Emma's Ale House — Restaurant in City of White Plains

Friendly bartender, with a great demeanor and kind manner. I'll have to go back and update this as I understand there are at least two main bartenders, and the food could be better but the service and people make up for it.

Just appetizers this time. They were good, overall. The thick bacon was a little overdone and tough in several parts, bathed with a maple flavored sauce. The egg rolls were an interesting asia-cuban creation that I found surprisingly delightful. Not fantastic on the whole, but good enough. Notably, at least two orders that came in near me at the bar were regulars - meaning the food is likely consistent and possibly often better than my experience this time... there will probably be a chance to improve the food rating here.

Beer was the perfect temperature, and although I missed it in entirety I think I caught some glass prep that would account for this... And back to the bartender; She was outstanding. With a full bar, almost every seat full, I saw no one wanting.. indeed everyone including myself seemed well attended. She was present without being intrusive. Interested without being pushy. Helpful and courteous, she struck the right balance in more than a half dozen conversations and attentively managed drinks and food orders in a timely manner even grabbing food at times from the kitchen. Great work!

The owner seemed to be present when I first came in, and if she wasn't then she was a great GM. The camaraderie and rapport were evident among staff, as was the appearance of a professional and well run operation.

This place is worth a visit if you're thinking about it. I definitely...

(Read update below) Nice atmosphere, but beware of overpricing. There are no prices on the specials menu. I ordered the house burger from the specials. I didn't feel that the meat was anything special and the mushrooms on it weren't even that great. It felt like the burger had no flavor, but whatever, it was a burger. The shock came during my bill. The burger was $30, double the price of the burgers on the normal menu. Diner beware.

Edit: someone identified only as Catherine messaged me on here, claiming she types the menu and that the price was on the menu, the burger was $27, that it was "dry aged" meat, and that when you go to a restaurant the server doesn't verbally recite specials prices. Catherine did not identify her title or relationship to the business. The $27 price may be accurate. However, three out of four of us ordered the burger and all three were shocked at the price when the bill came. Perhaps the price was hidden on the specials menu, but we didn't see it.

It may be our mistake for not asking the price before ordering -- but my warning to yelpers is that it was not a value for $27 and to be careful you don't order without knowing a price. The burger special is not worth it.

I am removing one star after receiving a message That was condescending rather than constructive. That was unprofessional in tone and makes me not...

I visited Emma Ale House on 05/30/2025 for happy hour with a group of coworkers. I joined them last minute and ended up covering the check for what was a pretty standard happy hour, nothing fancy, just average bar food and drinks. After the happy hour ended, I paid the entire bill and even left a tip.

As we stepped outside and were casually chatting right in front of the restaurant, our server came out, check in hand, and asked us if everything was okay. Then, to our surprise — they showed us the receipt with the tip amount to confirm it was correct. I replied yes and walked away, but the interaction left a bad taste.

None of us have ever had that happen before at a restaurant. It felt awkward and frankly a bit rude. We expected better service and more professionalism. I don’t know if this was a misunderstanding or standard practice there, but it was definitely off-putting and not something that encourages a...