Empire Square — Restaurant in City of Watertown

Our server was nice and greeted us right away, it was getting colder but the bigger doors were still open to attract those on the street. Between the live performance and the street noises it was VERY difficult to have any type of conversation. Ordered our meals and I asked for a specific burger no cheese no onion, 2 others ordered pulled pork Mac and cheese, blt with fries instead of chips and a meatball sub with fries instead of chips. After stating our order my server repeated a classic burger no cheese no onion right and I agreed since she didn’t have a notepad.

Once the food arrrived both meals that subbed the fries for chips were brought with chips, the pulled pork with Mac and cheese was a little on the cold side in spots but unsure if it was also due to the doors being open or just not heated all the way through. And my burger with no onion and no cheese had some sauce I didn’t ask for nor was it noted in the menu. I was told it was a special sauce for the burgers. I asked for the burger to be remade without that and what I originally asked for, was told it would be another 20 minutes and of course I said ok assuming the second time would be correct.

The BLT looked like it was half the size it should be (arrived with chips) but wasn’t too bad. The meatball sub was what I’m told tasted like frozen small meatballs with bbq sauce and again arrived with chips. The pulled pork Mac and cheese apparently had a rotten taste to it and the 2 that ordered couldn’t eat more than a few bites. And the burger FINALLY arrived for the 2nd time with a small dish of fries for the two that ordered and didn’t receive. Upon lifting the bun after asking for condiments what do I see but ONIONS INTWINED in the meat when I specified I wanted no onions. That was the last straw! Granted we didn’t spend a lot (thankfully) it was still too much for a complete and utter disappointment. We ALL had to spend more money afterwards to get food to eat since we all left disappointed and me only eating the chips the other 2 had received on their plates. I won’t be back, sadly I was hopeful of this place but it has limited options and if you’re going to add something to an item it needs to be noted, I should have had the option...

We arrived around 7:30. We ordered about 7:50 (waiting for part of our party to arrive). We weren't served until a few minutes before 9:00. Aside from us (party of 6) there were two people at the bar until about 8:00, at which point we really were the ONLY ONES THERE. It never occurred to the server to ask the chefs where our food was. It wasn't until 8:50 that my sister asked her what the ETA on our food is that she decided to go ask.

Once she was back there, I heard her say "because they're asking where the food is!" And I heard a man shout at her in response. She came out saying that it would be 10 minutes until we got our food. True to her word, we did. All of the food was luke warm except for one that was sizzling hot. So all of our food was just SITTING THERE in the back. They must have cooked them literally one by one and instead of sending them out as they cooked them out even two at a time, they held onto the food for that long.

It's unfortunate that I had such a bad experience when the lady who served us was so very kind. As it happens, she is the owner, and I sincerely hope that my experience was not that of everyone else because I want her to succeed. But she told us that she does everything slow and even tells other servers that they're too fast.

My unsolicited advice? Hire someone else to wait tables who wants to go fast, get better chefs who give a damn and don't take an hour and a half to cook a few meals (2 wraps, a sandwich, nachos, a side of Mac n cheese, a side of sweet potato fries, chicken tenders, and meat and cheese on toast). And you focus your efforts on your strengths as the leader of your establishment. As it stands, I don't ever want to go back here again. Even though their mocktails are to...

Atmosphere is nice and restaurant is very clean. However, it wasn't very busy when we went in on a Friday night.

Bathrooms are plenty big enough but I do not like that the toilet paper rolls is not on a dispenser. This means everyone touches the whole roll to use it.

Our service (bartender) was good and friendly. She seemed to have experience in the service industry, however our waters were never refilled in the few hours we were there.

Drinks were weak. Bloody Mary was awful, but the Lemonade Juliep was good.

We ordered the appetizer for 4 ($20) and it was very small, I'd hate to see the size for 2 people. Compared to prices in nearby restaurants, I don't think it stands to be competitive. When food was being brought to the table the employees delivering didn't know where the food was going. I'd employ a way to add seats to POS system as I've seen in pervious restaurants.

Their queso is subpar. I don't believe anyone finished it. After trying those two items we decided not to order anymore food.

When we recieved the check it wasn't itemized. Drink prices were not shown on the menu, which is common. However, for a $20 appetizer, 2 bloody Mary's, and a lemonade julep our bill came out to be $68. We unfortunately didn't realize it until the next morning, otherwise we would have asked for a confirmation on drink prices. Either something made it's way to our check from another member of the party or drinks are wildly over priced.

The owner serves in the restaurant as well and seemed very friendly and accommodating. I'd like to see the business succeed, but I think some changes to the menu and drink recipes is required. I'm not sure if we will be back unless friends recommend...