The Empire at 138
138 S. Washington St., is an everyday hub of activity to eat, drink and congregate over real wholesome food and ingredients.
Part local neighborhood hangout, part fine dining restaurant, we develop heirloom recipes based on family and friends' favorites, using as many locally raised and farmed, organic, and hormone free products as are in season and meet our quality standards.
Menus change regularly based on seasonal availability. We offer fine dining, cocktails, wines, interesting beers, and signature coffee.
Popular dishes
Sea Scallops
Pan seared, ancient grains, spinach, lobster cream
7 reviews
Seared Salmon
Norwegian Aukra Salmon, tomato chutney, cauliflower mash, farm fresh asparagus
5 reviews
Caprese Salad
Farm fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, balsamic glaze
4 reviews
I miss the full menu but understand giving the world today. As always a fun evening, great food and service.
A wonderful experience as always
Always love this place. Great ambiance. The halibut special was fabulous!
Nice setting for Valentine's dinner with my three Valentines: wife & daughters. Service was great & the meal enjoyable. The four cheese penne was a little drab looking...just not well plated. But everything else looked good and was tasty. Really like this restaurant. Can't wait until they can resume lunch service.
Seated @ 6:30, did not get drinks until 7:10 and food did not come until 7: 40. Both steaks were overcooked two levels-- Med rare was Medium well. Didn't complain because we would have not eaten until 9 PM. $120 later we were very disappointed and probably will not return.
Valentine’s Day
The chicken for the penne was dry and not very flavorful. Food was just ok not anything to really rave about. For the prices of the dishes they should be outstanding but were just so-so.
Nice to have a decent restaurant like this to visit locally but wish we could say it was worth it.
We love the ambiance at The Empire, the food is always delicious, but we find the chairs to be very uncomfortable.
Service was inexcusably slow. The food was mediocre
Excellent food! I love how they have embraced the building they are in! Great dining experience!
Service was great. Seafood bisque was not
Overpriced. That’s really all I have to say about that.
Great food and great service. Never been disappointed when we have gone to the Empire
Service was amazing. We waited 30 minutes to order(not a big deal). After we ordered, we waited over an hour for our food. My husband ordered the scallops and then found sand in them. We generally eat seafood regularly. The chicken piccata was amazing and I’ll definitely be ordering it again.
Great food. Great ambiance
Nice dinner with outstanding pasta special
Everything was delicious and all in all it was a great experience. The only qualm was that it seemed a bit overpriced and the portions could have been larger.
Arrived to a closed facility even after receiving confirmation of reservation ☹️
Made reservations and confirmed via text- restaurant was closed. No answer on the phone of via silo dial media. Other parities experienced the same thing that night
Love to dine there, the food, the service, the ambiance make it a ‘special’ dining experience.
Very enjoyable dinner. Food and service were both excellent.
We had the lamb chops and they were excellent. Polenta was just right. Hope these restaurants will survive this COVID.
Delicious food, exceptional service. Always a great value!
Great visit. Thanks!
We alway have a great meal and service. We had the best date night.
Definitely losing its lustre. Greeted by an unprofessional young woman with green hair. Had a reservation, but our table had been filled by someone else. The only beef choice.was a burger or filet. Waiter, although pleasant was not knowledgeable about the menu items. This is the second time we have been waited on by someone who did not know how to open a bottle of wine. No bus boys to clean tables-the waiter kept bringing our food, but no one took dirty plates. There was no place to put the new plates. Food was mediocre. Definitely need the original maitre D to get things back into shape.
Great food and atmosphere
Once again, the Empire 138 did not disappoint for an overall great dining and entertainment experience! Isaac our server was most attentive. The chocolate martini was fabulous as was all courses of the meal.
When visiting Tiffin, the Empire 138 is a great place to go for an entire dining experience or just a casual cocktail with friends at the bar!
Everything met my expectation for price point, ambiance, and fine dining. Server was on point and knowledgeable, courses were perfectly separated, and owner or manager cleared our table and made sure everything was perfect between courses. Music was perfectly adjusted in volume based on occupancy, and great selection as well. Definitely found a gem in Tiffin!!!!
Four guests on a Saturday evening at 6:15. Service and drinks were outstanding as were the scallops and lobster/seafood bisque. Although I was not fond of the "ancient grains," the seafood bisque was hearty and very good. We will be back.
Two of us had the salmon. I would highly recommend! Two had the lemon tart and gave it rave reviews.
This place is top notch. I would recommend this place to anyone for a special evening or if you just want some place to go and have CONSISTENT delicious food! Wait staff is great they know what they are talking about when it comes to food and drink menu. What I also enjoy about this place is that the Manger is the one who greets you at the door and they make you feel like extremely welcomed.
Always wonderful food and service. Nice atmosphere.
Wonderful as always. We have never had a bad meal at Empire. Sam is always kind and gracious which sets the tone for our evening. We highly recommend Empire 138 to anyone wanting a gourmet dinner and excellent libation.
Took our daughter from Pickerington to dinner (her first time at 138) and was joined by our granddaughter (surprise) from Fort Wayne! Dinner was excellent. Service was top drawer and Joanie’s Peach Cobbler dessert is to die for!!! Sam is the ultimate host!
Love this place❤️
We were greeted right away and taken to our table. The waitress, Carrie, was attentive, knowledgeable, warm, and professional. My martini was made perfectly and the twist was beautiful. The four cheese penne was decadent, I added chicken. The house salad is always perfectly balanced. I highly recommend this establishment for any occasion, but particularly a nice night out.
Food was delicious and service was excellent. Highly recommend!!
As usual a delightful experience, food was great ,(put small plate short ribs back on menu please) service very quick, friendly and polite, very happy they reopened.
The place is beautiful and a great spot for a special occasion or just a simple date night!
I have never been disappointed at the Empire. Their salmon was the best ever.
FAQs
The Empire at 138 offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (419) 448-7733.
The Empire at 138 is rated 4.7 stars by 640 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.