Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern

Love it great place great food great service. We have been to this restaurant few times and enjoyed it every time

One of the finest restaurants in NC. A must for foodies and romantics alike.

Perfect night, perfect food, perfect service. Need I say more?

A wonderful spot for a fancy dinner out on the town. The basement is a bit more casual, but still a worthy option.

One restaurant for special occasions! If you really want the whole cozy seating, classy atmosphere combined with magnificent food, go the the Second Empire. The sauces are magnificent

Cool old building with choice of tavern downstairs for less formal.

One fo my all time favorite restaurants. We've done family dinners, anniversary dinners, and more at Second Empire, and it is SUCH a favorite.

I consider Second Empire Raleigh's premier restaurant for fine dining.

Great food and ambiance for a formal dinner but it is very pricey.

First class experience. Excellent service, food, and atmosphere.

The food is unique. Wine list requires descriptions from staff as the selections are not what you find often.

Price is premium. Really premium, but my girlfriend loves it so I shut up and enjoy.

Most professional wait staff of any restaurant in the area. Outstanding meals, and cocktails.

Superb and professional attention, good quality and food selection, impeccable table presentation, excellent infrastructure, fair priced.

Always good. Consistent. Special Birthday present for me a few years ago was Chef's Table. Fabulous.

Our favorite spot. Drive in from Sanford for special events and always take guests who visit from out of town.

Professional and friendly service. Delicious and unique menu. Wonderful ambiance for date or anniversary. Not overly priced for the experience.

We have come to Second Empire for the last two years for our anniversary dinner. Wonderful place. Food is delicious, the service is impeccable. The duck is a favorite but I loved the steak that I ordered also. Dessert, wow! The staff really goes out of its way to anticipate needs through out the dinner service. Very nice gentlemen waiters.

We enjoy coming to Second Empire on special occasions and on April 20 we were looking for king forward to eating upstairs. I had made the reservation at least 6 weeks in advance and when we arrived, the waiter took us downstairs. It was my date’s birthday and he preferred eating upstairs. They seated us in the Oak Room which was dark, and furnishings were “tired”. Very disappointing.

Amazing as always.

Excellent service, creative and delicious food.
Highly recommend.

By far the best restaurant in Raleigh...Beautiful space, innovative menu, exceptional service...

The staff was very accommodating. Our group thought the closing time was later than it actually was. We stayed past closing enjoying our desserts and conversation without realizing that the place had closed.

Staff showed kindness and patience. They did not tell us they were closed and did not rush us. Had we known the place was closed, we would have left much earlier.

We’ll be back to enjoy the great food and service. Next time we will mind the time.

Great food, excellent service. Great spot for date night.

An evening in the upstairs main dining room was perfect for several hours visit with relative having a birthday. The quality food, the beautiful preparation, and the great service are always standard for Second Empire. The choice of scallops was perfect, as were the recommended wine, and dessert of chocolate soufflé. Always a pleasure to dine at Second Empire in main dining room or Tavern (which I did 2 weeks ago).

It is a beautiful restaurant in a restored Vivaldi’s war era home. The chef does a wonderful job drinking foods from all regions of the east coast. Wish the restaurant was in Houston.

For a special occasion dinner Second Empire is a great choice. Varied menu, but everything had a unique touch that made it special. I am a lamb snob and the rack of lamb was outstanding. The bread pudding it came with was almost as good. My Ciopini app was probably the best thing we had. Great wine selection and service was top notch.

Clearly the best restaurant in Raleigh area. Superb food, excellent and polite service.

The service was great and the food was delicious. Jason, our server, went above and beyond to make it a special experience for my mother-in-law's birthday dinner. We will definitely be going back for future celebrations!

This was our second visit to Second Empire and both visits have been superb. The food, service, atmosphere and attention to detail is first class. Also, the staff really goes out out of their way to make sure it is a pleasurable and memorable experience. Easily one of our favorite restaurants and one of the best in Raleigh (and probably North Carolina) too.