Empire Pizza & Bar

Nice little pizza spot in Rock Hill. Since I’m from NY, I am picky about pizza. This wasn’t bad though. The slices a little small but tasty. I had the lunch special if two slices and a drink for 5 bucks. They have a lot of other lunch specials that I will be trying out.

Love their pizza and their garlic knots. My husband loves the calzones. Their salads are always fresh. The only thing is their customer service sometimes. They can be a little rude sometimes and we usually are very tolerant and we can understand the pressure of a fast paced restaurant. I wish they would be nicer. A smile and a thank you goes a long way.
I love the fact that you can order a pizza at midnight and pick it up.

He said:
This is a place with a great local feel on a Friday night. We chose to sit on the bar-​side and enjoyed the boisterous atmosphere. They had one local beer and it was a quality one (OMB Amber; a fine Alt), plus another «craft». They definitely focus on the macros. If not for the OMB this would have been a tough night. We had a pizza and also ordered the meatball appetizer. The meatballs were definitely handmade and definitely tasty. The pizza was «ok». We got a basic sausage and onions. Nothing special about it, but it was good/​average. The staff was friendly and attentive. Walking distance from the hotel? Perfect.
She said:
As He said, what a fun atmosphere! We chose this place largely because it wasn’t Outback and it was within walking distance of the hotel, but we stayed for an extra beer after our meal because the vibe was so great. As He said, the food was good. The meatballs were so much better than I expected, and the pizza wasn’t bad. I guess I should explain that I think that most restaurant pizza isn’t worth paying for, so other people would probably find the pizza to be good.
He is the true beer geek, so it’s best that he comment on that aspect. All in all, it’s a place where I felt comfortable, and the food and beer was good enough to merit a return visit if we’re ever in the neighborhood again.
Potty Points: This wasn’t the worst bathroom I’ve ever visited, but I’ve been to some pretty horrendous places. It was definitely grubby, the previous visitor wasn’t adept a doing a full flush, and the smell was overpowering. Two out of five potty points.

I frequent this place as much as I can. It’s one of those diamonds in the rough. The kind of hole in the wall where you see the same people every night, and everyone goes when they get off work. There’s great food, good beer, amazing mixed drinks, and friendly staff, and it’s my go-​to to have a laid back time with some friends and draft OMB Copper. That being said, it’s pretty small, and it can get crowded and loud. I suggest getting there earlier in the night and snagging a table outside if the weather is nice. See you there!
Another note. The negative reviews here seem to be centered on either the delivery service or the lack of «authentic NY/​Italian food». Firstly, they have maybe two delivery drivers at any one time, and the total right to restrict their delivery to whatever mileage limit they see fit. Secondly, nowhere does it say «authentic» anything. Just NY style, thin crust pizza and amazing bar food. So go to enjoy that, not to complain that it isn’t a 5 star fancy restaurant in NYC.

2 stars not for the food but for a $ 20 delivery min. that sucks when you are in the hotel .3 miles from a major hotel and its dark outside.. Losing crazy business!

The best pizza in Charlotte! Honestly my fav pizza place anywhere. Can’t go wrong! Servers are young and careless but the food is great!

My favorite hangout in Rock Hill! Great service and amazing food. Saturday nights on the bar side are my favorite with live music and great friendly and relaxing atmosphere. I come in every chance I get. Mandy rocks it as bartender!

I have been in Rock Hill for about a week and would like to give a review about the food at Empire Pizza. Unfortunately I cannot. For a pizza place that claims to deliver, they never have a driver or even when they do, they say that it will be almost two hours before a delivery can be made. I used to deliver pizzas. This is ridiculous. If you don’t want to deliver then don’t say you do deliveries.

Pizza is better the majority of pizza in the area. Favorite is the ala vodka special! So glad we tried it again!

Had the lemon pepper wings and a veggie calzone. The veggie calzone was huge, cheesy and delicious! I was able to get up to five veggies included for the regular price, and it had two kinds of cheese, mozzarella and ricotta stuffed in it. The wings were fresh and hot. I had it delivered to my hotel room and they brought it within their estimated time of 45 minutes.

This place is pretty bad. As a NYC transplant, I miss my Italian… and this place DOES NOT remind me of home. I gave them two stars because they manage to do a good Penne a la Vodka, as long as you skip the peppered grilled chicken option. That said — its the only item I find edible at this place, and since I live in walking distance, I have given them multiple opportunities to redeem themselves. At this point, Papa John’s beats them hands down every time. PAPA JOHNS! Did I mention I am a New Yorker?
I will say I have never actually sat down in this establishment I always get takeout, maybe something magical happens when you eat in? I have heard they have a decent bar… perhaps the more you drink the better the food tastes?
And speaking of takeout — I always call my order in ahead of time — but the food is never ready? NEVER! There’s always like one disoriented person there reheating or scooping something out of a big pot — what? And pepper pepper pepper… I typically have to ask my bf if he got any chicken marsala with his pepper. What is going on there?
Not sure but you won’t catch me back there again…

I read many reviews from supposed NYers saying this was as good as back in NY. I find that hard to believe. Super nice staff but the pizza was not great. Greasy and over cooked a bit. I never saw a person throw the dough and it came out very fast so I suspect they have premade doughs. Cheap pizza but even Dominoes is better. I should have tried a sub but didn’t.

I am a huge fan of their White Pie pizza. very authentic and the crust is excellent. I love their take-​out service and they also deliver within a 5 mile
–notch quality.

Great thin crust pizza! Could have a little better atmosphere, but we did sit in the bar area. Greek salad had very good toppings too. We would definitely eat there again!

This was our date night choice. This place has two sides — the bar on one side and a more family friendly side. There’s a juke box that offers a diverse mix of music and the staff is very friendly. We ordered a couple of Bud Lights and Philly Cheese Steaks. The sandwiches were pretty good but the potato salad needs some work. The potatoes were well cooked but the flavor is lacking. The place had a small or cramped feel making it difficult to have a private conversation. Few guys at the bar getting drunk and doing a bit too much cursing for us. We will try it again and see if our opinions improve.

fresh, quick, delicious. absolutely nothing to complain about here. the only reason I wouldn’t give it more stars is that it’s more similar to a fast food restaurant than gourmet sit down dining. the food here is great.

This place has really great pizza! As a pizza fanatic I love finding great pizza places! Here at Empire it’s NY style pizza with super thin crust and lots of grease! Just like a great NY style pizza should be!
We tried a large pepperoni pie and we were not disappointed they were not stingy with the toppings or cheese it was baked to perfection and it was hot when we arrived to pick it up.
I’m excited to try some other things on the menu…

Having seen this place the night before, I chose to go here for lunch. I guess I was expecting a real restaurant, not a «order at the counter» place.
When I entered (the only customer) I looked around not sure of what to do. Two females are behind the counter and offer no greeting or «may I help you?» They wait until I ask if I need to be seated or order at the counter.
The signboard was blank, except for a «new menu soon» notice taped on it. The girls pointed to a paper menu on the side of the counter and finally mentioned the lunch specials to me. I ordered the baked ziti.
One of the counter girls was wearing a tee shirt from another restaurant in Myrtle Beach. Both females were wearing tees and shorts and looked way to casual. This was something one would wear in the backyard, not as a restaurant employee.
Two containers of iced tea were on the counter. Neither was labeled «sweet» or «unsweet». Must be Yankees that run this place, because all Southerners know that if we have to get our own iced tea you need to label the containers!
Napkin holders on the tables have these odd hand drawn animals on them — things like octupus and buffalo. Makes zero sense.
Broken down boxes and various other trash items were stored by a side door which is in clear view of those in the seating area — very unappetizing.
The baked ziti was served piping hot and with lots of wonderfully gooey cheese. Was a fair portion, and the taste was ok. I am sure it was all prepackaged and then heated in the oven.

This is a reasonably priced place to grab some authentic «New York» style pizza. The ingredients are fresh and tasty without adding a bunch of spices to hide a bad sauce. The best authentic pie shop in Rock Hill thus far.

If you’ve lived in New York State, Empire Pizza (no longer called Empire State Pizza) will remind you of home. The place is counter service — walk up, place your order at the counter, sit and wait for them to bring it to you.
The pizza here is very good — some of the better NY style pizza I’ve had. It’s thin but not too thin. They use good cheese and have a good white pizza. The wings are very similar to chicken wings found in Buffalo (I should know — I lived there for a decade). My only disappointment was the salad. Just iceberg lettuce with hodge-​podge of messy vegetables — like huge chunks of green peppers.
The food is priced reasonably and they have aan 18 inch pie and 20 wings for about $ 18 — that’s a decent deal. It will probably be my go-​to place for pizza away from Libretto’s uptown and Papa Murphy’s when I can cook it myself. Oh — and they also deliver too — and will deliver anything on their menu.