The Empress Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was authentic and delicious."
• "The Lamb Sikandari (Shank Of Lamb) was succulent and exceeded my expectations."
• "Solid Indian food. Nothing mind-blowing, but everything was tasty and high-quality."
• "Absolutely stunning food, great service."
• "The food was amazing full of taste and authentic Indian flavours."
• "The food was very delicious, place and atmosphere are cozy."
• "The food was incredible. I mean the lamb fell apart and the food was fresh."

Cons:

• "The paneer masala barely had any paneer in it and would more aptly be advertised as a miscellaneous, mild puree with an occasional chunk."
• "The chicken tikka appeared to be pre-frozen and heated, then added to a sweet curry."
• "The Bombay potatoes were not fully cooked, thus hard in the middle and chewy."
• "It was nearly 40 pounds to have dinner, the butter chicken was not good at all."
• "Tikka masala was not spicy at all and even sweet."
• "The dishes were all mild and tasteless; portions were small."
• "The butter chicken was not good at all."

Service

Pros:

• "Farhad and Saef were attentive and friendly, nothing was too much trouble."
• "The staff was some of the best service I’ve received while in London."
• "Very friendly staff, very good service."
• "Lovely restaurant with exceptionally friendly service whilst being non intrusive."
• "Service was quick and beers delivered quickly."
• "The staff are lovely and offer an excellent experience."
• "Staff very knowledgeable and attentive."

Cons:

• "Delivery system is appalling."
• "None of the men in black seemed to speak much English."
• "A bit stingy on the tap water. You'll have to ask multiple times for refills."
• "The service is trash and not worth the hefty bill they charge."
• "Staff are really so rude, and the way of serving food it’s dirty."
• "However, we found their staff rude and loud."
• "Service was extremely slow and poor, although waiter did apologise as they are under staffed."

Ambience and Location

Pros:

• "Tucked away in Leman Street, The Empress has a very varied menu, with lots to try."
• "A gem in the east end of London."
• "The restaurant is a 6 mins walk from Tower of London and is pretty small."
• "Small gem of an Indian restaurant."
• "The atmosphere was also nice - small, quiet place with dimmed lighting."
• "On top it was a very neat and tidy restaurant."
• "The decor inside is beautiful."

Cons:

• "Bit annoying that the toilets are down a sharp flight of stairs."
• "The food and ambience and the price was average."
• "The restaurant itself looks clean and recently renovated - very nicely presented."
• "Although the interior and decoration is very nice, the cold blue lighting is just irritating and hard to get used to."
• "Uninspiring from the outside, and inside could be any of a thousand curry houses in London."
• "Just a small venue which you'd miss if you didn't look for it."
• "It is obligatory to pay for service charge 🙄"

Value

Pros:

• "Price for value is still very good though."
• "The prices are relatively low."
• "Authentic Indian and Bengali food at a fantastic price."
• "Highly recommend, good food and good service as well as reasonable prices!"
• "Very reasonable prices, you should for sure go to this place."
• "The prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality of the food, and the attentiveness of the staff."
• "The staff could not have been more helpful at such a great price."

Cons:

• "TOURIST SCAM! They charged a 30% service fee."
• "The prices were surprisingly high - but ones we were willing to pay for a good curry, especially in an independent restaurant, post covid."
• "Very poor quantity, and not worth the price at all."
• "More over if you ask for sauces then they charge you extra per sauce!"
• "Good food but they’ve hiked up the prices in recent weeks (approx 20%)."
• "I don't recommend going there terrible service."
• "This place is awful. Awful food, awful customer service and an awful experience."