Was not sure what to expect but all in all the experience was amazing. We went for our wedding anniversary and my wife dressed in a cocktail dress and I wore a jacket. We were not out of place. The meals were very well prepared. It was definitely creative fine dining. As appetizers we had the quail and pork belly.l, and for our entrees I had a pork dish and my wife duck. It was cooked perfectly. Also, i though it is worth a mention our server William was outstanding. He was very attentive and didn’t miss a beat. All in all it was a fantastic evening.

We loved our server and all the staff who helped. They did absolutely everything possible to make sure we had a wonderful experience. The food was fabulous – I only had one issue. I ordered paella and the majority of it was fish, not the seafood. So I felt the overall value of the dish was low. I did not say anything to the server about the Paella being disappointing. I have no doubt if I had, she probably would’ve brought me something else – but it wasn’t important enough for me to disrupt the dinner. In every possible way everything else was outstanding. Everything else was creative and delicious, and we had a wonderful 39th anniversary!

Not too good, very unusual for this restaurant. Food was barely warm and restaurant was not busy at all. Disappointing for this many $$. First time we ever had a problem.

I am a big fan of Second Empire, we dine here frequently for supplier meetings, as well as, for personal gatherings. The food is always wonderful, this trip we were a bit rushed. Our dinners came out less then 5 minutes after we finished apps, even though we asked them not to rush as we were doing a wine pair along with our meal. Waiter was very courteous, staff is always on point.

The service and food reached beyond my expectations. It was an amazing experience. I actually didn’t want it to end.

Fabulous food. All four of us loved our meal. The ambiance was lovely. Don't live in Raleigh but will definitely dine here whenever we return

Our anniversary dinner was delicious with every item perfectly prepared and plated. The entire dining experience was enhanced by Josh, our excellent table server. We will certainly be returning and will encourage others to do so.

They dropped the ball several times, mainly with service, ordered a nice bottle of champagne and after initial pour, we had to pour it ourselves from then on with several servers hanging around and nobody checked on us. The first drinks were made wrong and server apologized and said they would remake them and not charge, but when the bill came there was a charge and he said they didn't charge for the 1st ones that were wrong and took back. Said he misunderstood the manager when he said they would comp them. I wasn't expecting anything except to fix the drinks right. I will think hard about going back, there is too many nice places to get a 225.00 meal for 2 to get a mediocre experience.

Took my wife for her birthday and the place was fantastic. The server was very knowledgeable about the menu and sold you on every item that was described. The atmosphere was great and the food was amazing. Highly recommend this spot!

Visited Second Empire based on online reviews - we were not disappointed. Beautiful dining room - we opted for the tavern - excellent service, and an interesting menu. The food was excellent - dishes we enjoyed included the paella, Barramundi, and the 330 summer pasta. Varied and well priced wine list + full bar. You know you are in a good place when the server asks what type of gin I prefer for my Negroni.

Word to the wise: order the chocolate souffle - epic!

This is our favorite anniversary venue. The food is always so delicious, the service is impeccable, and the ambience is perfect for a dinner for two! We also love sitting out on the front porch in the rocking chairs after our meal! Perfection!

Good surprise in Raleigh. Top notch. Highly recommend

Our reservation was honored and we were seated with no wait. Initial approach by server was timely and bread delivered. We ordered starters...gazpacho and foie gras...and it took one hour from time we were seated until the starters arrived. After that, pace of entree and dessert delivery was fine. Entrees of crab cakes, barramundi and lamb were delicious. White peach sorbet for dessert was wonderful. The restaurant was not crowded, so hard to understand why starters...one of them cold soup...took so long.

This restaurant is the best Raleigh has to offer. The food, service and ambiance are extraordinary.

The food and service were quite excellent and the noise level was low – what is the perfect place for A low-key 10year anniversary

Outstanding experience. Our first time coming here and we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. The waiter started off by handing us a personalized dinner menu with our anniversary date and number of years printed on it, along with a hand written note from the chef. The service was just superb. We had an early reservation, so it was like we had the room to ourselves. Food options were incredible, especially the house special foie gras and filet we ordered. Just Awesome!

As usual, Second Empire lived up to its own very high standard. My wife and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary and everything was done to make the evening special. We were given our favorite table and our waiter, Matthew, was/is a real professional - his descriptions of the specials stimulated us both to order them. The filet with an interesting set-up including spaghetti squash was completely excellent. We must mention the bread which is also too good and must be resisted after the first serving! If anything, the meal was served a little too rapidly but we are only talking about a matter of a few minutes. We have yet to experience a bad meal at Second Empire so we keep going back!

Second Empire does not disappoint. From the ambiance to the seasonal menu with local sourcing of ingredients. Destiny, our server, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. It was definitely an anniversary to remember!

Everything was great. The food and wine. Only have a few flies on our drinks and cannot drink it

Incredible seating, incredible wait staff, Destiny was an incredible waitress, outstanding cheeses and bread to start, incredible lamb chops. even the lemons were insanely fresh! will definitely be back.

Love this place and have been a decent amount. Only reason why I voted it a 4/5 for value is that it is not a place to go if you are looking for a "good value". But you get what you pay for and good value is relative. What you get here is really, really good so you need to be ready to pay for that. Definitely going back.

One of the best meals I have ever had with great service. Not the cheapest place but worth every penny!!

My husband and I had an incredible meal at Second Empire. We were looking for a special place for dinner during our weekend getaway in Raleigh, and Second Empire far exceeded even our high expectations.

My husband and I went to celebrate my new job, and as always, both the food and service were outstanding. We will be back!

Wonderful service and the food was outstanding! The perfect place to have our anniversary dinner! Destiny, our server, was amazing and made our night so special!

Excellent presentation, taste and service. This is the best restaurant in Raleigh.

An extraordinary dining experience. The food was the best I've had in NC - including the Chef and the Farmer. Josh, our server was also the very best. He knew this restaurant's "stuff." How different meals are prepared, types of foie gras, purveyors of various elements of the meal, etc., etc. And he knew his wines quite well. Kudo's to all.

My wife and I had a second excellent dining experience in the downstairs dining rooms.

A friend and I went back to Second Empire to celebrate her birthday. We know that we love the food and the entire experience, so this was a great place to go. They did everything right and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Everything is delicious every time we go to Second Empire: the staff, the drinks, the food and ambiance are always stellar. We could not recommend Second Empire more!

This is our 3rd visit in the past year. This is fine dining with options I don't think you'll find elsewhere, e.g., barramundi, etc. Lots of options on the menu, from seafood to steaks and everything in between. For the absolute best experience and that very special occasion, the Chef's Table is unbelievable. 5(?) courses with wine pairings along with very special service and attention. The main dining room has the same outstanding food and service.

Second Empire is an elegant restaurant with a creative, diverse menu. The service is impeccable with the best trained wait staff in Raleigh and, perhaps, the Research Triangle....maybe in the entire state. I really cannot say enough about this place....the food, the ambiance and the service. It will always be my choice restaurant for celebrating a special occasion or simply enjoying fine dining.

When I made the reservation, I asked for a table in a quite spot. We got a great table in a bay window. We had three servers and they were all great. Best dining expereince we have had in a long time.

The Second Empire is an intimate dining experience. The service, atmosphere, and food are elegant and inspiring. A romantic atmosphere, the Second Empire is perfect for an intimate celebration with a loved one or special friend.

We celebrated our anniversary and it was THE perfect spot. Very romantic. Its the best food we have had in Raleigh and the service was unparalleled. We got a personalized menu signed by the chef. It was a great experience. I recommend sitting downstairs by the windows. The view of the street was very nice.

Anniversary

Excellent service, ambiance, perfect for an anniversary meal. Both our meals were very tasty... seasoning/flavor excellent, presentation, serving size, etc. were very good. First time dining there but will definitely put on our special places list....wish we had not waited this long to experience 2nd Empire. Next visit...will try the 2nd Empire Tavern.

We went for our anniversary. The host confirmed our reservation in advance by phone, asked if we were celebrating anything and when I said yes, our anniversary, he asked for my husband’s first name. We got there and I heard them ask everyone else if they were celebrating but not us. (I could hear bc it was eerily quiet.) Cut to the chase on this, never so much as a “Happy anniversary” or “how is you anniversary going by anyone?” Kind of weird once they’ve asked.

Now for the food. The bread was the best bread I’ve ever had at a restaurant and to make it even more unbelievable, it was salted. Yum. For dinner, I had the duck - also amazing. My husband had the pork belly appetizer which would have been unremarkable if the collards weren’t so fantastic. He also had the lamb which was good. Chocolate soufflé was surprisingly boring and toffee ice cream was too sweet for my taste.

Awesome service
Very friendly
Very good food
Eating something better then always only a hamburger and fries 🍟

We celebrated a birthday here on Wednesday. It's now Saturday and we're STILL raving about the food at Second Empire. Everything was delicious. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!