I am unsure why this place is not highly rated. Yes all food in seaport area is overly expensive but I enjoyed Empire every time I have been. The blackened tuna rice bites were really good! Overall, I have always had a good experience. read more

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This place deserves a one star for the amazing ambience - beautiful carpets and white linen tables. Theoretically, this would be the place to take people to wow them. Unfortunately, I had a wow experience for the wrong reasons. This place is a downgrade of food quality from Panda Express. The hot and sour soup was highly oily and tasted like dishwasher soap. The soup was gloopy and unappetizing. The black pepper chow fun was also highly oily and lacked any vegetables, tofu, or flavor. Unfortunately, this was one of few vegetarian entree options. At $10 for that small bowl and ~$25 for the chow fun, and super slow service even for an early dinner at 5, I expect a lot more. read more

Empire - Hot and Sour Soup - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Food, service and ambiance were all 5 stars for us. Saige took wonderful care of us and was very knowledgeable on the menu, she went above and beyond. read more

Empire - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I base this review on the Monday AYCE Sushi menu. They do not advertise it, nor do they provide a paper menu. Only by checking the website would you know it exists. AYCE is typically suitable for folks who eat sushi like a vacuum cleaner, yet this is not an excuse for lackluster pieces of substandard quality. The Salmon Mango, while not phenomenal, is one of the rolls we ordered again. While fine the first time, the following iterations had some unwelcome funk. Not the kind that gets you sick, but that indicates the fish isn't fresh. Yikes. The rest of the rolls were uninteresting. I would have loved to provide my usual exhaustive, meticulous review if there was something to write about. While to be fair, some, like the Salmon Mango and Hamachi Tartare, were topped with fish, inside each was a minute amount. The exception is the Spicy Tuna, yet the filling is ground tuna mixed with tempura and alleged spice. The service left something to be desired. At the start of the night, 5pm, the restaurant was almost dead. Yet, the service was surprisingly inattentive, and we had to wait longer than I had expected. This did get better towards the end of the meal, and the sushi came out fast. Still, the initial experience left an unpleasant first impression. It comes down to a question of value. At a rate of $49/pp, I expect both a higher caliber of food and service. The name, the vibe, the big doors, and the handles... it is a façade. Something is seriously wrong when I can get much better sushi at Market Basket. Finally, some minor details that, while don't make or break a restaurant, matter nonetheless. The wonton chips were light, crisp, and not overly greasy, yet lacked even a flake of salt. Also, we were initially provided one tiny 'plate' with wasabi and ginger. Less than you'd get in a takeaway container for one portion, and this was for three people getting AYCE. We could ask for more, but it speaks to execution and attention to detail. While I haven't tried their other offerings, nor am I a partier, this experience left me without any desire for making a return visit. read more

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Such a classic restaurant with its own bar that turns into a club just on Saturday night. Needs a reservation to get in though. Loved the place in so many ways. The food was rich; we ordered Singapore noodles, shrimp sushi, Chicken Appetizers, strawberry Margherita moctail and the white chocolate dessert. The best part is Kitchen is open until 2 AM on Saturdays. Never came across any place that has the kitchen open until late hours. So definitely recommend this place. The bar/club and the restaurant space is pretty spacious. So imagine the crowd coming for Saturday night. read more

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I walked in and was able to sit at a nice table for one. The service was a little slow but the food was amazing. Very great ambience super trendy. The black and tuna was one of the best crispy rices 9.5/10. The side of Ginger was also really good. I highly recommend getting the seaweed salad to start. read more

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Invited a colleague/mentor out to dinner here and we enjoyed ourselves! Our server was great. She was kind and prompt. I was excited to try the miso lobster soup, which I've never seen on a menu before. It was good, not spectacular. I appreciated that there was lots of lobster meat, but there was nothing else special about it. I got the gluten Free fried chicken, which was good, but it was missing the sauce that's typically on the wings. The veggie fried rice was good but not amazing. It was missing something, maybe a sauce, but still good. I will come back, even if it's only for the GF fried chicken. The music also got good as it got close to 9. Loved having even a little music in the background to casually dance to at the table. read more

Unorganized staff, one staff member had us wait in an area that turn into the vip at a certain time. They made us move to another section. Then that section made us switch seats again. So we then made reservations for the vip area where we originally sitting. Only to be told to move again. It was so annoying that we just left because we were getting the vibes that we were not welcomed. Which is crazy because we sat quietly waiting to be seated and serviced. Totally fine with me because I'll never go back. I will spend money at a place that is so uninviting. I"d rather spend my money elsewhere with an establishment that appreciates ALL there customers. read more

Food is sub par, cocktails and service are average. Only saving grace is the ambience if you're looking for a vibey spot in the seaport with late night dining. Overall not great, but not terrible either read more

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Very nice ambiance. I got to the dinner late so I don't have an opinion on anything other than the Singapore noodles. Definitely want to visit this spot in the near future. The Singapore noodles were really good, packing lots of flavor. I have never had them with scallops so that was definitely surprise to my taste buds that I have to thumbs up. read more

Empire - Singapore Street Noodles - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

When one of my friends suggested we check out Empire for dinner since it's right around the corner from my office, I immediately was skeptical. In general, trendy vibe Asian fusion spots have been a letdown, but decided to give it a shot. We get there at 7:15 PM on a Thursday night, our reservation time, and let one of the hostesses know. She asks us to wait. It seems a bit disorganized, but we patiently wait. 20 minutes go by and while some people who got in after us are seated, we're still not seated or acknowledged so we go ask again. The first hostess says to keep waiting. Then one of the hostesses says to follow her, but she also says it to another couple so we all walk over and she seats the first couple and then forgets about us. It was SO WEIRD and kind of uncomfortable. So we go back to the front and ask the last remaining hostess. She then immediately seats us. There were plenty of open tables so I'm confused about why we had the wait and why we had to keep asking when we had a reservation. Once we're seated there's quite a bit of a wait before our server stops by, but she's friendly. We decide to share a few dishes: -Two Way Rangoons: quintessential fusion food that I secretly have always enjoyed. The ones here were tasty! -Mapo Tofu: definitely not authentic (which isn't their brand anyways), but not bad. Wasn't something I felt like I had to keep eating, but enjoyed the bites that I had -Chicken and Broccoli: gave me Panda Express vibes...which is meant as a neutral statement. Whether you like it or not depends on your own preferences.. -Singapore Street Noodles: these were solid. Like the amount of toppings in there and the flavors were on point! Wish I had been hungrier because I would've eaten more of this one Decor is nice and despite the hiccups with getting seated, we had a nice time. Not rushing to come back, but could be persuaded again. read more

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This is literally the worst food I've ever had in a restaurant. Not even the worst Asian food, the worst food period. I thought nothing would top the "Asian" food they serve in Memphis, TN but here I am sadly mistaken. We went there with a group of friends and everyone commented their entree is terrible. My friends were LITERALLY adding salt to their fried rice and adding water to their pad thai because the seasoning/texture was so off. This place is now jokingly referred to in our group chat and has become a meme. The decor/ambiance might be a 5/5 but I can cook better food at home and not charge over $30 an entree. read more

A massive space with an equally large menu. Service quite good. Party of 4. Ordered 4 appetizers and shared - potstickers, torched belly flight (a bit overpriced), scallion pancakes, and dumplings. Good variety and more than enough to share. Entrees were for some reason 3 chicken dishes - tik tok, srirachi buttermlk, and Hong Kong spicy - and Singapore Street noodles. All tasty and a few on the spicy side. With cocktails, a couple of glasses of wine, and tip - not an inexpensive night. read more

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So good as always! I used to get a tequila cocktail called the Royal Akuma that they took off the menu, and our server said she'd get the bartenders to make it for us again. I've also gotten the Spicy Salmon Rice Bites made gluten free twice now, although it isn't labelled so. It's my favorite, the sushi is always so fresh too. read more

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Went to the club on a Friday night, the club side of Empire. The bouncers were friendly but it was hard to get a drink on how busy it was. The vibe was okay but for me, I was not feeling the energy or the music, which threw the mood out. Not too large of a space for dancing. They do have TV screens playing sports games throughout the night. Floors were sticky and the restaurant was still open on the other side. read more

Empire - a woman walking down a sidewalk in front of a store - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I'm a Boston native now living in L.A. I return to Boston often and ALWAYS try to make a point of returning to Empire for a meal. It's busy and can get loud, and is definitely a hot spot for nearby businesses to hold their corporate meals, but its popularity makes complete sense to me - the food is always consistently delicious, drinks expertly made. In my dozens of visits here I've probably tried everything on the menu and have never received a dish that wasn't absolutely delicious. Over the last 12+ years, I've brought family, friends, and coworkers here - from groups of 2 to 12 - and everyone always leaves with a smile on their face, and a "wow, what a place" review. During a recent visit, the Manager approached me, having seen that I'm a repeat customer, and made me feel so special and appreciated. Just another nice touch! In a word: FLAVORFUL. You can't go wrong eating at Empire. read more

Vibes 10/10 great music and the staff is always smiling. The food.... 2/10 the food came out very quickly. We ordered the chicken and dumplings. Those were really bad and they tasted burnt. We ordered the avocado rice bites, those were actually really good and very flavorful. The vegetable spring rolls the two sauces that came with it were absolutely horrible. We ended up just leaving because we knew if we ate the dinner. It was just gonna keep getting worse and we really didn't wanna waste our time. The place is actually really nice on the inside, but it is very overpriced for both food and drinks. read more

Though the food was amazing, I still wouldn't step foot in this restaurant ever again. The service was horrible. At the end of our dinner, as we were looking at our check, the waiter came up to me and my dining companions and said, "Start wrapping up." How disrespectful! The wait staff didn't even give me time to finish my food; they seemed intent on kicking me out as soon as I was served. Oh a separate note, the bathroom was an absolute mess, especially for such an expensive restaurant. I could go on and on about this restaurant's issue, but don't want to waste anyone's time. See for yourself, but you were warned. read more

Empire - Tik Tok Chicken - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The food here is fine. I would recommend their sushi rolls or noodle dishes. Yes, the menu prices are expensive, but that's expected in seaport and this is a more upscale restaurant. I'm taking a star off because our server made us pay before we received our food which I thought was strange. At night, Empire turns into a club that does not charge cover even on major holidays. The music they play is hip hop and it has a pretty cool vibe. The interior design inside is amazing and it's pretty spacious inside. They also have big party rooms available from private events. read more

Drinks were ok, my boyfriend did not enjoy his espresso martini. There was no wait to sit at the bar so that was nice. After hours it turns into a club which we liked at the end of the night! read more

Empire - Espresso martinis - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Not sure how to quite describe the "vibe" of this place, as it changed throughout the night. We sat on the lounge side of the restaurant; it reminds me of a speakeasy with dim lighting, funky wallpaper and carpet, with plenty of seating (both low tables and big chairs, as well as tons of seats around the bar). Went on a Thursday night- it was quiet at first, but by the time I left it was packed. Quickly went from feeling like I was in a relaxed environment, to feeling like I was in a club. Didn't sample too many appetizers with my wine, but I did try the spicy tuna roll, the lobster/crab rangoons, and the spicy edamame. I thought the lobster and crab rangoons were reallyyyy good (my favorite), and the other apps were just average. A little pricey, but expected for Seaport area. read more

So I've been here before during the night time but never for dining so it was shocking to find out that they do serve food. Not only do they serve food but that food is very good, I had the sea bass and oh my God the first bite was so delicious I had it with the white rice which was also very good. The person I was with had this fried rice and chicken and that was really really good. They have this sauvignon blanc that is to die for. The service could be a little better it was a lot slow with so very few people in the restaurant however after ordering the food came out pretty quickly it was just getting the order out that was the tough part all in all it was a great experience read more

I recommend you stop looking for somewhere to eat and head straight over to Empire. I could stop the review there, but there's a bit more to divulge. We were able to book a reservation the night before as a "just in case" measure, I think we would've been okay just popping in though. Inside the restaurant was absolutely fantastic. Partly because I was hungry, partly because I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and probably mostly because it was freaking cold outside!lol The entire experience was....pleasant. I say that in the most melodramatic possible way. Thinking about the experience it was almost like I'd eaten there 1000 times, even though it was my first. It was far above ordinary, but with extreme relaxation and comfortable pleasantness. Enough, you want to know about the food, I get it. Well, do I really need to go past the 5 Star rating above? Okay, you've twisted my arm. The food was everything you would expect from such an establishment. Preparation was super timely, presentation was appealing, and the taste delighted the palate. Check them out next time you're in the area! read more

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Good food - small bites and GF. Good for an after show nosh. Excellent service. Couldn't make either cocktail I asked for due to lack of ingredients. (Mexican Last Word & can't remember now). Loud music aimed at a younger crowd, but fun for a while! read more

Food was good overall, portions were filling and drinks were strong. Service was subpar considering the rejection of my friends ID due to an issue with ID validation. We managed to work it out, but after the issue was resolved our waitress only talked to one person of our group (group of 3) for practically the rest of the night. Despite me and my friend requesting dessert, she talked to the one person in the group who expressed no interest in dessert? Very strange. Overall we had a good time, not great service though. At least for us this particular night. read more

Empire - Red berry martini, Mai tai - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We booked a private room with Rebecca, who was extremely knowledgeable and gracious. Upon arrival our server David, greeted us by name at the door, showed us our room and was available throughout. We never had to wait or look for him. The timing given to each course was perfect. The menu we selected had plenty of food and was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, I was too busy to entertaining to remember to take pictures. I did however get a picture of the dessert platter and each one was divine. Every single person at the table enjoyed their meal and attentive service. The restaurant pleasantly accommodated allergies and a guest who was vegetarian with ease. If we lived in Boston I would entertain here more frequently, a huge thank you to the team for making our celebration extraordinary. read more

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Me and my best friend dined here to celebrate grad school acceptances. Our server was TIERRA and she was INCREDIBLE. As someone who has worked in the service industry for a few years I have never received such attentive service like this. The hosts read the note I left about it being a special occasion and they brought us an amazing desert with great presentation. The food was a 20/10!!! Tierra was kind and patient with us, we were there for 2 hours and she was amazing with us the entire time. We didn't feel rushed once. The manger who came to check on us was extremely kind and knowledgeable. I will definitely be back again. AMBIANCE AMAZING TOO!! Thank you so much for an amazing night !! read more

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- corn Rangoons - this was delish as it was filled with cheese and topped with popcorn - Kimchi Fried Rice - Mapo Tofu - I liked the crispy tofu The music here has always been great and it has always been a good time to enjoy dinner and 8 read more

Trendy spot in the Seaport that came highly recommended, but left with mixed feelings on my experience. - Drinks were solid. I got a cocktail special Spice Spice Baby which was honestly more of a dessert, but good nonetheless. - Appetizers were mediocre. This was a weak point for Empire- none of the sauces were really anything to write home about, which was disappointing, and the accompanying items (dumplings, calamari, scallion pancakes) were very meh. - Main course was actually delicious. My Street Noodles saved this spot from an altogether negative review. Really tasty dish with generous portion size and fine presentation as well. Up and down review but definitely some high points! read more

Empire - Singapore Street Noodles - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Not great...! It's like a factory, very automated. The food was stale with no definitive flair, service is ok but still robotic... the ambience is loud without purpose because it's not a happening atmosphere but more like a lot is going on. Ut elsewhere, people just come and go. Expensive too..$$$$ very!!! read more

The grandeur of an Empire at Seaport! Ambiance: Has a lounge vibe, groovy music from top hits to mixed 90s. It is loud so avoid if you mean to talk a lot but the whole vibe is uplifting. A great place to catch up with friends or get the heat off after a long office day with colleagues. Dressing: Party casuals Food: We were a party of 3 and our full course had 1 appetizer and 3 rolls. All four dishes were very presentable and appetizing when served. We had the Potstickers for appetizer, deep fried, something different, would definitely recommend. For the rolls we got the Red Dragon Roll, Tempura Rock Shrimp Roll and the Empire House Maki in my order of preference. All of them were great choices but the Red Dragon roll was unanimously our favorite. The Spicy tuna with Avocado, Cucumber and Chili aioli, just a splendid combo. Drinks: I was in the mood for something refreshing and the Red Berry Martini did not disappoint. It was shaken and poured at the table which was a great touch. Service: This was the second best part of our experience (first obviously being the food). Our server was just so comforting and a pleasure to talk to. She did not rush us to order and gave great recommendations. The food was out quick and the dirty dishes were replaced in a jiffy. Kudos to the managing staff. For the restaurant: After a great main course we were in search of a desert menu and felt disappointed to see there was none. Our server still recommended 2 deserts off the menu but none were as appetizing as our mains. We would have loved to have some Mochi or Daifuku to seal the deal. read more

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Ambiance - 5 stars This us an elegant spot with prices to prove for it. If you're looking for a upscale spot to grab a drink or a light app this is your place. However, I had a few problems with my food and most of it is based on my subjective taste preferences. The potstickers (6 for $15), were luke warm and had a thick sweet sauce on it. For $2.5 / each I'd expect a better quality dumpling. The filling had flavor though. The yellowtail nigiri was ok but was not the freshest. Overall, if you want the glitz and glam come here for the photos but not for the food. read more

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Customer service was ‼ Unfortunately I had to send the calamari back- a lot of it was doughy & not fried hard enough. My egg rolls were very flavorful & my Lemon Drop & Lychee Martini were yummy!!! I loved the chocolate cake- it's really filling and rich so I shared it with the table. read more

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Overhyped! Food is bland, blegh. I ordered a starter, main and sushi and they were all bleghhhhh. Service wasn't welcoming. I was rushed off my table 40mim before our reservation time was due. I was told the next reservation is coming in 5min. 30min later still no one. I refused to tip due to this, and the waitress was visibly upset of course, she was surprised, she mentioned paying out her pocket ,they don't get paid much etc, I didn't wanna argue, so I gave her 10bucks. I didn't have a good experience here, I wouldn't recommend it and I wouldn't return. I didn't like being forced to tip for an experience I didn't enjoy. I sympathized anyway. The ambiance is the only thing going for this place. That's about it. read more

Nice, trendy place for drinks on a special night out. Crab Rangoons are very good. Other apps were just ok. Service was excellent. read more

I am a longtime and frequent customer, especially 2-3 years ago. I went back again tonight and it has serious problems. They used to have valet parking which I always used ; it was a gem that they have now eliminated . The food was nothing special alwith outrageously high prices. I can't see why I would go again ... read more

Nice, visually-appealing space with just as pleasing food. A great place to get dressed up, feel rich and have an delicious meal worth every penny. Empire has a good balance between grown and sexy dinner vibes and fun bar vibes. Do yourself a favor and order the lobster wontons, tuna tartar and any sushi roll you want. You can't go wrong with anything on this menu. Plus, the service is very attentive and kind. read more

Very cool huge restaraunt! Super loud! Have to yell to hear eachother. Definitely on the more expensive side, but the portions are huge! Our waitress was so nice. We got our food so quick! I think they mistakenly gave us another tables food so we got our food two minutes after we ordered. The pad thai was pretty dry. The fried rice was tasty. The egg rolls were very good! read more

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Food was good over all ! the salt and pepper chicken was beyond salty and we couldn't eat it great shrimp tempura and the chicken rings were amazing the best thing was the house fried rice !! it's served in a large bowl and is delicious ! Was enough for two ppl and to take a good amount home. Our severs attitude wasn't the best, she made unnecessary comments on how much food we ordered and just seemed like she was over the day and wanted to go home. None the less she was nice enough to take off the calamari after her sassy comment. Great place and good atmosphere! on the pricey side so be aware of that read more

Empire - ' Salt & Pepper ' Calamari Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings - Lounges Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Great food! Delicious every time. Wonderful atmosphere. Great location. Take out is easy to order as well