Empire Korean Steakhouse & Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Springfield

As a first time at a Korean BBQ I honestly didn't know what to expect. We didn't have time to indulge in the whole "cook-it-yourself" experience so the waitress brought us alternate a-la-carte menus. Thank goodness for Google. Nothing on the menu looked familiar and the waitress was alone and very busy. I ordered spicy pork bulgogi with a side of corn cheese and a 2-piece order of tuna nigiri and my husband ordered the L.A. Galbi with a side of Korean ramen. The ramen was super hot, but tasty. The nigiri was good, but I've had better quality fish elsewhere and the rice left something to be desired in terms of texture as well. The corn cheese was just that - sweet corn and mozzarella cheese on a cast iron dish. It was like molten lava. The plate kept it hot for quite a while. Without a cracker, piece of bread or anything else to eat with the side dish the lack of flavor and odd texture made it difficult to eat too much at once. I'd come to appreciate the side dish later. The LA Galbi was bone in yet sliced relatively thin. The marinated steak had a pleasant umami flavor, but it was tough and difficult to eat without using your hands. We needed forks and knives but the singular waitress was overwhelmed. Now for the pork bulgogi. It's on me for ordering something spicy without asking how spicy it was. For me it was borderline inedible. The pork texture was ok, but the thick mud-like chili paste drowned out any flavor other than super spicy hot - no fruitiness, no depth 🫤. After a second bite my mouth was on fire. I tried to scrape away as much paste as I could from the meat and veggies so I could eat something, but it was to no avail. The corn cheese had cooled some and was a welcome foil to the uncomfortable spiciness. It's rare that I come across something so spicy I can't eat it, but this got to me. The side of kimchi was delicious as was the spicy soybean paste (I forget what it's called). The rice as a side was just boiled, not salted even a little and slightly undercooked. The waitress though was very friendly and as attentive as she could be under the circumstances.

I would try Korean BBQ again, but I'd try something else. I would even go back to this restaurant if ever I have the privilege of being in...

Made reservations for the party room for my birthday! Area with seating for 12 and a grill at each end. We were running late, called the restaurant, and they adjusted. We had a 45-minute drive. Yes, we should've left earlier; they were nice. Now, I had only been here 1 time before this, and the staff was great explaining the Korean BBQ process at that first visit. I wanted to share this dining experience with my family and friends and expected the same "introduction" this time. My people were not excited about cooking their own food! The initial server gave such a brief overview, and in a hurry, he had me confused! He was rushing and hurrying things. He even told us in the beginning he'd do a demo. After a few minutes, we had 2 different staff with us cause the first guy was getting off. That was why he was rushing. He never should've had my party in the first place, but I don't know the staffing situation. The new servers were patient and explained to the newbies what everything was and what foods paired with what. Also, half of our party was late, and they explained it all over again. The grill at one end of the table stopped working, so they cooked our food in the kitchen. Also, the late party has a seafood allergy, and the shrimp was cooked in the kitchen as well so we could avoid any cross contamination. All of the food was delicious as we ordered from all parts of the menu. To make a long story short, everyone ended up having a great time and really liked the food. Everyone tried food they hadn't heard of or seen before. We did end up with an additional server who was either the manager or the owner, and it became an enjoyable and filling experience for everyone. Thank you, Empire staff, for making my birthday dinner enjoyable...

Do not go here! It was bad all the way from the service to the actual meal. We walked in and they didn’t give us the a la carte. They only gave us the $35 a person all you can eat menu. When we asked if we could order a la carte our server withheld a lot information and wouldn’t give us the other menu. Had to ask another waiter for it. They try to force you into getting all you can eat and slow play you when you do. All people at the table have to get all you can eat for one person to have it. We were manipulated into getting both all you can eat - one sushi and one KBBQ. Our waiter was VERY bad. Not only did he withhold information but told us we couldn’t share any of our meals and that they are watching if we did. Talk about not a fun environment to go on a date night! We both got all you can eat and you’re telling me I can’t try his? He also would slow play us like crazy. We got all you can eat but LEFT HUNGRY because we waited too long for our food to come in “rounds”. They do this thing where they charge per how many sushi pieces you have left: our waiter grabbed our napkins and asked what was in them accusing us of shoving pieces of sushi in them… if the service wasnt enough of a reason to go back- the food was AWFUL. My boyfriend got the KBBQ and they didn’t give him any rice until we finally asked but it took forever. My sushi had NOTHING in it. They wouldn’t even give me any ginger or much wasabi until I asked for it. The sushi was very bad quality too. So disappointed. Do...