Empire Café — Restaurant in Houston

Empire Cafe is a cozy restaurant that is a relaxing place to hang out with friends. It has a comfortable, European-type of atmosphere and decor with outdoor and indoor seating arrangements. The outside seating is meant for groups of 4 people or less, with fans for hot days and heaters for cooler days. Outside there is a shaded area and a sunny area with a wall of shrubbery to block out the view of Westheimer, giving us a sense of seclusion and privacy. The service is swift with everything being served within 15 minutes of ordering. However, even though the servers are fast and attentive they aren't the friendliest bunch. It would have felt more hospitable and welcoming if the barista taking orders would have smiled.

For drinks, we highly recommend the Justice Juice for a fruity beverage on hot days in Houston. It has slushy texture and a peach-lychee smell and flavor. For the main meal, we suggest the Margherita pizza, which has a thin and crunchy crust with stringy, yet chewy, mozzarella cheese, and topped with cooked tomatoes and basil. For this dish it is wise to share with a friend; the portion size was considerably large for one person to consume alone.

While most portions were generous, the Pasta Rustica was a little on the small side and still cost $12.50. It was a penne pasta dish accompanied with Italian sausage, grilled onions, and fresh basil. The soup of the day, the creamy tomato basil soup, was an unfortunate letdown. Though when served it was aesthetically pleasing and hot, it tasted similar to canned, creamy, tomato basil that one could buy at a grocery store.

For desserts, the cakes are where this cafe does really shine. Cake slices are half prices on Mondays, which is when we chose to visit. The Chocolate Blackout is essentially everything chocolate: chocolate cake, frosting, and shavings all to make a delicious and moist cake that is delightfully appetizing. The Berry White is a vanilla cake with pockets of strawberry and raspberry preserves, topped with whipped cream and dressed with white chocolate shavings. While the cake has good potential, the sweetness was overwhelming and the combination of tastes was a little bland. The Toll House Crunch, on the other hand, their best seller, is a delicious yellow cake with a creamy milk chocolate frosting, sprinkled with chocolate chips, and crusted with brown sugar. Altogether this cafe is a great place to go, hang out and get tasty, moderately affordable food. We highly...

Update: Johnny the owner invited me into the restaurant to meet the staff and treated me to lunch plus I was able to try some of his updated items on the menu! I am pleased to say that Johnny spoke to his staff and the issue was resolved! Thank you Johnny for opening the door to have a conversation. I appreciate you paying attention to my concerns☺️

Original review: I visited this place a few weeks ago & left a google review same day. Owner responded as if he would train staff better and do what he could to make this right. Recently I went back to the review and he changed his response saying I must be mistaken and I must of misinterpreted how I was treated that day

Here is my review from Google

I have been searching for healthier options as far as restaurants. I came across this establishment and fell in love with their juice & smoothie. Today was my 3rd time coming here & I felt so much racial tension. I was treated differently than the other customers & I can not think of any other reason besides the color of my skin. The staff & customers were extremely shrewd. Staff was extremely short. I have been around all races most of my life as I was raised in a military family and have served myself. I do not appreciate being treated this way in no form or fashion. If you are a person of color please do not give this establishment your money. Empire Cafe please do a better job at understanding that everyone deserves the same treatment.

Update: I reached out to the owner of this establishment, left a message and my phone number & he has not reached back out to me

As I stated before, if you are a person of color PLEASE DO NOT GIVE THIS...

Our food was the best part of the experience. I also like that they're brunch hours last later than most restaurants. My biggest complaint was the service. This was my first time going so I wasn't sure where to look at a menu because it is not the type of restaurant that seats You, You have to Wait in line and place your order after looking at the menu. When we walked in there were people standing in front of the sign that said menu so we did not see it when we walked up to the cash register I saw something that said Saturday entrees, I was guessing this might be the menu. When the young man came to the register I asked him for a menu he said they're over there when you first walk in but I guess I could give you one. I really wish he would have approach me differently he did not have a smile, he was not friendly, he wasn't joking he was very rude. I'd have rather been asked have I been here before, If not I can show you where the menus are and I'll be happy to help you. The other complaint I had was not having anybody to come ask if you need refills or anything you have to keep going in line I guess. That's the only 2 things I had to say. I too used to be in the service industry and I would have never told a customer the menus are over there but I guess I can help you. The first thing you should see at a place of business is a smiling face waiting to help you. Aside from these 2 incidents the food was wonderful outside was really quiet. Really...