Empire

We stopped by here early in the evening for a bite to eat and certainly weren’t disappointed. I had a delicious grilled mushroom sandwich with goat cheese… SO GOOD… but I also had a side of fried green beans which quite frankly I couldn’t have liked less– they had way to much batter on them and way too much saly– but I did get to try my friends sides and they were awesome. They also had a small but decent selection of beers which is always awesome.

Went there because I just moved across the street and have been wanting to check it out for a while now. When I got there, the place was near empty, and it wasn’t what I was expecting. There was a bar, and about 5 booths, and I think when I went the air conditioning wasn’t working because it was very hot. The waiter came by and have us menus, and I was surprised on how many vegetarian options there were. I ended up getting the black bean quesadilla and my friend got the same thing but with chicken in it for $ 1 more. The food was pretty good and it came out fairly quickly. It came with a side of sour cream and homemade salsa, which was also equally good. All in all it was a decent place to grab a meal. People were friendly and they have good drink specials!

On yesterday as my appetite grew to the size of Texas, I was looking for a good place that delivers lunch. And because I was in the mood for something outside my norm (Chinese, Pizza, Subs), I finally settled on Empire. This had been the first time that I ordered from this restaurant. Want to find out about my experience? Read below.
The Good:
Speed of Delivery– Given the distance of the restaurant, I was expecting the delivery to take anywhere between 45 mins and 1 hour. The food came in roughly 35 minutes and was still relatively hot.
Online Ordering– To me, it is always a plus when a restaurant has the ability to allow customers to order online. Its simple, easy and I don’t risk having a nosy coworker hear what I am ordering or what credit card number I choose to give over the phone.
Taste of Burger and Fries– I ordered the Rockitz Burger with Fries. The burger was cooked to my preference and came with a chipotle mayo that really brought the flavors of the meat and gouda cheese together. The fries were crispy and had subtle seasoning, which is a plus because the majority of restaurants I order from have not been able to solve the soggy fries mystery.
Price/​Portion Size– I was satisfied to learn that the price of the burger and fries was $ 8.95 excluding tax. The portion size justified the price of the burger in my opinion. It is a good bargain compared to Five Guys or Burger Bach where the burgers alone are $ 8+ and fries are an extra $ 3+.
The Bad:
Taste of Mac n Cheese– My review was headed towards five stars until I tasted the mac n cheese. I tried my best to look past the mac n cheese to give this place a 5 star review… but I wouldn’t have been able to look myself in the mirror afterwards if I did. Let me start my criticism off by saying that I am used to a certain type of mac n cheese. Mac n Cheese that is so rich with butter, cheese and flavor that I feel myself inching closer and closer to a heart attack with each bite. This cup of mac n cheese was dry, tasteless… it was literally a cup of macaroni with a small amount of melted cheese. I tried to finish it, but I ended up throwing it away.
Overall– I am a fan of the burger and fries, more than satisfied with the price of the food and the fact that they have online ordering, but I would likely skip the mac n cheese the next time. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this place to anyone looking for good American food. FOUR STARS.

Loved this hip lil spot in downtown Richmond! My boyfriend & our other friend stopped in on our way back from DC to VB for a beer & dinner. I searched out & found Empire which seemed to have everything we were looking for.
We found a close spot on the street & walked in around 7 on a Saturday. There seemed to be a few locals sipping at the bar & some cool music playing. The bartender was friendly & told us to sit wherever. We ordered 3 PBRs which they serve on the appetizer menu for $ 5 for 24oz of goodness. We looked over the menu, which is full of unique sandwiches/​vegetarian options. We decided to play a round of darts & then order some food. They even have a spot on their menu that says «enjoy our wifi & charge your devices on our many outlets» which worked out perfect for me because my phone died somewhere around Fredricksburg.
When it came time to order my bf & I decided to split two of their sandwiches & went with «the groupie» that was a portabella mushroom sandwich that was really good. I ordered the macaroni & cheese with my side, it was made with a smokey cheddar & delicious. The other sandwich we split was their take on the monte cristo/​cuban sandwich with potato chips. It too was pretty good.
Had we not had to get back on the road I would have enjoyed staying a little bit longer, but I’ll definitely return the next time I’m in Richmond.

The food is really fantastic. The new ownership and chef have really upped the quality. The hamburgers are some of the best I’ve had in Richmond. The brioche buns are fresh and amazing and the burgers are cooked to perfection. The brunch burger with the egg is to die for and the Empire burger is loaded with crispy friend onions, jalapenos and cheese. Can’t say enough good things about the food and environment!

Excellent food good music good crowd well worth the visit good beer great place to watch the caps games

Good beer.
Great music.
Cool people.
Awesome food. (Rumor Mill!)
Punk rock.

Everytime that I go to Empire, I have some of the best food in the VCU area. The service is great, as is the general feel of the place. Their breakfast menu is amazing, and their coffee isn’t bad, either. The whole place feels very welcoming. They have a Wii and an old a
My only qualm with the place is that their hours aren’t displayed very well, and since I don’t have a mind for such things, I catch them open about every other time that I walk by.

I admit that I am basied against this place as they let us in before they even open because someone forgot to lock the door.
I admit that I am in infautation with this place as the warm, southern storm passed by at 6pm leaving me wanting more
I admit that I am a dive bar fan
I admit that I came here without a plan
I admit I like post-​hardcore blaring on speakers
I admit it should be loud enough to where I can’t hear her
I admit that I thought the drinks to be very fair in price
I admit I paid with card and the total for the whiskeys was nice
I admit the next time I am in the city of Richmond armed with a passing knowledge of how to get drunk in a Southern City
I admit that I will go to Empire to cure away my Roadblocks On The Way to knowledge with whiskey and without pity

Certainly wouldn’t consider this to be a «dive bar». No frills? Yes. Dive bar? No. It has a chill vibe and great drink prices. Can’t go wrong with that.

being located on the doorstep of vcu has it’s advantages… namely $ 1 high life cans on a wednesday night.
definitely a hipster bar. tattoos, piercings, black clothing on most the other patrons. great music, newer alternative with a little classic (rolling stones, etc) mixed in. and yes, even with $ 1 high lifes, many are still drinking $ 3.50 pabst 24 oz cans.
enter thru the side door (front one is probably locked), the bar will be on the right and wooden booths on the left. past the bar is one video game and a few lower wooden eating tables and high tables. the booths along the left are against a brick exterior until about halfway down, where the side windows start. windows are great and open the place up. the booths themselves look uncomfortable, no padding and 90 degree backrests. the bar is a laminated wooden top with no rail. the footrest is a large wooden cube, very nice. 17 or 18 adequate bar stools, all with backrests.
only 1 working TV on top the bar back. rest of the bar back is simple shelves filled with liquor, ledgers/​books, etc. classic stamped ceiling, though it’s been horribly painted, kinda fits the place though. there’s a kitchen behind the end of the bar, but i never checked out the menu. lower lighting, but far from dark, really just perfect. a great red «EMPIRE» sign over thew front door and a black EMPIRE sign over the bar. slight industrial look with the exposed hvac, brick, and floor. overall solid bar.

Richmond’s best dive bar, hands-​down.
It’s a theme in my reviews … I lament the lack of authentic honest bars. Empire is a solid, down to Earth joint.

Visited Richmond with a good friend for the weekend and was looking for where the punks and rockers hung out in town. Was referred to Empire by a number of people at other venues and stopped by on a Friday night. We met the co-​owner of the bar, Jason, who made us feel super welcome and was a great conversationalist. We also met a few other really warm and cool folks, all freaks and down to earth. I wish DC had a bar like this, it makes me miss the Midwest and smaller towns.
The drink prices were amazing — but, living in the «big city» will make you jaded. Suffice to say I paid a mere $ 6 for a La Chouffe which is a good and bad thing, I love that beer, too much.
If you’re looking for the spot for punks, rockers, indie, freaks, pierced, tattooed beauties and boys this is the place. Friendly staff, fooze ball and no problem finding a seat at 11 pm on a weekend.
Really made our Richmond visit worth it!

Empire is funny in that «Weren’t you in H804?» kind of way. Oh, right, you still have those tattoos.

I finally found a bar in Richmond with some character. The Empire is a dark, loud, dive bar full of friendly, pierced and tatted up people. I honestly didn’t know that Richmond had any bars like this. Totally reminded my of my favorite bar from college. The downside is that the area is a little sketchy and cops are tow happy so be careful where you park.

Good cheap drinks with good cheap people. You can be loud and play the scene or chill in a booth watch the shenanigans. The food is pretty tasty and they have specials most nights. $ 2 burgers on Sunday are the way to go. Beware they have a $ 10 credit card limit.

Great place for drinks with friends. Can be loud and crowded but always a good time; spontaneous dancing may occur. I think I got something to eat there one time; I think it was good.

This is the best dive bar I’ve found in Richmond. Casual, reasonably cheap ($ 3.50 for a 24oz. pbr), low key. A little pretentious, certainly too many hipsters for comfort, but still a nice bar with some good shows. A note: pbr’s a better deal than I thought– $ 1 for a 12oz. SO what’s up with the over priced 24oz? Maybe it looks really cool?