I have never "yelped" before, but I had to make an account after my wonderful lunch yesterday! I came here with a girlfriend on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Of course the restaurant was busy, so we had to wait, so we just headed over to the bar for a drink -but before we knew it our table was ready. Our server, Dana, was a delight. She was attentive and gave us a few great recommendations. My friend and I split the shredder, and a goat cheese burger (I forget the name). Both were delicious! Everything was fabulous and I will be returning soon with my family. read more

Cool space.....lousy food. Menu is limited and food is at best average. Poutine is just Bad! Nice place to go for a drink but not dinner. I wonder what this space will be in its next life. read more

A few of our friends and family have already been to Empire and raved about it-so we were eager to go. We were going for a late lunch/early dinner around 4. We headed up to the rooftop, but could only stay for a drink and appetizer. The sun was just beating down so much that we moved downstairs. It will be a fantastic place once the temperatures are cooler and the doors are open. We ended up in a booth on the main floor with a river view. Ordered the "Sophia Loren" burger and it was delicious. My husband ordered another app as his meal and it was tasty. Also, the waiter was very attentive. Looking forward to going back for future nights out! read more

Terrible. Staff told me I couldn't stand at the end of the bar and I had to move. It was "not allowed". Hence I left without ordering a drink and will NOT return. Very poor service and do not know how to speak politely to patrons. Sad new place. Boo read more

I think this place was nice. The atmosphere was really industrial. The burgers were awesome. My daughter didn't enjoy the kids chicken strips as it was just grilled chicken. We however enjoyed our burgers. I do wish they had other options like more appetizers and a few more options then just burgers. Might be nice to add a fish dish. If you want a burger this is a great place. But the menu is very limited. It took a while for our waitress to come over even thought there was hardly anyone in the restaurant but after she did the service was great. read more

Atmosphere was really cool. This review is based on first week of opening so I'm sure improvements will be made, and everyone's prancy attitude will change once management isn't there 24/7. Upstairs is really cool. Have yet to try the food but from what I hear it's delicious. Going back soon for sure. read more

Decided to try Empire since it was new. Twenty year resident of Naperville and dine downtown frequently at everything from Sullivans and Catch 35 to Jimmys and The Lantern. On a positive note, they have a good beer offering - on tap and bottled. Many opportunities for improvement though. Food quality was real bad. Everything was served cold. Ordered burgers and they came quickly. Nonetheless, it's as if they were lying around and toppings were added as soon as we ordered them. How could a burger be ordered, delivered in minutes and served cold? These are not fresh hand made burgers. We are talking 1/3 pound disks circa your bag of Costco burgers. As for the fries, they were equally as cold. Imagine the broken up fry tidbits at the bottom of your bag of fries in the freezer....Serve them at colder then room temperature and you have Empire. So disappointing. $87.69 was the bill...My wife and I had two burgers and fries, appetizers, two drinks each and we tipped 20%. Go anywhere else in downtown Naperville for a better burger. read more

Oh boy! Is this place hot and ready to go! Now, it's only been open for a month so give them some credit on fixing the little things.. But other than that it's the place to be. With the nice roof top atmosphere to the downstairs perfect for dining. The staff is awesome and the management seems to get things into shape and create a friendly envirornment! Get on in and try it, don't read the bad reviews thinking they're true. Just snobs over here who need a nap read more

Great food and atmosphere with amazing views of Naperville from the rooftop. Will definitely be back in the future to try the different burgers and enjoy the live music! read more

First of all, the service is awful. The waitress was rude and the food was good but over priced. The atmosphere is nice and the decor is great but I would definitely not return due to the poor customer service. read more

Wish we had had a chance to try their food, but we ended up walking out after waiting 10 minutes to simply have a server stop by our table.

Had high expectations for this place, the burgers were mediocre. You could almost argue the food was overrated and overpriced.

I have been here two times and both times had significant issues. The first time it was relatively busy and it was very difficult to get a drink at that bar upstairs. The second visit I came on a slower Sunday with 2 friends, our server was not very attentive and we constantly had to flag people down to get drinks. My one friend (that had been drinking Pinot Grigio) asked for another glass, our server brought over a bright pink glass of wine which was clearly not Pinot Grigio. They set down the glass and left, we had to wait for them to come back about 5 min later to ask for the correct wine... even after that incident they brought yet another glass of wine clearly a Chardonnay. They just seemed not very knowledgeable. Also when recommending appetizers they suggested the "tots" and did not inform us that there is habanero in the sauce, and some of us do not enjoy spicy food and couldn't even eat it. read more

I've been here a few times. All of the times I went it was a Friday afternoon. The bartender that works that shift is very friendly and provides good service and is very informative about the food and drinks. Fun environment, decent craft beer selection and the food is pretty good too so far. The Empire tots were my favorite. Will definitely be back again. read more

Great place! Me and my wife had great food and great service! The Gronk burger is unreal if you come hungry this will be the burger for you! We will be back soon. read more

Let me start by saying that I'm giving 1 star because I have to. I would give 0 stars if there was an option. First of all I had the worst service. No one came to the table for 15 minutes. Then they "forgot" my sisters drink and that's not it.. they messed up my food order! We didn't complain because we were out for my birthday and trying to keep an upbeat fun vibe. Just to WARN YOU! The sound system on the stage and the band was HORRENDOUS. I felt like I was in middle school. The songs were alright but the band was ridiculous and we had to pay $5 cover fee for that crap. This isn't even the worst of it! So my sister, her husband, my boyfriend and me head upstairs thinking that this environment was nicer. We were up there for about 10 min when my sister and I went downstairs to quickly use the restroom. When we got out we were walking up and this "security" guy says " you can't go up there it's closed" ( in a rude tone) we let him know that we had drinks and my sisters husband and my boyfriend up there. He did NOT care and once again was rude and said we can't go up there. We politely asked if we could just grab them and our drinks and come back down. Once again said something rude. That's when we asked for management, which led us to the "doorman" who was a even bigger a**. He treated my sister and I like scum, talking down to us. We then asked for ANOTHER manager who rushed us as we were trying to let him know what happened. He also did not care. We had spent hundreds there on food and drinks because everything is over priced and got treated like shit! WARNING YOU DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!! Wayyyyyy better places in Naperville. By the way, this is the first time I've EVER made a review. The experience was so bad that I had to let everyone know. I can't believe these men who "manage" there treat women. read more

I want this place to succeed, but they have some kinks to work out. Good beer list. My beer came out with a big hair in it. I brushed it off, it's hair and was easy to remove. We love scotch eggs so, thought it was a safe bet for an appetizer. When they arrived, the yolks were so undercooked that we could pour them out onto the plate and the meat was RAW. The explanation we got from management, "we soft cook our eggs, I LOVE me some yolk." He begrudgingly agreed to bring us another batch which arrived after our meal. The second batch was equally runny and raw and were taken off our bill. Their menu is mostly burgers, but those were unremarkable. My bun was so soggy it disintegrated, and it was just a plain cheeseburger. My husbands teriyaki burger left a puddle of sauce on the plate. The fries had some potential. I hope with time they get better. For now, we have plenty of other Naperville options for burgers and beer. read more

Went on a Sunday afternoon after church, really cool restaurant. I don't eat red meat and knew the place was a burger bar, but decided to stop in and see the menu anyway to find they do have chicken options, although you wouldn't have gotten that information from the hostess. She didn't know what was on the menu, just said there were burgers. We decided to try it, wanted to sit upstairs so she sent us up the the hostess there. We were seated right away. Our waitress was nice and quick with drinks and ordering. That's where everything went south. My husband ordered the Empire burger that comes with a fried egg. The burger was over-cooked, dry and not juicy and the egg was cooked hard. I had the Yardbird, decided to eat it with a fork and knife because it come with two chicken strips and it falls apart, it was good except for the added paper wrapper I uncovered under a piece of the chicken after I was almost done. My son's cheeseburger was overcooked and dry as well. They discounted my husband's burger by half and took a couple dollars off my chicken sandwich. It would have been $43 for 2 burgers, chicken sandwich and one coke if they hadn't discounted it to $23. Overpriced IMO and I don't mind paying more for good food. Won't go back to eat, maybe have drinks on the rooftop. read more

Where do I start in recounting our horrible experience... We put our name in and were notified by text that our table was ready. While waiting in line to see hostess to get our table, servers constantly have to cut through line with food because restaurant was poorly designed with kitchen on mezzanine. We got up to hostess to find out our table had been given away. Not happy... We waited again. Then we were told they had a table for us. Oh, wait, no! Another False alarm. Someone else had dibs on that table. Finally got seated somewhere else. Put in drinks order..they only had 2 out of 5 drinks we ordered that were on the menu. They ran out of ginger ale, grenadine AND the beer my husband ordered. First they told him they were changing the keg, then later said they were out of the beer all together. Server didn't offer other options, just brought water. Appetizer was very slow in coming. Finally ordered food. Only 2 out of 3 entrees came out together. We thought they forgot about my husbands order, but no, they just brought it way later than all the others. Who does that?! I ordered my burger medium and it was rare. Super raw and gross. I had to ask twice for a 2nd mojito (which by the way was half the size of a regular mojito galas and was still $10). Water glasses remained empty most of our meal. Had to ask for more. We will not be back. Bummer because it's a cool environment (on rooftop). Horribly run. Needs LOTS of improvement or it won't make it. read more

Empire is a trendy new restaurant recently opened by the owners of Ballydoyle Irish Pub and it's absolutely AMAZING! It has a great location in downtown Naperville, just adjacent to the Riverwalk, and plenty of nearby parking. The interior is the perfect mix of modern and rustic - lots of wooden furnishings and super cool lighting. They also have a rooftop bar (where the roof opens) and will have a private party room upstairs. Everyone was beyond friendly, and our server, Luis, could not have been better! He really treated us right! Empire has a great selection of drinks, and a menu to please everyone. We ordered 3 of the signature cocktails - Eli Whitney, Wildflower, and The Beet Goes On, which were all fantastic. The "Guinness" shot was crazy good, too. We also ordered some appetizers to share - Empire Tots, Poutine Fries, and Burger Cigars. Everything was so good, but I'd have to say The Burger Cigars, in particular, were out of this world! Empire is definitely at the top of my list the next time I'm even close to Naperville. GO! You won't be disappointed! read more

Went here with some friends after work not long after they opened Empire. The decor is like an industrial log cabin...strange design and layout. We went upstairs and discovered this room that looked like cave. It looks odd and doesn't match the rest of the restaurant. We had to seat ourselves, and quickly discovered the chairs were extremely uncomfortable. We ordered drinks and one in our group ordered an appetizer. When the waiter brought the appetizer, instead of placing in front of the person who ordered it, he reached across myself and the person next to me (which was all the way across the length of the table) and plopped it down. It was improper service and quite rude. They need to train their service staff or hire only experienced servers. The drinks were had were mediocre, and this could be due to the fact that the wines and spirits are all exposed to direct sunlight on the rooftop bar. - anyone in the business knows this is a really bad idea, especially for wine. A few days later, we heard stories that someone rather significant in Naperville had dinner there and was served a moldy hamburger bun. Not really surprised considering the poor service we received that someone wasn't checking the food, and with such a limited menu, it shouldn't be difficult. We won't be back. read more

so good! loved sitting outside and the food was awesome. we had the burger fries as an appetizer and they were delicious! our server abbey was very nice and super helpful! definitely coming back! read more

My husband and I decided to go here for lunch on Tuesday as we had an unexpected weekday off from work. This was my third time at Empire. I felt compelled to write a review after our experience. When we walked in at 1pm, there was no one at the hostess stand, yet there was a sign that said, "wait to be seated." We waited there for several minutes before the host showed up. We were seated at a booth with a view of the river. It was a lovely place to sit. There was one other table with customers in the entire downstairs area. We sat there for over 15 minutes before we were even greeted by our server! I honestly couldn't believe it. He was nice, but throughout the entire meal, he was so slow. He never asked me if I wanted another Coke, even though my glass was empty for the majority of the meal. The food was good. We had the poutine fries for an appetizer. While these tasted good, the dish is way too small for the price. I ordered the Goat burger and fries, and my husband ordered the Empire burger. The Goat was very tasty. My husband's burger did not have enough sauce on it. They gave me a tiny, silver dish with ketchup for my fries which was not even filled up all the way to begin with. I wanted to ask for more ketchup, but I had to wait for over 15 minutes for our server to even look in our direction, even though he had no other tables! I finally got to ask him for more ketchup and another Coke. He went to get both and was gone for 15 minutes. Honestly the service was really bad. We really like the food at Empire and the decor, but if the service is going to be this slow and lackadaisical, we are going to think long and hard before coming here again. I hate writing this because Empire has so much potential, but they have to step up the service. read more

Awful. I had my bridal party come here in their new "speak easy" type of room for an hour or so in-between pictures and the reception a few months ago. My fiancé and I called the owner several times within the few months before making sure to save our date. Not only that, but we visited Empire, spoke with him in person as he showed us the room just DAYS before the wedding. He assured us as we arrived, the music would be already on, the bartender would be waiting behind the bar, and we could even go though the side door so the bridal party wouldn't have to go thru all of Empire restaurant. We arrived there and no one had any idea we were coming. We stood at the hostess stand for 5-10 minutes. We all had to walk thru the restaurant to our reserved room and no music was playing, no bartender, nothing at all was ready. My new husband asked the manager about it right there and instead of saying sorry, one of the things he said "two things I don't allow: Anyone to get behind the bar or any cocaine." Who says that to a new married couple trying to give them business on their wedding day?! After crying and calming down I talked to the manager...again, had to walk thru the restaurant in my dress to get to him. All he did was say a quick sorry and offered me a shot of Jameson. That was it. We never got anything more from them, no "we are terribly sorry" e-mail or phone call later, no "thank you for bringing in 20 people", nothing. This place sucks and the owner/manager are pricks. read more

My husband and I went out for dinner at Empire last night. The rooftop seating overlooking the river is what grabbed our attention, but once I saw the menu I knew we'd have to give it a try because my husband loves burgers (especially on pretzel buns). When we walked in we were impressed with the look of everything (very industrial and in with the current trends) but once we heard the 30 minute wait for the rooftop we decided to dine inside. We were seated at a high top table where there was very dim lighting, making it hard to see the menu. About 10 minutes passed and no server had come to greet us or take our drink orders. Finally, the one server we saw working the floor came and asked if we had been seen. After we said no, she said she would go get our server, but then came back and said she would just be helping us. I ordered a pumpkin beer, but was unfortunately brought the wrong one and it took some time for our server to come back for me to let her know. Once I did tell her, she was quickly apologetic and brought me the correct beer with a glass. Food came out quickly and was pretty good. My husband had the Key West burger and said it was good, but the turkey burger itself definitely wasn't freshly made and we could tell it was just a frozen patty. I had the knockwurst sandwich (sauce was a little spicy) and it was cut into smaller pieces which made it hard to keep on the pretzel bun. We ordered the doughnuts (best part of the meal) and got much more than we expected. Overall, the complaints about poor service are true (but I must say our server did as best she could to make up for that), food was okay (not worth the high prices), beer selection is good, but I doubt we will be back. This is a huge place and they can definitely afford more staffing. I could point out the manager and wished he would have jumped in to help out rather than walk around checking on everyone (which he didn't stop at our table to ask how everything was). read more

Came to empire based on word of mouth and all I can say is the best combination to have is the beef spring rolls with the GOAT burger. This combo will leave you craving for another!!! I actually went to the roof top and had dinner which was pretty cool. Plenary of tv's surrounding the area keeping anyone up to date with the current sports action for that day. I was actually greeted by a gentleman, my guess was he was a manager which he confirmed later that night when I asked (Rudy). Rudy greeted me and said he only needed about 10-15 minutes to get me seated and directed me to the bar. Rudy actually walked me over, grabbed a bartenders attention and asked for the bartender to serve me which quite honestly made me feel like I was the only one there when in actuality the place was busy. As he promised I was seated within the 15 min and After reviewing the menu Rudy walked over and asked if I had any questions about the menu and recommended the tater toys or spring rolls to start off with and I took him up on the spring rolls which ended up being AMAZING!!! I also ordered the GOAT which also fell nothing short of AMAZING!!! I fell in love with Empire that evening for their food but more importantly for the service and attentiveness Rudy provided me, my wife and son that evening. I will be back without a doubt and I highly recommend this spot!!! read more

The bar is very nice looking. Went there for a late lunch with my daughters and daughter-in-law. The menu is tiny. If you're going just for drinks it's probably fine. It seems that this place isn't quite sure if it's an oversized bar with way too many tables or a restaurant with a giant bar in the middle and seriously lacking food. They have a few sandwiches and a handful of burgers, which are quite overpriced. I am perfectly willing to spend $15 on a burger if it's a really great burger. This was just sort of "meh". If Au Chavel can make a mind blowing burger for $10 I'm not sure what Empire is thinking. Again, maybe their drinks are fantastic - I had water. Also, service was fair at best. Our waitress seemed to hate her job, and we only saw her twice - once to take the order and once to bring the bill. Food runners were quite pleasant though. With all of the fantastic restaurants in the western suburbs and right in Naperville even, you would do better elsewhere. Looking for a good burger? Try Jackson Ave pub in Naperville, just a block away from Empire. It's one of my local favorites. read more

I've gone to Empire now 4 times. I love the design and the variety of drinks. The menu; however is very limited and the service can be slow. On my last visit we went upstairs to grab a table near the bar. The hostess said it would be about 5 minutes as they were cleaning 3 tables. We take a seat in the waiting area next to another couple. After about 10 minutes we notice she has begun seating new groups that had just arrived. At one point she checked in and asked if we were this one party. We said that we weren't and that she never took a name down for us. At this point we are the only ones in the waiting area, so after another 10 minutes we go ask how much longer it would be. She said she totally forgot about us and has now seated others in the previously available tables and that it would be another 30 minutes. We ended up going downstairs and getting a table there. Luckily that host downstairs was able to seat us immediately and our server was very nice and helpful. I really want to like Empire as I was excited for it to open; however, until there is better training for the staff and a larger menu, I'm not sure if I will return. read more