Empire Pizza House — Restaurant in Hartford

Have to be brutally honest here, only because I love the place so much. My family and I have ordered from here since we came from our home country and it's always our goto pizza place even with everything going digital and new places popping up. Used to live pretty far and only got delivery, moved closer in later years. I've bought from here through the different owners, cooks, etc. I love Empire, but it's not without it's flaws. If you're here for the pizza, you'll be satisfied with what they give you. Recipe hasn't changed much since when I was a kid and I don't think it has to. I've always found the pizza really good whether I'm eating with my family on a Saturday night, or we're having a party and need to feed 10+ folks. Good selection of toppings too. Pizza has the right amount of tomato and cheese, crust is just right too. However, I will mention that it can be inconsistent sometimes, though I want to chalk it up to new cooks or a rush. Sometimes there's less cheese / more tomato sauce then normal, sometimes the crust is cooked too much and is too hard, sometimes there's way less pepperoni/toppings than usual. This doesn't happen too much that I go back to get a refund, but it's something I've noticed over the several years I've ordered from here, but nothing that really makes me lose faith in the restaurant. Besides that I have 2 major gripes with the place. The first is that all other food choices aren't exactly appetizing. I've tried the wings, burgers, salads, hotdogs, tenders, etc all at least once, and I can't say I was ever satisfied with them. Either they were lacking flavor, weren't cooked right, or serving size was way too small for the price. Best example I can give is the wings they have. I've gotten them super overcooked every time I've ordered them, and with way too much flour. There wasn't much sauce put on them either, and the side of sauce they give you just isn't enough for how many you get. Case in point, if you're gonna buy food here, just get the pizza and drinks, get the other things somewhere else. My other major problem I've had is with delivery drivers, though take my criticism with a grain of salt since I haven't ordered delivery in years since i'm close enough it's cheaper for me to pick it up. If you order delivery, expect to wait 2-3 hours to get your food, especially during busy hours on weekend evenings. I've also had issues with certain drivers being aggressive during deliveries and dropping the food off in bad condition or not arriving despite giving them my full address. I don't know if EP still hires these drivers, but it was an issue I and others have dealt with in the past. Other than that, love Empire and their pizza, hope they can improve their quality over time with...

I was a long time fan of their food and service for years, but now, I'll have to find another place. Ever since this Coronavirus started, all businesses and services went down. I knew it would happen, but people should still be honest to keep dignity, integrity and self respect. They used to deliver within 30-40 minutes. My order was brought to me exactly 70 minutes later. My pizza was lukewarm and the wings were slightly hot. What passed me off is them lying about the driver being outside trying to call me for several minutes. It was a lie. I had made sure my Bluetooth was off and ringer on with the volume up. No incoming call history is shown. I was trying to call about my order after an hour went be but they wouldn't pick up. They called when the driver arrived just a minute after my last call and claimed he'd been calling me. They avoided my phone calls just to wait for their contact with their driver... I was just so disappointed. They didn't have to lie. The driver apologized but never mentioned trying to call me. I was assured the pizza would still be hot. That was a lie too. I guess I won't be ordering from them anymore. I don't trust...

Ok, so as the other reviews state, they do overcharge from what the specials say that are posted inside and on the windows. I’m sure prices change and they need to do a better job informing people of that. My Wings, Fries and Soda came to 17.07 and should have been 16.00 or so. But ehh, they gave me Blue Cheese and a lot of places up charge. But yes, I see people’s points. Anyway, it was hotter than hell inside and I decided to dine in for the full experience. When they handed me my bag it felt like a good five pounds and the wings are really good size. And surprisingly, they were cooked well. They have an excellent, simple Buffalo sauce. Just the right mix of red hot and butter. Fries were nothing great, but the wings were very good. I’m actually full from the wings and couldn’t eat the fries. I’m going to give this place a go and try some other items. Staff were very friendly and courteous. The area is not the greatest, but I give it a 3/10 on my shankability scale. You probably won’t get stabbed in the parking lot, but maybe you there...