Empress Tavern

Loud with poor service. Food was good not worth the money to return

The food and service were excellent. My only negative comment is that the noise level was very loud.

Excellent experience before a show at the crest theatre. Food was excellent but portions a little small. Had the seared scallops for $41 and there were only 5 of them but they were scrumptious. The Mac and cheese was excellent.

Disappointing meal. Very loud and average food.

Cool restaurant especially if you are going to the concert!

Food was very good and service was quick, it was extremely loud almost to the point of yelling to be heard.

Was disappointed that my seared scallops did not have the sweet potatoes on it like it said on the menu.. the restaurant was busy so didn't want to send it back as we didn't have the time. Beautiful restaurant.. but for what we got food seemed expensive.

The food was great, our group ordered 6 items to serve family style. Our server was great at dealing with our robust group. We had a drink at the bar before dinner, the bartender was a bit strange, not very engaging. 4 members of our party were dining at the Empress for the first time - they were very impressed.

Celebrating our Mims birthday

We went for our anniversary dinner and it was delightful. A nice booth with a hoot anniversary note. The service was perfect and food was delicious. The baked Mac and cheese was rich, creamy, and flavorful. The roasted chicken was perfect and orange creme brûlée for dessert was the perfect choice. Be sure to ask for the rolls and butter!

The King Salmon and a glass of white wine were the perfect dinner before seeing a show upstairs at the Crest.

Delightfully surprising visit for corporate dinner at the Empress Tavern. Server Russell was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining (the whiskey luge will long be remembered). Cocktail and dining menu were creative and delivered on presentation and taste. Perhaps the best dinner rolls I've ever had!

First time visit and will definitely go back. Delicious food. I heartily recommend the brussel sprouts side dish, and the butter lettuce salad was amazing. My friends all loved their food too.

Empress is nice restaurant to eat with friends. It gets a little loud.

Our waiter and the support staff were great and attentive.

Great food nice place. Well worth it. We would go back

This was my second visit to the Empress. I love the dark, tavern ambiance but would enjoy a bit of cushioning with seating arrangements. It seems like seating for 2 only has option of sitting in middle of room or back in the corner. Can't 2 people have a booth? Service was on point and heeded our need to get to theater on time. Beet salad and asparagus both needed something to make them flavorful and interesting. Roast chicken nicely prepared. Potato cooked perfectly but too much greenery on plate for me. Loved the hot rolls!

Really wonderful restaurant, a gem. Food was excellent, service was above and beyond and the ambiance can't be beat. Would definitely recommend and return.

I took my husband and our neighbor who had never been. Russell was our server and it seemed like it was an off night for him. He didn't really want to spend time serving us so it seemed. Our bill was over $200 & we tipped really well so hopefully that made his night. Other than that, the food was outstanding.

The food was excellent, but the noise level overrode the overall experience.

The restaurant was about 3/4 full.Although I was sitting next to my wife, we often had to lean in and ask the other to repeat something just said or asked.

I can't imagine a conversation with four people or more in a full restaurant.

Very disappointed with the menu. I picked the restaurant because of the entree I had my first visit about 6 weeks ago. That item was removed from the menu. I ended up with just a salad as none of the entrees was appealing. The noise level is so high you can not hear the person across the table from you. Not a good choice for a nice quiet dinner.

Enjoyed the fried chicken and the brussels sprouts. While the prices seem high, the portions are plenty, and the service was good. The server was knowledgable. I just wish it was less noisy!

Really cool interior being underground. Food was really good. The drinks were fun and unique! Very noisy during happy hour!

The service was amazing, I wish I could remember our servers name. The decor and vibe at the restaurant is really nice the exposed brick has been well done. The food was delicious. Not sure how they did the Brussels sprouts but I couldn’t stop eating them!

Loved it!!! Great service and delicious food

Empress Tavern is a great place to have dinner. The drinks, appetizers and mains were great, the service great and the ambiance was different than any place in Sacramento. I felt like I had taken a step back in time and it felt great! Once you enter through the big wooden doors and find your way downstairs, you are in a very unique fun place. This was a great place to eat before going to the theater. Speedy service with a watch on the time. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Great food, great ambience.

I went to the Empress before a show at the Crest. So convenient! I was thoroughly impressed by the lay out of the place with wonderful brink walls and arches. The noise level was low, and the lighting was just right for a romantic meal. The food was outstanding (I had gnocchi, my date loved her roasted chicken). The waitress was attentive. One of the best dining experiences I've had in a while and will be back.

Outstanding restaurants are few and far between. The food and attentive service were unmatched. The interior of the restaurant is so very unique and just is comforting. One must try the 'luge' whiskey across the bone marrow.
A potential drawback to the restaurant might be the noise level which may be a factor for some.

I absolutely love Empress Tavern. This was one of the first places my husband and I visited when we began dating. They have a small menu that doesn’t disappoint. Wonderful bartenders and staff that are very warm.

Anniversary

The first two dishes were outstanding...brussel sprouts and the butter leaf salad, both fantastic. The main dish, the roasted chicken was disappointing. I told the waitress I was gluten free, so she assured it would be gluten free, which it was. BUT in order to make it gluten free, they took off the potatoes and never replaced it with something else. Surely a restaurant of this caliber, could have and should have, replaced it with something that was gluten free. It wasn't even explained to me that were were missing 1/3 of our dish. I only figured it out, when the girl next to me ordered the same thing and her plate was considerably larger. For $28, this is pretty inexcusable. And the chicken is supposed to served with chimichurri sauce, and all I saw was a red oil at the bottom of the plate. I make chimichurri sauce often, and this was a far cry from it.

Loved the food. Loved the ambiance. The waiter was friendly and his service was very good. My only negative is that it's so noisy.

This is a very convenient place to dine when going to a show at the Crest.
The food is good and the service has always been excellent. It can get a little noisy so it isnt the place for a quiet meal - at least on nights when there is a show or movie. But all in all a very comfortable place to eat.

I made a post on FB and others interested in this unique establishment. Only thing disappointing was wine list - cab or merlots.

Fabulous food, delicious cocktails and the service is always excellent! I love the ambiance and the fact it’s located next door to The Crest Theatre! 👍👍👍

Everytime I have been here we have always left happy.

Good food and good service however we felt rushed by the server to finish so he could turn the table over. Everything else was great

I LOVE the food. It was just too loud to be able to visit with our party. 😞

It’s one of the loudest restaurants I’ve ever been in. It was a busy Saturday night and it was just deafening. We ordered the $60 18 oz. ribeye, and requested them medium rare. They came out medium well. We sent them back and they explained that the steaks are precooked in the “sous vide” method earlier in the week and then just put on to sear. Unfortunately they were distinctly “overseared “. The restaurant corrected the situation and brought out two more steaks medium rare. Still, over half of the 18 ounces was bone, gristle and fat—which I wasn’t expecting on a $60 steak. The lobster mac and cheese was fine, as were the Brussels sprouts. There were only three selections for dessert, and they were out of one of them. We split a peanut butter ice cream sandwich which turned out to be an “It’s it” frozen ice cream dessert, available at a supermarket. The service was attentive and accommodating.

The restaurant is beautiful inside, but the noise level is way to loud. I was not impressed with the food. It was just ok, and way over priced for what you get. Would not eat there again.