The Empress in Hackney

I didn't feel welcome here at all. I was by myself and looking to have a Sunday roast.Was initially told by a member of the staff to come back in an hour so I could get a table which I did. When I came back I spoke to a different member of the staff - I was only offered a space at the bar despite being told differently earlier and despite a few tables being visibly free (presumed they were reserved).Had I known from the beginning the hour wait was to be sat at the bar I wouldn’t have waited in the area for an hour.The whole time I was there (about one hour) some of these tables stayed free. Clearly there would have been enough time for me to have dinner if I had been offered a seat.The food - I assume they forgot about it as it took over 20 mins to arrive (despite havind ordered a roast) and I only received it after reminding the bar staff I had ordered food.Attitude of the staff made me feel rather self conscious about going to have dinner by myself and clearly unwelcome there.

Amazing Sunday roast, only surpassed by the service. Staff are absolutely lovely & very attentive. A wonderful pub and always reliable.

Great location and atmosphere with good food and drink selections. Great place to warm up after a walk in Victoria Park, and in a lovely little part of town worth visiting. I've got to dock a star for having hidden fees, but otherwise it's great.

Nice ambiance. Food is nice but not amazing. Great staff. Love the fact that you can take your dogs

Delicious dinner and amazing service! We are so lucky to have this place so close by. Great for gluten free options!

What a gorgeous old fashioned pub right next to Victoria Park. Great range of beers. And the house red wine was lush. They really know what they are doing here. And the Sunday roasts are huge and well worth the 17 quid plus price. Staff are excellent and it's quick service. Definitely book ahead for the weekend as its so good.

The rudest host, who rather confusingly pulled down his mask to speak and sprayed his words, but was wearing the mask by choice as no other staff members were so why bother if you're going to pull it down when you approach customers. The food was a 2 and the atmosphere was nice, and even the bar staff and servers were good, but the host really ruined the experience for us.

Atmosphere is nice, food is alright until you get to the desserts. Frozen bad quality desserts charged around £7. Not happy spending £15 for 2 Terrible desserts, which unfortunately undermined the rest of the experience eating there.

We had our wedding feast at The Empress last weekend and we could not be more delighted with the quality of food, booze and service provided. Michael and his team were excellent from start to finish - assisting with planning, advising on wines, ensuring the Guinness was perfect, decorating the pub beautifully. Thank you so much for everything!

My second time at the empress. I enjoyed it. I ordered hake with njuda and cauliflower, a good combination. The food was cooked really and the portion is a good size. I tasted some of the rump steak, which was also good as were the chips. This is a bright pub, not too noisy with friendly service. Good to know it's close by