I'm a service industry professional myself - and I had the pleasure of dining at The Imperial in Lancaster. Dan the sous-chef, prepared a tasting of some menu items and the food they prepared was phenomenal. Each course was packed with flavor, creative, and beautifully presented. You can tell the whole team takes pride in their craft--the kitchen is professional level. I'd absolutely recommend this place for an unforgettable meal. Plates were cleared in a timely manner, cocktails were done correctly, and the bathrooms were clean. 10/10. read more

The Imperial - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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This was our first time back here in years. I was unaware of their happy hour until we arrived. It was really great! 1/2 price on bar menu and very inexpensive drinks! We decided to do happy hour at bar and food and drinks were exceptional! Service was very friendly and fast Burger was one of the best we have had in town! I recommend!! read more

Went to The Imperial for Valentine's Day dinner and overall had a really enjoyable experience. The ambiance and vibes were perfect for a date night. We started with a drink at the bar and were greeted right away with friendly, attentive service, which set a great tone for the evening. There was a special Valentine's Day menu, and the food was genuinely delicious and presented beautifully. The only downside was that my entree was a bit lukewarm when it arrived, which seemed tied to some service mix-ups. The appetizer meant for the table next to us was brought to us first, and our meals were initially taken to that table before the mistake was caught. None of it ruined the night, but it did affect the timing and temperature slightly. Cocktails were excellent. The espresso martini and the Manhattan were both well-balanced. With a little more attention to service coordination, this would have easily been a flawless experience. I'd still recommend The Imperial for a special occasion and would come back, especially for the atmosphere, bar service, and drinks. read more

The BEST bread ever!! The bread absolutely stole the show.. but the food is also fantastic. Amazing service - multiple staff members stopped over to check in. And the decor is so cute. Super cozy with booths that accommodate large parties. Highly recommend. read more

The Imperial - Seared salmon - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Last night had dinner there w my wife after all other places didn't have a table for two for hours. When we got there easily found parking on the street. My meal was a Lobster Ravioli w onions and gremolata. The sauce came with extra lobster and they could not be a blamed for lack of lobster as there was plenty. The only thing odd was the ravioli was actually quite hard like it was baked instead of boiled. This was not expected but the meal was fine My wife had a hot honey chicken sandwhich that was quite tasty. The only complaint was the first set of French fries were soggy and under cooked. When she mentioned that to our waitress, she quickly had them replaced. The second batch was fine Service was great with no complaints. This is a laid back place with a comfortable setting for a mixed crowd. A nice ambience and I would definitely come back. The fries and somewhat slow delivery on the food made this a 4 star read more

The Imperial - Cheeseburger and fries - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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The ambiance was cute and somewhat intimate. We stayed the weekend at the Holiday in, which the Imperial is connected to. Upon entering on the side from the restaurant we did not see a host or host stand. We walked all the way to the bar, noticed a host stand by the other door. We were seated and our server was a bit off, she seemed very nervous and jittery. Not very knowledgeable on the menu or the restaurant in general. We ordered wings the menu clearly stated (6count) but she asked us how many we wanted 6/9/or 12 then returned letting us know the offer is for 6 wings only.... We said ok that's fine we will take 6. When the order arrived it was a large pile of small wings. The wings were ok. We also ordered drinks I asked for the berry mojito, my husband had a mango martini, I believe the manager was running the bar, his drinks were not good. Other food items ordered were Bourbon chicken sandwich, a kids cheeses burger meal, and my order was for the chicken pot pie. The chicken pot pie was horrible. The biscuit on top tastes like cardboard and the potpie was more soup like, tastes like vinegar and was a bit sour. I had already sent my drink back so I didn't want to send my food back. I tried to just suck it up and eat my meal but it honestly was so unpleasant all the way down to the smell. My son kept saying something smells bad, it was my food. I asked to speak to a manager. The server said he'd be over in a moment he was alone working the bar. We waited for over 15 min. I was totally over it. I went to leave and my husband was staying behind to pay. The manager saw me and came running up. He let me know he was just coming to speak to me and I let him know I was just leaving. He did say the chicken pot pie would be removed from the menu soon. I was a bit surprised the experience we had went so sour because other team mates had stayed at this hotel and ate at the Imperial and told us we had to check it out. Unfortunately I won't recommend this place to others as it's over priced and the food is mediocre if not disgusting. read more

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Ambiance incredible. Service good. Food mid. Id go back because this was my one and only time there. I'd like to give it another chance. read more

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The food was very good, the atmosphere was calm and well lit. The drinks, including mocktails were great!

Cold ambiance, Hostess seemed disturbed, service was extremely slow, saw our cocktails sitting on the bar for 15 minutes before being delivered to us. Now the food was very underwhelming Calamari was un seasoned and bland. Entree, Sea Scallops looked more like Bay Scallops again bland. Was accompanied with bland no seasoned green beans with risotto that you could spackle your ceiling or walls with. Definitely would not recommend this place to anybody even it was your last meal. read more

The Imperial - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Stopped here on a Saturday evening for a drink at the bar, the bartender was extremely friendly and helpful (picked his brain about Lancaster!) we decided to stay and order food, got the Caesar salad which turned my previously Caesar hating boyfriend into a lover!!! One of the better Caesar's I've had (no anchovies tho) and we enjoyed the ravioli appetizer and a melt in your mouth beef dish with roasted carrots and potato puree it was so delicious we will definitely be back. It wasnt busy and I wonder if that's bc there were lots of events going on but it was such a cool place I'll definitely have to try their brunch! read more

The Imperial - Beef with onion and carrot and a potato puree underneath it was melt in your mouth - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

One of the worst experiences for a celebratory night like New Years Eve. If I lm spending $34 for a meal and $15 for a drink I expect exceptional service and a great meal. I received neither. We did not receive any bread like the other tables. It took 20 minutes after we received our drinks for them to even take our order and then another 30 minutes to receive our meal. But I'll tell you the check came right one time with its automatic gratuity. I wish I would have looked at Yelp first but trusted the 4.3 stars this restaurant received on Resy. With so many excellent restaurants in Lacaster I must be spoiled because the Imperial is not it...all. read more

My husband and I came here on a Sunday night and upon entering there were only a handful of people in there. We were excited to try somewhere new. The staff that was on was super nice and friendly. The gentleman who waited on us was quick to get our drinks and the young woman working demonstrated great teamwork. The drinks were fantastic. We only ordered entrees. My husband loved his and scarfed it down. My fish was a bit overdone but the flavors were excellent. I thought the place was fresh, clean and gave off great vibes. read more

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We had the watermelon feta salad with scallops and it was heavenly! Chrissy the waitress and Cory the manager were excellent and both provided thoughtful, mindful and courteous service. It was great! read more

We had a great time at the Imperial! Server was very nice. I got the pork chop, and loved the sauce on it. Others got the vegan lasagna, which was quite good despite none of us being vegan, definitely lighter than a normal lasagna. The farro salad was also very good, the person who got it said he liked how they cooked it a bit firmer than he usually makes it at home. The mussels and Ravioli appetizer were also delicious, and the truffle ricotta with the ravioli is a nice touch. The bartender was nice enough to make me a mocktail, which was pinapple-y and delicious. The ambiance was very pretty, and the interesting history of the place certainly helped. The dressing was appley, sweet and refreshing. The only thing I would complain about is a little slowness on the food coming out despite the place being quite empty, but it wasn't a egregious enough wait to lose a star. Would come back again, and want to try their brunch menu that looks just as good! read more

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I was in town on business with a colleague and we got in sort of late, so we ended up just eating here at our hotel since we didn't wanna go out anywhere else in town. That was actually a bad idea and looking back, I really wish we would have tried another local place. The interior here is very modern and seemed to have great potential. There were a few other guests when dining here, but they asked us to sit at the bar until they could seat us. Apparently they were short staffed like many other places and it took about 15 mins to seat us. When finally seated, we were given a very small menu, much smaller than the one posted in the lobby of the hotel, which is what originally attracted us. My top 2 picks they were out of when we went to order. I had to select my 3rd choice , and at some restaurants, that isn't usually good. Same goes here, I selected the meatloaf, and the waitress claimed it was really good, just not like the typical meatloaf. She was right about that part, it was u like any other I've tasted and not in a good way. Tasted more like beef and pork mix. It just wasn't good. The sides that came with it were overcooked. My colleague ordered a steak and he said it wasn't that good either. So overall, we didn't have a great experience here. We would probably not come back if given the option. read more

Second shot...first time was bad and this time was again disappointing. Waited ignored too long at the host stand and had to go to the bar to get seated. Summer corn chowder was like a bowl of unseasoned mashed potatoes with canned corn thrown in--summer in Lancaster county fresh corn is EVERYWHERE!?!? $19 steak sandwich with doughy ciabatta, a stingy amount of steak and frozen fries. Really seemed like institutional food posing as fine dining. Two strikes and you're out!!! read more

My only complaint is that they don't validate parking. Otherwise, it was a great experience! We loved the layout and open atmosphere providing a cool city vibe. Brunch has a small menu but they kill it with their selections you don't need more choices. Employees are very friendly and fun. They did get my omelette order wrong but offered to remake it and were very apologetic. The amount of food well exceeded my expectations for an upscale dining experience. I rate this top of my list for restaurants downtown. And way better than the Marriott. read more

The Imperial - Build your own omelette with home fries and ciabatta bread - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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Buffet brunch was mediocre at best. Generic brunch food--eggs, potatoes, biscuits--was all luke warm. Way too expensive for the quality. Also saw a mouse in the trash can. read more

The Imperial - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Hmm. I was really excited for brunch at the imperial. The menu looked appetizing and I saw pretty good reviews online. My husband and I went and we weren't impressed. After sitting at our table, we were forgotten about for a substantial amount of time. We overheard the hostess tell our server "don't forget about them" in reference to our table. Our server came over to greet us once reminded, and he had a slight attitude. We ordered our drinks using the dinner cocktail menu as it was the only one provided. Mimosas were NOT listed in this menu but I noticed tables around us that had them. My husband ordered a mimosa and a coffee. I ordered a French 75 (one of my favorite cocktails) and a coffee. French 75 was not on the menu, but it's a classic, simple drink that is a bartender essential. Our server did not know what the cocktail was so I had to EXPLAIN it to him After he went to get our drinks the HOSTESS THEN put the winter brunch cocktail menu on our table, where more appropriate brunch drinks were listed INCLUDING THE MIMOSAS!!!!! After our server brought our coffees, we asked if he put our cocktail orders in, and informed him we didn't have the brunch cocktail menu until just now. He already put them in, but we didn't want to make a fuss so we were fine with our original order. It took a while for our food to arrive. To which my review was....meh. My husband got a smoke salmon benedict. I got the avocado toast. We split a pancake that was dribbled with chocolate syrup. That was good! It came with hunny butter. The smoked salmon benedict was average. The home fries that I shared with my hubby were good. But, when he bit into his smoked salmon, there was a hard fleshy chunk he had to spit out The avocado toast was pretty sub par. I could make a better toast. The avocado looked like it came from a sabra spread We tried to order some more coffee and a cocktail. We got the coffee and put in an order for an espresso martini (on the menu) but it took so long to get it that we hadn't even received it once getting our check, so our waiter took it off our tab. He acted like he was doing us a favor by doing that. YOU NEVER GAVE ME THE DRINK!! ‍ Overall, Im disappointed. I'm glad we didn't come for dinner, I feel as though our disappointment would grow. - Eileen read more

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Great breakfast! They open early by local standards. Lots of options, with friendly staff. read more

The Imperial - Signature breakfast, you can't go wrong with the basics! Oh yum! - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

We were in town this weekend and stopped in at the Imperial for lunch! The food was just ok. We weren't highly impressed with any of the food we tried this particular weekend. Seemed rush, overcooked and not to the caliber that we are used to! read more

I was really hoping for a better experience from my first, but sadly I was disappointed. There were two bartenders and one was clearly new. I understand it takes time to make the perfect cocktail, but this particular bartender didn't seem experienced enough to be working a Saturday evening during dinner hours. The inexperience flowed over to service. It seemed the pressure was an unintentional distraction of asking for orders and if we wanted additional rounds of drinks. We decided to start with an appetizer before jumping into entrees based on my previous experience. Which ended up being the best decision we made. We ordered the Fritto Misto - tempura fried calamari, prawns, vegetable medley, peppercorn & citrus zest, lemon basil aioli and remoulade - sounds delicious right? The tempura was very oily and the potentially old fry oil sucked the flavor out of each element of the dish. The vegetables were unidentifiable and the calamari and prawns only recognizable due to shape. read more

The Imperial - Fritto Misto - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Went for the breakfast buffet this time. French toast bake and sausage were better than most. I went up two times for food and each time there was at least two entrees that were empty, and there didn't appear to be any staff around. There's a good variety of hot and cold dishes. There was also a fair amount of food outside the chafing dishes/on the floor. I get it, people are slobs, but expected a neater presentation considering the class of the hotel. Overall, the buffet needed more attention from staff. This is also one of those setups where the server gets you drinks. You only serve yourself food. read more

The Imperial - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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We visited for the first time. We had a positive experience. The interior is nice. Service was good. Our server was super friendly. It is nice that there are so many windows out to the street letting in a lot of good natural light. We had an early reservation because we were going to the Fulton. They were not at all busy. It was also a week night which likely contributed as well. We thought all of our food was good and they have some interesting dishes in the mix as options. Our only lament, and reason for 3 rather than 4 stars, was that the menu felt pretty heavy. It could just be what we picked but we felt we were not picking the heaviest meals and also trying to hit some of the more interesting items but it was still pretty rich. So that is our only critique. For starters we had the seafood fritto misto and the Moroccan zaalouk. The seafood was cooked well and crisp. The dish came with a nice assortment of veggies as well. The flatbread with the zaalouk was awesome. The zaalouk was fairly mild seasoning-wise. It nicely featured the eggplant but wasn't super-remarkable. For entrees I had the mushroom and spinach gnocchi which was described as coming in a coconut creamed curry Alfredo sauce with seared and marinated tofu. The sauce and gnocchi had great flavor. The sauce reminded me of of a tikka masala flavor profile-wise. It was just super heavy, particularly as a combination with dense gnocchi. I didn't realize based on the description that the tofu would also be deep fried so there wasn't much to cut the richness of the sauce, unfortunately. A half portion with even some flatbread and hold the tofu might have been more manageable as a dinner for me. My partner had the pork chop which came with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes. This was a sizable meal! She only managed about half. Everything was well prepared but there was a heck of a lot of butter in this and then a rosemary cream sauce so it was rich! While we enjoyed these dishes, if we went again we would definitely try other options. We passed on dessert! read more

The food here was actually good! I ate there twice in a week while visiting from California. They had both gluten free and vegan choices. My friends enjoyed the food as well and the service was great! read more

Reserved a table months in advance here, as we had tickets to a show after dinner. All in all it was a nice experience!! All of the food was outstanding, the drinks were yummy and it was a very convenient spot to my Airbnb. No real cons except it was very loud and we couldn't hear our server, as she was on the quieter side. There weren't many full tables at 4:30 in the afternoon, so was just surprised they didn't seat us somewhere a bit more spread out and quiet. read more

This place was great! I really enjoy the food! Service was friendly and genuine. I had a delicious plate of French toasts that were to die for. The ambiance is great.... Fun place for brunch with friends and family! read more

I am so sad. This place has so much potential. But their food is garbage. And their servers use profanity in front of my family. Also I need to let everyone know that while the ambiance is not a big deal....yeah, who cares about ambiance if you're kids are sick. read more

The imperial is the restaurant connected to the Holiday Inn in downtown Lancaster. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have a brunch buffet and breakfast buffet some days and times. The food is American, with steaks, some pasta dishes, sandwiches and burgers, etc. We went for brunch around 11 AM on Sunday. The service was OK, but was a bit slow considering there were several servers and only a few tables eating. The food was not good. I got the eggs Benedict, and the hollandaise sauce was rather odd, somewhat dark and just had a strange flavor. The eggs were not poached properly, but rather appear to be hard poached with no runny yolk at all. The English muffins were dry and didn't seem to be toasted. I wasn't expecting anything gourmet, but the food we got was something even your run-of-the-mill diner would have been able to make without a problem. Was just not very good, and while it's convenient, I certainly wouldn't make a point to go there if you don't have to. -J read more

PSA. They do not do take out unless you order at the bar. Not a good option for someone who is stopping drinking

The setting is lovely. Liked sitting outside amongst the flowers. This is the second time I was here, the last time was years ago. Neither time was my food good. This time I got the muffaletta and fries. Note that I have had a muffaletta at the place where they say it was invented in New Orleans - Central Grocery. The only resemblance of this sandwich to that was the olive tapanade. The bread/roll of the muffaletta was so tough that neither my friend nor I could bite it. There just really wasn't any taste to the sandwich and not a lot on it. I ate - from one half of it - the portabella mushroom and some of the American cheese and some tapenade. The fries weren't good either. AND it was more than $14 which is a lot for a terrible sandwich. Sorry... but you really have to get better. Did you even taste this sandwich before you added it to the menu? read more

Stopped in for breakfast. Unfortunately I was not won over by our dishes. I ordered the Napoleon pancakes, which states it is stuffed with bacon bits, home fries, cheddar, and Swiss cheese. The only thing I could taste was the pork bits and there was the tiniest bit of cheese. Quite frankly, it just didn't match the description. My significant other ordered pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We both thought the pancakes were dry. Bacon was good. Our host and waitress were both friendly. The decor is so cute... a lot of color and textures, very appealing to the eye and a lot of character. I will try this place again, but likely for lunch or dinner! I am hopeful their other dishes will win me over. read more

The Imperial - Napoleon pancakes, Regular pancakes, scrambled egg, and bacon - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

My company pays for dinners here, so it's free on this trip to Lancaster. It's still too much money for the value of the service. The food menu tries to be fancy, without the skill in the kitchen, we all know how that story plays out. The service is slow. Orders of mine and my co workers are frequently messed up. They even refuse to deliver food to rooms in the hotel the restaurant is connected to. Like I said, free food plus tip is almost too much for the service experienced. read more

Ate here for dinner the other day and had kind of a mixed bag. The Shrimp Fondue was just fabulous! It was flavorful, hot, and just darn good. If the rest of the meal had been like that I'd have 0 complaints, but..... I had the Shrimp and Wild Mushroom Risotto and it was the polar opposite of the fondue. My wife and I discussed and she thinks they used too much lemon, but whatever it was to me it tasted astringent, almost metallic. At that point we were starving, and I wasn't about to waste $28 so I ate it but I would never try it again, nor recommend it to anyone. My wife had the Apple-wood Bacon wrapped Meatloaf which came with mash and and Brussel sprouts. The meatloaf itself wasn't bad, it just didn't taste like meatloaf. It tasted almost exactly like cooked ground beef. I'm guessing they didn't add enough bread crumbs or vegetables to alter the flavor, but regardless this is a $22 meatloaf that tasted like I ate a burger patty. The mash was weird, it tasted like it was somewhere in between real and instant potatoes. The sprouts were at least okay. The atmosphere of the place was pretty nice, and all of the staff were super friendly and on point with service, but that just doesn't make up for their quality/prices. I see a lot of high reviews so I'm guessing we just had a bad night, but when you're charging $22 for meatloaf a bad night means we aren't risking coming back to find out. read more

Make sure you know what you ordered here.... Because it might not be EXACTLY WHAT THE MENU SAYS... If the menu says you're getting two patties and caramelized onions cheese and the special mayonnaise ; but you and your friend order the same thing and what comes out is you each get one HAMBURGER patty and yeah really? hey maybe the chef is back there a you know stealing inventory ... oh no than there's some crazy ass answer from the supposed manager about the weight... I have worked in kitchens and so I sat back there with gloves on and the scale with meat weighing bags of meat and chicken wings and everything count them out to make sure portions were correct I was not impressed with this place at all. I won't go back. This was my second visit. read more

This was my first time visiting the Imperial and I must say I was highly impressed. The wait staff were super attentive and polite. There was a loud crew lingering next to our table and the hostess kindly came over (without us requesting or gesturing) and verbally told us "I'm going to move them out of the way for you guys." We didn't have a problem with the group being there, talking loudly however the fact that the staff noticed how it could have been an inconvenience for us, they reassured us they were not going to be there for long. I was impressed by this. Secondly, my friend and I ordered the vegan Mushroom Gnocchi (delicious and recommend this) and it's served as a full entree but when we ordered it we just said "and we will just split the mushroom gnocchi." Well to our surprise, they actually split the single entree into two bowls with garnishes on both...what a thoughtful restaurant. I will be back here again soon in the future and recommend trying it out. There are lots of vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. read more

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9/21 visit. Visited for restaurant week. We requested to sit outside which was granted. I recognize that buffet service is pretty lax but I was disappointed even with the limited expectation I had. No silverware or sugar for coffee. The buffet had a decent amount of choices but I often found things low or empty. The stand out was the baked french toast. I would come back again for the brunch menu or dinner. I had a better experience at a dinner visit last year. The restaurant itself it so well decorated- nothing else like it in the area. read more

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The breakfast buffet was deliceous, the ambience was beautiful with beautiful paintings and cool light fixtures and plants and cool furniture. Also the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful! I would come here all the time if I lived close by. read more

I'm giving the imperial two stars because I thought their cocktail (espresso martini was great). As for the food it wasn't great. Wings are described as crispy chicken wings on the menu.... They are far from crispy and the blue cheese dressing isn't homemade. Ceasar salad was ok. Shrimp fri diavlo was overcooked and lacked flavor. I wouldn't come back. read more

Definitely not what you would expect from a restaurant attached to a Holiday Inn. The decor here is beautiful, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. The FOH Manager gave my friend and I a tour and I actually learned a ton about the history of this hotel/restaurant as well! I was here around 3:00PM on a Sunday, so they had a limited menu, but the selection was simply tantalizing. I had the chicken quesadilla which came with a lime cream and salsa and it was delicious -- dare I say one of the best quesadillas I've had in quite a while. My friend is a vegetarian and was thrilled to see the option for a veggie burger and hummus platter still on deck even with the limited options available at the time. Overall just a great experience. read more

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