Address: 291 Mare St, London, E8 1EJ, United Kingdom
Phone: +442089852424
Rating: 4.5
based on 184 reviews.
Theatre Atmosphere
Pros:
"What a lovely theatre! Has the atmosphere of a completely traditional British setting."
"The interior is beautiful and made for a nice intimate setting."
"One of London's most beautiful theatres steeped in history."
"Beautiful old theatre with quality shows!"
"Love it here. Beautiful interior and always a lively atmosphere."
"It's a beautiful theatre with great architectural details inside... Well worth your visit!"
"The Hackney Empire is housed in a beautiful Victorian theatre, and the inside is wonderfully ornate and plush."
Cons:
"I found it very cold in there, I had to keep my coat on most of the time I was there."
"Very very hot and tight seating went to see paul chowdhury great show but spoilt with lack of air and tight seating plan place needs a rethink as hour in to show people are suffering as so uncomfortable."
"Beautiful old school theatre but Extremely COLD inside."
"Gets hot when full, hotter than is really comfortable."
"The chairs at the top have low backs and are too close to each other so that was uncomfortable."
"Gig was great, atmosphere great, but, seating was utterly unsuitable at top of venue."
"Great theatre but we got restricted view seats, which wasn't the problem. The problem was they weren't proper seats, more like perch stools, which were incredibly uncomfortable and gave one of our party bad vertigo."
Staff and Service
Pros:
"Security are polite, staff are friendly and always happy to help."
"The staff at every point were helpful."
"Staff were very helpful and the facilities were very good for the disabled."
"The staff at the hackney empire are quite friendly. They exceeded my expectations always ready with a smile and very helpful."
"Friendly staff, really took care of the theatre goers."
"Staff were amazing. Assisted me greatly once they saw I had a disability👍🏾🙂."
"Staff are enthusiastic, approachable, friendly and informative."
Cons:
"The female toilets had NO toilet paper or hand wash and the situation had not improved by the time of the intermission."
"The staff were less than helpful. I have contacted them but they haven't bothered replying yet."
"I came to see a friend in a play, and got started on by the staff who were making a racket during the show."
"Can’t bring any snacks in wanted to bring snacks and we couldn’t staff assault you and seats rock hard terrible acting and drinks and food cost fortune would never recommend going just let us bring our drink and snacks in also don’t recommend this place."
"I visited Hackney Empire to watch a pantomime, I was spoken to in a very rude manner."
"I am just at a kids theatre play and my experience is horrendous. At the buggy park a black lady with green shorty hair tried to grab my phone to see the ticket."
"Then headed towards the bar only to see 2 staff members and you have over 60plus people waiting to buy drinks and snacks."
Accessibility and Location
Pros:
"Very close to Shoreditch as well, so if you’re local 100% worth the travel to come here."
"Empire is so close to transport links. Literally 2mins walk from Hackney central station (London overground)."
"Very close to the train station and main road. Bus service is also easily accessible making the commute easy."
"It's v close to hackney central overground station - 5 min walk."
"Nearest overground station is Hackney Central."
"If you are attending a show here, it is better not to drive. There are ample buses stopping right in front of the venue."
"The venue was easy to find from Hackney Central overground station, only a 3 minute walk."
Cons:
"The only problem was parking, I don't live in the Borough of Hackney so it was pretty hard trying to get parking."
"However as with many old theatres there are steps in to the main foyer so a door to the side (but still at the front) has to be used."
"Had a bad experience here at the start of panto season. Disabled access lift not working so couldn't get to our booked seats."
"Very difficult to park remotely near the place though if you’re looking to park in a car park and not on the street."
"Next time a go I will avoid the gallery as the seats there are up in the gods and there's a lot of stairs to get up!"
Performance and Entertainment
Pros:
"The show itself was excellent, and they cleverly managed to throw in some of the theatre's history into the play."
"Well worth a visit - we've been three years running for the Panto, and it's excellent."
"Brilliant show, brilliant cast & proper old school panto."
"My favourite place for entertainment. My family love the Pantos."
"Absolutely amazing performance from all the team and Clive Rowe, just wow!!"
"Once again a simply magnificent Panto. Top performance all round."
"The production, actors, songs and music were amazing!"