have been new for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, but, definitely not for her Platinum Jubilee. The food arrived and to call it ordinary is being very generous. The ambience of the place was further spoiled by an obnoxious man on a mobile, why people cannot talk quietly or be courteous to others and step outside I do not know. For the last 30 years I have conducted a lot of business on a mobile phone and I am sure nobody ever had a reason to complain (well maybe my wife). When the guy started to tell someone that he had to come to London to see his Saville Row tailor and would call on the person he was talking to we decided to leave. There are words to describe such people alas I cannot print them here, as for the Pub management, well they allow it, so shame on them. Needless to say we will never go back, well, maybe at the next Royal Silver Jubilee!

Very dark and dingy, prices aren't the best, pool table is knackered and the 'pepsi' is definitely not Pepsi. Tastes like utter garbage.

Friendly pub with a great sunday carvery

Character building that fits in well with the area.

Love the comedy nights they put on here. Great pub for a nice pint and to watch the sport.

Really good, tasty food. We hadn't planned to eat out but the choices were good and the price reasonable so we stayed and had delicious chicken snitzel and sirloin steak and our friends had falafels and salad, and a juicy cheese burger.

Took my mum and daughter today. Very disappointed. Cold food on cold plates. Not good value would not recommend. Will not go back.

We hired the room above for a family get together after our wedding, Trisha was fabulous throughout knew exactly what was needed and wanted food prices were spot on, two girls who occupied the bar area for us upstairs were friendly (didn’t catch her name) blonde lady was so friendly, smiley and certainly entertained the youngest member of the party! So a big thanks to her absolutely everyone enjoyed the food the curry was a hit. In fact people are still talking about it today! We had sooooo much food it was such good value for money per head! When we all had our fill we sent it down stairs for the patrons to enjoy I believe they certainly did to. My only regret is I didn’t try anything from the sweet trolley and I really wish I snuck I piece of cake back to the hotel for breakfast! We didn’t want the big formal affair and I believe Trisha hit the nail with knowing what we wanted. No entertainment needed we had music playing from our created playlist in the back ground that got everyone going And after the young ones went home we enjoyed the entertainment that was on downstairs. Couldnt recommend using the empress enough for an event.

Absolutely dreadful. Hour wait for food and when it came half of it was inedible. We were only given half the cutlery we needed to. No apology offered or compensation. Avoid this pub. Plenty of better places to eat nearby.

Absolutely dreadful. Hour wait for food and when it came half of it was inedible. We were only given half the cutlery we needed to. No apology offered or compensation. Avoid this pub. Plenty of better places to eat nearby.

Good atmosphere, went to watch a band, its all round a good venue for a band

+ value drinks, pool table, real ales, regular entertainment (quiz, comedy, music), dogs allowed, rear yard - limited on-street parking, only 2 picnic tables out front, cramped toilets, uncomfortable high stools, worn out menu sheets

Some of the staff were miserable and not very nice.

Went in on a Saturday afternoon for pre match drinks. Good atmosphere with both home and away supporters. Ales were very good.

An hour after we had our food and mine was not as discibed the lady did apologise and discounted the drinks the food was to us not good. Sorry.

We stopped here for a Sunday carvery whilst out shopping. We were lucky enough to get a table as a walk in, all of the tables were reserved a number of times over the course of the day. The food was good but the price was a little on the high side. You are only limited on meat and Yorkshire puddings, the rest of the meal you just help yourself too. There was a nice relaxed atmosphere in the pub and a good selection of beverages on offer.

Superb food. Very friendly staff and nice clientele. Recommended both the lasagne and the burgers. Very reasonably priced.

Well appointed pub, does a good selection of ales, nice food and a comfortable atmosphere.

I was surprised. Lived in Harrogate for 25 years and visited first time in Jan. Great atmosphere, pleasant surroundings, friendly staff. Plus dog friendly.

Good service, Reasonable choice.

Decent boozer for a harrogate town prematch beer

Nice and lively on a Friday night when I went in with some work friends. Good music, bit loud though :)

Great atmosphere and food. Portion size is more than enough and good quality. Highly recommended

Great local pub. They catered fir a small function fur us. Food was great and nothing was too much trouble!

Nice pub and reasonable selection of beer. Was a pleasant atmosphere despite visiting whilst the World Cup was on. Will try and get to one of the comedy nights here.

The Sunday carvery is good value for money

After trying 3 pubs on spec; as we were on route to our holiday destination. All 3 pubs were full with us having no reservation or were not dog friendly. We drove past The Empress, which looks very impressive from the outside and not expecting to find a table , we walked in to find the place empty. The surroundings were spotless but looked like a chain, lacking any personality and individuality. But they allowed dogs, they were serving food and we were hungry. None of us expected anything special, just an average pub grub meal, frozen and heated up. How wrong were we!! The food was absolutely superb. I would call it gourmet pub grub. Home made and freshly made. Stacey, who was serving us gave us excellent service, making us feel very welcome and giving our dog a special attention, giving him a biscuit from a jar on the bar left there especially for dogs. We were so impressed that on our way home we are going in again. I

4.80 for a pint of blonde real ale rip off .It's about half that in York .Your customer service needs attention who ever served me with a reply of there you go.

Been twice now and have to say, it has a great atmosphere. Didn't try the food as the kitchen shuts early on weds

Great location and great staff. I'd highly recommend a visit.

Good pub. Good Sunday carvery. Good value. And Good atmosphere.

Nice pub to visit. The staff r nice the food is good. Only downside I would say is they don't tell u how long wait for food when ordering at the bar when busy on a match day. But I would go back

A nice traditional pub, not tried food but a nice selection of ale's. Well supported by local community.

Great family pub and dog friendly!