The Empress

Gastropub·
££££
·
Bronze Award
·

SquareMeal Review of The Empress

Bronze Award

Right next to Victoria Park, this regal Empress receives a number of important local dignitaries throughout the day: the fishmonger, the butcher, the baker… all pay their respects here. As a result, chef Elliott Lidstone’s menu is a celebration of the foodie scene flourishing on his doorstep – though his influences are more global. Bold, bright seasonal flavours are the cornerstones, witness prettily presented, shareable plates of fried duck egg and trompettes on toast or cured sea trout with orange, fennel and hazelnut. These vie for attention with generous mains of roast pork belly and apple sauce or cod with Moroccan-spiced chickpeas, monk’s beard, yoghurt and sumac. Other attractions at this art-filled bistro include “great” weekend brunch, £10 Monday suppers, BYO ‘frugal feasts’ and all-day tapas-style snacks to go with London beers, classic cocktails and modern wines from hotly tipped producers. Sadly, the service is less consistent than the food.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Gastropub
Ambience
Lively, Quiet conversation
Food Occasions
All day dining, Breakfast, Brunch
Alfresco And Views
Outside seating
Perfect for
Child friendly, Dates, Group dining [8+]
Food Hygiene Rating

Location

130 Lauriston Road, Hackney, London, E9 7LH

020 8533 5123 020 8533 5123

Website

Opening Times

Tues-Fri 12N-3.30pm Sat-Sun 10am-3.30pm Mon-Sun 6-10pm (Sun -9.30pm)

Reviews

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8 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

28 November 2022  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 0.5
Aggressive owner

Owner was very aggressive to me and my 5 month old. Screamed at me and kicked us out while it was pouring rain.

Anon

02 November 2020  
Food & Drink 1
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 0.5
Value 0.5
Dont waste your time or money!

I never usually write reviews but I have never experienced service so bad and staff so rude in any place I have been in London, I completely understand that given these uncertain times staff may be stressed but after reading other reviews it seems like the rudeness of staff seems to be common place. Pre booked a table for 6 people 2 weeks prior to then be told on arrival they don't do 6 seater tables, why was this not mentioned I called to book?!?!. Not only was the rudeness of staff enough she service was absolutely shocking, took 45 minutes to get a beer served. The Sunday roast was basic, small and had hardly any sides or trimmings - £19.50 + 12.5%?!?!? shocking! I've honestly had better at Toby Carvery. I do not mind paying a service charge when eating out in London but for this for this level of service was just a joke. Please please do not waste your time and money going to this place. There is hundreds more places you could go for Sunday dinner which better quality food, better service and much cheaper prices. God knows why this place has a Michelin star.

Edward S

14 June 2013  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
The Empress
“The pub is Britain’s single greatest contribution to the world of Gastronomy”, discuss? It’s a thorny issue and you may need to caveat that this discussion must take place post-1991 and the arrival of The Eagle in Clerkenwell. Before that pub food was a wasteland of Bangers in a basket and Findus Crispy Pancakes. To my mind this legacy of styrofoam, deep-fried pap still haunts us. Why else would we need to become embroiled in the rhetoric of “re-inventing the pub”? Why are we hounded by meaningless tags such as Gastro or Dining Pub? If we hadn’t lived in the culinary caves of Mordor for so long then we could say with totally impunity that we were “off down the pub” and no-one would hand us a leaflet on Colonic Irrigation. The frustration is that the stigma remains; there are some incredible pubs in Britain – The Hand & Flowers has Two Michelin stars for Christ’s sake – and yet so turgid is the legacy of culinary sins long since past that it seems we must always single out our successes if only to continue our self-flagelation. And so to The Empress in Victoria Park. Elliot Lidstone, a chef from Alan Murchison’s stable (he of L’Ortalan & La Becasse) took up the reins back in January and has been garnering praise ever since. The room is perfect: light, airy, spacious – but not too much so – unpretentious and welcoming. The acoustics are good and you can see into the kitchen. The menu reads well, kicking off with bar snacks (served all day: BIG TICK) before moving into small plates, many of which can be scaled up to a main course. There are five interesting beers on draught and a whole host of good stuff in bottles (another one of those BIG TICKs please). The wine list is genuinely interesting and well priced – Hochar 2005 £27 anyone? It’s always a boon when I want to eat everything on a menu; I like it even more when somebody tells me what I should eat (not just anyone off the street you understand, it helps if they work there). The latter didn’t actually happen, although had we asked I’m sure the very good front of house staff would have obiliged, so I just ordered everything. Ham Croquetas were as good as I’ve had anywhere in London: both crisp & gooey, rich, deep and crammed with hammy goodness. The deep fried Polenta with salsa verde hit the spot and the Pigs’ ears did the right thing. I would suggest the apple sauce that accompanied them should be warm – I think it would work better – but other than that they were chewy pig heaven. There was bone marrow with snails and wild garlic too. The only thing missing was some much needed acidity to cut through all the richness, but the caramelised onion that was thrown into the mix was dark, unctuous and beautifully sweet. The only dish that didn’t do anything for me was the Mackerel with Fregola and Romanesco salad. Everything here was very well executed – the mackerel cooked perfectly – but the ingredients didn’t come together. At least it was healthy; one for the Yummy Mummies of Victoria Park perhaps. Onglet with Hollandaise and fat chips followed. This was stellar. I love Onglet but you can easily balls it up: 20 secs too long in the pan and it’s dog food. Not so at The Empress: Nailed it. The meat was rich, earthy, the iron from the blood giving that oh-so-lovely metallic twang in the mouth. The Hochar brought out all of this in spades. Things were gathering momentum. Now I’m not a big pudding guy. I’d rather finish with Welsh Rarebit or coffee. Or a pork pie. But here the puds sounded good: Baked cheesecake with blood oranges, Ginger panna cotta & rhubarb anyone? I had that. And Affogato. And a Negroni. This was a blinding panna cotta. The ginger was brilliantly restrained – you got it, never lost it but it didn’t overpower anything. The “wobble” was the sublime tremble of a woman’s breast and the rhubarb cut through the richness just as it should. Home-made honeycomb was sprinkled over and around the rhubarb – a stroke of genius, total genius. That was the texture I was looking for and the sign of a clever chef assured in what he’s doing….Very good Negroni too. So there you have it – meal for two, two pints, bottle of wine, gratuitous Negronis and a whole lot of food: £100. Boom. The Empress is good. It’s very good. It looks right and it tastes right. It’s up there with the best food pubs in London: Anchor & Hope, The Harewood Arms, Great Queen Street, Bull & Last. Welcome to the club your Majesty, you may yet come to rule the empire.

Sabrina G

12 August 2010  
Food & Drink 4
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
What a lovely place to eat on a Sunday, if you can handle the fact that it is packed with hungover locals, families and friends catching up over long lunches. The decor is really nice (I'm a girl, I will also critique that stuff) and I like the ecclectic combinations of lighting, upholstery and furniture, it makes for a lovely environment for a meal especially a late Sunday lunch. A pint of prawns with homemade mayonnaise and a fat wedge of lemon does the trick for me as a starter and for the mains it had to be a full on Sunday roast with thick slices of perfectly cooked sirloin of beef, with the desired tint of red in the centre, huge, crispy roast potatoes and the biggest Yorkshire pud I have ever seen, which of course, suits me down to the ground. I'm all over my main like a fat kid on a cupcake! Needless to say I didn't manage pudding this time round, but with my belly so full of yummy things, who cares?? Despite living in West London, I would definitely come back here again on a Sunday; the vibe is great, the food is really good and I like the neighbourhood too!

Bianca R

04 February 2010  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 5
Value 4.5
This is a wonderfully elegant place to have lunch, dinner, or just a drink. It's bright and airy, and the perfect modern pub. I love spending time here with friends in the area, or on my own with a paper. Food is top notch.

Paul H

07 January 2010  
Food & Drink 3.5
Service 2.5
Atmosphere 3
Value 2
We first visited the Empress just after it had opened and had a great time, good service, good food. Each subsequent visit has been less impressive. The waiting staff appear not to care that you are the customer and overall service was poor. The food was still good but not worth the price. Pop to the fish and chip shop next door rather.

Gary R

11 October 2009  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
I hadn't been here before the other night when some of my friends took me for my birthday, and we had the most wonderful evening. This really is a fantastic bar and restaurant. The food was all cooked to perfection, and complimented with some delicious wines. Another thing was that the staff were all so attentive and genuinely nice, which can be a bit of a rarity in London at times. I really can't remember the last time I enjoyed being out for dinner so much. I can't wait to go back!

Brian T

27 September 2009  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 4.5
My wife and I enjoy going down here during the week when its a bit more relaxed. The food really is superb and the staff all very attentive.
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020 8533 5123 020 8533 5123

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