The Empress

This is certainly a fun spot to hang out at if you want to both imbibe and eat some decent food. It’s basically a gastropub but much more gastro and much less pub. I rarely visit even though it’s only up the road from me but given that it’s absolutely amazing, I really should stop by more often.
The Empress is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant so while the prices here may not be sky high, you can except some pretty outstanding fare. The menu is constantly changing so I can’t comment too much on it but the steak never changes and it’s amazing so be sure you try it. There’s also often seasonal game, sourced from The Ginger Pig (across the road) as well as a wine selection that is sourced from Bottle Apostle (also across the road.)
It’s fine dining in a very casual atmosphere. There’s no need to book unless it’s for one of their special Bib evenings or during busier times of the year. It’s a wonderful place to come in the summer for some wine and a chat as tables are set outside, providing an excellent place to people watch but the most wonderful thing about it is the affogato! I know I sound crazy but to have a place on my doorstep that doesn’t mind me walking in and ordering just an affogato is basically my idea of heaven.
There’s also an excellent brunch menu which is only served on the weekends complete with a generous selection of brunch booze. £4 Blood Mary? Have at it, no one will judge.

Had an excellent meal here last night! Staff greeted my friends and I warmly, and made every effort to accommodate our needs.
Bartender suggested a great organic Malbec priced very reasonably at £21 for the bottle. We all ordered the steak, which came with a spinach purée and triple cooked chips. My steak was cooked perfectly, nice and medium rare and seasoned well. Chips were excellent! The panacotta with figs had a perfect wobble to it and was flavoured perfectly!
The atmosphere was fantastic, warm and cozy, with comfortable seating and friendly staff and locals. Very happy with the meal and wine, will definitely be back again!

Pros: The food was great. When we ordered, the waiter was attentive and informed us of any ingredients in our order that had been substituted, which was helpful.
Cons: The moment we stepped in, we realized how noisy it was. There was absolutely nothing to absorb the sound (i.e., curtains) and the chatter of the guests was bouncing off every surface in the room, coupled with the music that occasionally blasted out of the speakers (and was hurriedly turned down) made it quite difficult to talk without raising our voices.
The four stars is for the food, one for the atmosphere.

Great restaurant, friendly service. They have completely nailed the roast beef on a Sunday — but prices are set for Victoria Park

One of my favourite Vicky Park gastropubs. Why?
Atmosphere: A mix of big comfy couches, high stools and tables, and standard height tables. Very welcoming and cozy. Big windows let in lots of light and provide a breezy street view.
Staff: Absolutely lovely, friendly and warm. Every time I’ve gone I’ve been greeted warmly and made to feel ‘at home’. You’re able to relax and enjoy your meal; I’ve never had an issue where I’ve felt ‘moved on’ by the staff which can happen sometimes at popular places.
And now for the food: Always excellent. My companion has ordered the steak onglette several times and was consistently pleased with the flavoursome flesh. I’ve had the salmon and sea bass dishes and both were done perfectly light and flaky. Their chips are generally excellent too: hot, crispy… mmmmm. I very much like that the menu proudly identifies the food source: from my last few visits the fish was supplied from John Norris and the meat from Ginger Pig. To top it off, the desserts are simply divine. For a small end-​of-​meal treat I heartily recommend the Affogato. I’m also a fan of their Pannacotta (see photo I’ve posted, with seasonal berries). It rolls onto the tongue and gently dissolves in a mouthful of soft and sweet goodness.
I just realised I haven’t even mentioned the booze! At your disposal here is a very good selection of ales, ciders, and red and white wine. Useful if you are visiting with a group who aren’t all just beer drinkers. Overall, a damn good place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.

First time at a gastropub and the menu was fun to read through — I kind of wish I had tried the bone marrow and snails. I had the guinea fowl which was delicious and juicey and my friend had the braised goat. Dessert of chocolate mousse was divine as well. Staff were really helpful and friendly, helping me choose which cider to try. The cider on tap was amazing — first time drinking a french cider.

We had a hodge podge selection of small dishes to share. Highlights were:
Bone marrow with snails: bone sliced lengthwise topped with snails and a yummy sauce. Fab with bread!
Melted Camembert with toasted bread and salad: not the most difficult dish but always a crowd pleaser.
Pig’s head with apple and thinly sliced radish and cucumber: this was my favourite. The meat had been shredded and the formed into a little hockey puck-​like shape. Very tasty.
A good gastropub!

This is a nice place, and a great place for a medium priced dinner. We brought some friends visiting London (who felt this was their best meal they had while visiting). The space is quaint and a good balance of tables and some large couches and bar height tables. If you want a drink before dinner, or a drink before heading somewhere else, this is also a great place to visit.
The food was between good and great! The Prices are good (about £11+ per entrée) but the portions are a bit smaller. Overall for the quality of food I’d say you’re good, but don’t expect to be unbuckling your belt at the end of the meal. We got the salads which are a good size and very exciting and special, so perhaps pair a nice meal with one of those? The deserts are also well done and help «take the edge off». Wine and beer selection are solid and again reasonably priced.
Service was great and sweet. Well attended for and no complaints. We got a 12.5% auto gratuity for a table for 4. Kind of surprised by that since we weren’t very big (was it because we reserved?). Not sure if it said on the menu, but I don’t recall and it’s odd for a group that small to get auto-​gratuity. But we had no problem paying the 12.5% and raised no qualms.
On a side it’s great that they source their fish from the fish monger on the street and their meat from Ginger Pig across from them. They also have a special day each week where you can bring in a bottle of your own wine cork free if you show that you bought it form the local wine shop. Love those kind of supportive business communities.
Will definitely come again and certainly recommend to others.

Victoria Park village is a great area and The Empress stands out as one of the nicest places to eat in it. I’ve been here lots of times as I’m local and have always enjoyed it.
The décor and atmosphere is lovely as is the expresso martini. It’s all good and I’d definitely recommend popping in. However, nearly every time there’s been some confusion over our order. Whether it was the wrong meal, the wrong bill or being forgotten about entirely. I wonder if it was just bad luck?
Anyway, it’s never really mattered cause it’s such a nice pub.

This place has really nice beers on tap and some lovely bar snacks. Staff are friendly too. Which is more than can be said for the other place accross the road.

big, open, bright. and noisy
looked promising. at least it looked cool and drinks came quickly
but then the crispy cod was lackluster and just bland
we ordered the chicken salad and a waitress sat it at the table. I started to pick at it, hungry, when after a minute or so she came back
she asked if we’d touched it, to which we replied we’d picked. she explained that she had made a mistake and given us a small one so she removed the plate and walked to the kitchen. but just before getting to the kitchen she did a U-​turn still holding the salad and served to another table that should have had the order. REALLY?! yes. gosh.
kids food was served 5 mins before everyone else’s (though if you have kids you know that’s not a bad thing at times) though this wasn’t by design.
and the other thing that really grates with me, bottles of water were on the table and later we found that this was charged at 50p a person. now, I don’t mind paying for it, but this underhand way of trying to slip a charge in there is not cool. they removed it from the bill when challenged but again, why make me ask?
and a 5 mins wait from plates cleared to dessert menu, and another 5 until asking what we want. but then we left and got an ice cream down the street.
as with any pub by a park, it should do cider and Pimms well and this place does, but honestly…

Now just called ‘The Empress’. This place has undergone a transformation over the past year, from ETM-​gastropub-​chain owned fancy restaurant to easy going, relaxed bar. I much prefer what the new owners have done with the place.
I had a delicious stack of pancakes for my brekkie today and D had chorizo & scrambled eggs with friend potatoes which he very much enjoyed.
It’s a shame they have such a poor Unilocal rating as this place really isn’t the same place as it was before. If you are one of those who reviewed it badly in the past I’d encourage you to come again and give it another go.

Increble ubicacion! excelente servicio y muy buena variedad de vinos.
Sin duda alguna un servicio amigable que hace sentirte como en casa al brindar muy buenas opciones para picar y degustar una copa de vino.
:)

Searching the area for a decent spot for a dinner following a hot day in the park, we found ample space here and accommodation for friends with a newborn as well.
The boded well… However the menu left a lot to be desired, price versus quantity, we were very hungry following a day in the park.
The décor is nice and its definitely a hot date spot — picked out 7 or 8 different couples having a Friday night out.
Worth a look, but not worth a massive fuss…

First time here: I was less than pleased by the meal I had (mussels and fries along with a rather strange Manhattan). I was also pretty drunk from after-​work drinks. Since my boyfriend raved about the place for ages, I decided to have…
Second time here: I was less than pleased by the meal I had (pork belly with a much-​waited-​for glass of Rioja since the Malbec and Chardonnay were both «out»). I was stone-​cold sober. I was also with my boyfriend, who has since stopped raving about the place.
It’s a lovely room, but the menu is not really my style. The dishes seem a little unfocused, probably by being a little ambitious. Service has been consistently spotty at dinner, but always very sweet and friendly when you can actually flag your server down.

Nice décor and service has always been great. What is bugging me here though is that food is never quite as good as one would hope for. Always a bit blander or less well executed than hoped for. Too top this off portion sizes tend to be very small. At a recent meal a starter of
smoked eel with beet root consisted of 4 small slivers of eel with roughly 6 microscopic cubes of beet root. Mains of beef from the rotisserie was alright if a bit chewy and rather a lot of gristle. All of this at 8£ for a starter and 16£ for mains makes for soso value for money. Still the place is lovely so come here for that.

The Empress is situated in Victoria Park/​Hackney Village. Beautiful décor (chandeliers made from mussel shells) and well set out. The menu tends to be fairly short, but well considered, with often a great range of local (UK) produce, particularly fish and shellfish. You can also find some slightly out of the ordinary meats here, such as wild boar, venison, pigs cheeks etc. Menu changes very regularly. Wine list is more extensive than the food menu and the service is always good, polite, though slightly light on staff numbers. Overall a nice place, however despite the interesting menu and great atmosphere, the Empress always stops short of being truly great. I will keep going back until I work out exactly why.

One of the biggest restaurants in Victoria Park –they also extend onto the pavement in the summer and have a huge area for eating.
They have several menus but I think brunch is nice here. The name has nothing to do with the menu –which is pretty mixed European. They are also child friendly. The salads are good and the soups also fine. Prices are not very very high but not cheap either.
I recommend coming here in the summer — as the location is very nice for a few drinks and also very social and friendly. You can order brunch or go for a bigger meal — the atmosphere is very relaxed and this place is can be crowded and quite popular.

The Empress of India is more of a Restaurant then Gastro pub. It attracts the yummy mummies and the affluent of Hackney, and can sometimes be a little crowded with pushchairs and toddlers on a Saturday afternoon.
Last time I went for dinner I tried Soda battered skate wings, not bad for £12.50 and it certainly went down well with a bottle of bubbly. Perhaps not somewhere to eat out every night, it is definitely worth a look.
If you’re not interested in dinner, have a Tea, Coffee or a Pear & Cinnamon smoothie (my favourite), and take advantage of one of the leather sofas. Not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon. They have wireless internet access so you can use your laptop or take a good book, just be on the lookout for a youngster crawling under your chair!!!