Don’t make a reservation because it doesn’t matter. I made mine for 7:15 and left at 8:05 once we still hadn’t been seated.

The food was amazing per usual so we really enjoyed that! Our waiter was okay; not as friendly as the last person we had when we went to Essex a few months back but overall we had a nice time.

Waitress was soooo slow and acted out of it... but the food was amazing

great as always..best lamb lollipops in the city!

Made reservations via opentable easter weekend. All online presence said closing at 10 pm. Arrived for 645 response and was told by host, we are closing early in 10 mins so order your drinks and all foods immediately. Server took 10 mins to notice us. Explained it was holiday and thats why they were closing early. Not completely unreasonable. At all. Had open table or anything we found online warned us we would have picked different night. Had host been friendlier about it may not have felt burned. Had a round of drinks and went to McCormick and shmicks.

We booked a table for 6 today at 6.30pm. When we were seated, the server informed us that we had to order everything by 6.45 since they close at 7pm due to Easter. It was rather ridiculous! Eventually they agreed to closing it out at 7.00pm. The servers were wonderful and tried to be accommodating. All our food came all at once with the drinks and the desserts. That was a pity since the food was so good but because it all came together!, it has blended together in my mind!
Why did they not tell us they close early? We could have made the reservation for 6.00 pm or chosen another restaurant!

First time coming here and I was very impressed. I like the layout of it and the food was amazing. Definitely a great brunch spot and view of uptown.

We sat on the patio so it was loud from the streets but so nice!

Great service, food and drinks were great.

Great variety of menu selections, and what we ordered was very tasty —Greek salad, warm Brussels Sprouts salad, steak, lobster macaroni and cheese and cheesecake. Our server was great, too. Negatives were an overpriced cocktail ($28 for a gimlet either is highway robbery or a huge oversight) and an outdoor patio area that is not well equipped for cold weather.

Our overall experience was great! Food was delicious but it seems like the main dishes were not complimented with sides (in terms of the price )and one could order sides for an upcharge. I had the grouper which was lovely but with nothing else so I ordered the rice per our servers suggestion. Other than that it was very nice.

The food was pretty good, the service was less than great, the setting / ambiance was ok, but it was not terribly crowded, but super loud. The wait person was very nice while at the table, but she was mostly MIA and in the weeds the entire time we were there. Manager had her working outside and inside and not giving her any real help or support. Lazy manager.....

The food was mediocre for the price. The food came out oddly fast. Almost as if it were pre made. The view was nice and the outside part is nice but overall I think it was overpriced.

Boyfriends mother was in town from California

Don’t waste your money , food subpar,, overpriced, the chef doesn’t put any love in the food , taste straight outta the microwave, the sliders are gross, the calamari mediocre, the shrimp in grits yuck ... the charcuterie just okay , the drinks just okay , barely give you enough alcohol,,, don’t go! There’s a reason they are the only place in Charlotte with availability on a Saturday night!!!

Outstanding as always! My grilled octopus was exactly as I remember it, the teen loved the flatbread and her parents had the delish chicken skewers. Great evening all around!

Great food and atmosphere! Definitely recommend the humus dip it's amazing !

Great experience and good food and cocktails. Our group had a good experience and all said that we would return.

The atmosphere and food was great. Its a small plate establishment meanimg its appetizer size dishes but I was impressed with the amount of food.

Butter chicken is freaking delicious!!! Service was great and really awesome bar.

It was just okay. Nothing special just okay.

Essex was a nice overall and the food was the best thing. Service was extremely slow and it was only a handful of patrons there.

Add a brunch menu

We were having a very small gathering to celebrate a birthday. The service, and food was good. We’ve dinned at Essex several times and we definitely be back.

Food was excellent . Server was good but not that personable or knowledgeable.

It was raining, and their website states that they offer Valet parking but they don’t and admittedly have not for two years. The closest parking is at the Epicenter which is a bit sketchy.
The menu on their website is out of date and not what is being offered in the restaurant. The charcuterie plate may as well have been a platter I picked up at the local Food Lion and the server didn’t even know what meats and cheeses were there. She did get the ham right, but the “gouda” was actually an aged goat cheese.
We used to like this place, but I don’t see us ever going back.

The wife and I come here a few times a year and we love it every time we come. Food is always terrific, drinks are great and we always look forward to coming back!

The butter chicken was great. Order an extra side of rice if you want proportion

Always a great experience. Enjoyed the heat lamps on the patio.

Valentines lunch. Great experience!

The website says there is free valet parking. It was rainy when we got there and the hostess informed us that there was not valet due to Covid. That’s understandable, however, it would be helpful if the website was updated. Because there was no valet we had to find parking and so wasn’t seated until about 8:40 pm. Our reservation was at 8:15. The back door to the restaurant connected to the Omni parking garage was locked so we had to walk around in the rain. The server gave us last call right away because of the state mandate. Overall it was a pleasant experience. The food and cocktails were good. The server was polite and fairly attentive.

We will never eat there again. We sat down and took them 10 minutes to greet us and we walked out. They serve the table next to us before they even talk to us. That table was sad after us they only came to us when they noticed we had nobody to serve us very unprofessional walked out the door went to the restaurant next-door in and out in 45 minutes fantastic service I will never eat or walk into Essex again thank you for your time

As always this place does NOT disappoint! Must get the Butter Chicken!

Was very nice , server could’ve been better but other than that the food and venue was nice

Very nice!!

Good food,drinks, and service! I would recommend.

Food and service were great. Grouper and Lamb lollypops were highlight.

Sad to see how quiet downtown was but the staff at Essex didn’t disappoint. Great food and service. Highly recommend!

The restaurant was out of multiple items that we ordered causing us to have to re look at the menu and order other items. The food portions were a little small for the price.

I was running a bit late on my nye reservations but they were super flexible and got me in with no issues!
Service and ambience was great but all of my friends and I received dishes that were cold.