Empire Modern British Restaurant & Steak House | Steakhouse & British Cuisine — Restaurant in Arona

It makes me realllly sad to have to give this review. I had my first holiday to tenerife nearly 10 years ago. I loved the food here that much that I would come here almost every night of my holiday.

I then kept coming to tenerife for many years.

I had even considered flying to tenerife just to come to this place for food.

I hadn't been for a couple of years and this time when I came back just wasn't the same.

One of my steaks was chewy and awful. Fair enough I mentioned it and they swapped it and the 2nd was much better. The chef was very apologetic and that rectified it for me.

But they didn't replace the sides I had paid for that they had got rid of. Cauliflower cheese was good though would recommend.

Then the 2nd time I got the sharing board. Asked for it medium with no need for the grill to come out. The ribeye and sirloin weren't ready at all and were blue/rare not even medium rare.

I advised them of it and by the time we had waited they just brought the pan and got told to continue cooking it ourselves if we would like it done more. It isn't that we wanted it done more. We asked for it medium this was rare as anything and was cold in the middle.

I wouldn't mind but why ask for it medium if they can't cook a steak medium it's time to pack in. If we wanted it cooked differently between us I'd understand. We both wanted it medium and that was our request.

But why should I have to continue to cook my own steak 🤔 it was literally cold in the middle. And I wouldn't mind but it's about 38 euros per person for 2 people that's 76 euros.

This used to be my favorite steak place ever for many, many years. I was super excited to return to the food court and relive some younger memories that I had of there.

And to be honest I doubt I'd return after being let down twice now. I spent about 176 euros for 3 of us including drinks and food the 2nd time. The first time around 120 for the 3 of us the first time.

We sat inside the 2nd time and there was what appeared to be staff or people off shift talking a lot by the toilets who were at times quite noisy. Not really the vibe I remember.

We also had to ask for the bill 3 times which I wouldn't mind if it was busy but we ate there around 4 or 5pm and we were the only ones sat inside the building when we had the sharing board. The scallops I had for starter were also a little cold in the middle but I let that slide.

I don't know if it's changed hands. The chef did come out and apologise the first time.

But the gentlemen who advised the 2nd time that we can just cook our own steak further really I don't think that was the right advise as it was their mistake.

My partner had fillet and myself and neice had the share board. The fillets were cooked fine. Not to mention they had sliced the ribeye and sirloin open so surely they can see for themselves that it wasn't cooked.

It wasn't that we wanted it cooking more initially. We asked for it medium and we got it...

We chose this place in Tenerife because of its high Google rating, and I knew immediately that in order to inform the public, I would have to write a thorough review.

Upon arrival, a waitress greeted us and told us about the special items, like Daikiri, which I ordered. When she got back to us, she inquired about what we wanted to eat, and we chose the most expensive steak. When I asked about the wine, she brought a guy who recommended a bottle to us. He had extensive knowledge about the wine. For a starter, I ordered beef steak which was prepared in front of us. Overall, it was an okay beefsteak, but unfortunately, she put a lot of mayo in it which I did not like. This resulted in the steak being wet. When I asked about any spices, they only had Tabasco, no chili sauce, chili flavor, or anything. Tabasco in a tartar beefsteak, I do not think, is a great match.

We ordered premium rib eye for two which by itself was over 100 euros. The service was still excellent; random servers came to check in with us. When the little gas stove was taken out to us so we could cook the steak itself, and when the waitress adjusted the settings, she left! ...And that was it for the service for us. No one came back to check how the steak was, but more importantly, no single instruction was given on how to operate the small oven. We figured it out after all, but it was shocking that after interacting with 3 different people, after we ordered the most expensive item on the menu, we, as guests, stopped existing.

The steak was great, but far from the best we have ever tasted. The spinach gratin was very well recommended, it had a great texture, great taste.

There was definitely no room for dessert (but not like anyone asked). We gave a great tip, but I would not recommend this place for such a huge spending as we did, because the service disappears after ordering. It left a bitter aftertaste...

The Empire, old chum, was a downright blinding discovery, an absolute corker of a place. One might say it was akin to finding a five-pound note in the pocket of a jacket you hadn’t worn in years—utterly delightful, and worth every bit of the praise. The salmon tartare was nothing short of a revelation; it was as if the fish had been blessed by Neptune himself, delicate yet packed with flavour, and I daresay if there were such a thing as a Royal Commission for Fish-Based Delicacies, it would’ve been awarded top honours without a moment’s hesitation. As for Manuel, well, he was a waiter of such remarkable quality that I’d go so far as to say he could have served tea to the Queen herself, whilst simultaneously running a marathon. His service was so seamless, so impeccable, I half-expected him to don a monocle and announce that a telegram had arrived from Buckingham Palace, thanking us for our patronage. Now, the fillet steak—by Jove! It was cooked to perfection, tender enough to cut with a spoon, and frankly, if it had been any more succulent, I’d have expected it to start singing the national anthem. The Pink Lady cocktail was as fresh as a daisy in spring, and those donuts! They were so light and airy, they practically floated off the plate. I’m telling you, they were so good, you’d swear they were conjured up by some sort of wizardry. We had an absolutely splendid time, a veritable knees-up of the highest order, the sort of evening that one might reminisce about fondly in the pub with a pint in hand, and I assure you, we’ll return in exactly 12 months, as reliable as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. God save the Queen, and God...