The Empress — Restaurant in London

The Empress

Visited with: 8 Friends Atmosphere: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Inclusivity: 5/5 Accessibility: 5/5

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is fantastic making it an ideal place to enjoy a meal with friends. The decor is tasteful, and the seating arrangement provides enough space to feel comfortable while still being cozy. My friend Jay likes to sit next to me so that was a plus for him.

Service

Both the owners and the wait staff were attentive and genuinely friendly. They joined in on the banter but still gave us space to have a good time. When we arrived they were accomodating straight away. The waiters were knowledgeable about the menu and were able to offer great recommendations based on our preferences.

Food

The food did not disappoint. Each dish was flavorful, and the spice level was just right for my taste as i like it on the spicier side. One of my friend is a bit of a (Sunak) bounty so when he wanted mild, the dish was abit too spicy for him even though it was fine for the rest of us. The portions were generous and delicious.

Inclusivity

One of the standout aspects of our visit was the restaurant's open and welcoming attitude towards everyone. As an LGBT couple, my friends Lucky and Shirz felt completely comfortable. The staff's inclusive and accepting demeanor added to the overall positive experience. Our mate Jase, who is a former EDL member, being in an asian environment was hard for him but was on his best behaviour as the place was accommodating to him too.

Accessibility

Accessibility was another highlight. My friend (Three Fingers) who uses a wheelchair had no issues navigating the restaurant. The entryway and seating areas was fine for him to enter and sit down, and the staff were more than willing to assist with any needs we had.

Conclusion

Overall the restaurant is a wonderful place to dine. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable dining...

If there was an option where I could give no stars...I would. I made reservations for 18 people and the guy foz said to my brother the seating for 18 is possible and that he would try. He didnt even inform us that his 'trying' was unsuccessful because when we got there the table was split into 2 so the whole family was not sitting together. Funny thing is there was another group of 18 people who made reservations after me yet they were given the privilege of sitting on the longer table together. The guys reason was they come every year so thats where they always like to sit...okay fine but i should have been informed the seating was not together so I couldve looked elsewhere but, clearly this guy wanted to make more money. Furthermore, the food was not at all nice it was standard, wasn't even indian or bangladeshi style food, it was more catered for caucasian people rather than all ethnic groups. Moreover 4 people in my family including myself had gotten food poisening from the food. I do not reccomend this place at all! 400 pound was spent for nothing. Lastly, not catered to muslims at all, and the staff were muslim...how ironic. We were sitting opposite the bar and alcohol was being served to the other 18 people, when we order our juices they were coming from the bar area, so we couldnt...

I like to rate an Indian on its service. This Indian did not reach its great expectations provided by TripAdvisor and google.

I expect to be seated and addressed and served the usual popadoms. That was not made the obvious service we received. We had to ask for them to be delivered to our table which then took an extra 5/10 minutes. We had to request our drinks order, this wasn't asked on arrival or after serving us our late starters.

The schaslick was smeared on my plate , hardly sizzling. Dry and tasteless. The "special tikka masala" left a lot to be desired. It contained pecan nuts and coconut and resembled the colour of a korma. It also arrive warm not hot temperature. The vegetable tikka masala was bland, veg was undercooked.

Service left a hell of a lot to be desired! From slack, lazy dresses staffed to the over cocky manager, who had too much to say for himself, and walked around on his phone, then shouting at a delivering driver.

We weren't asked if we wanted more drinks, we weren't asked how our food tasted, if we enjoyed our meal. For a restaurant rated in the top 2% of restaurants in London I fear for the quality of those in the...