Locals praise this restaurant as a fine dining establishment of Tiffin. Well.... I hope this isn't the only one as they are SOL if this is it. The space is amazing. Great building, decor and vibe. What killed the vibe was the patrons at the bar with the 4 year old going WWE on his drunk uncle like it was a backyard BBQ and the seating. Flimsy wooden stool like chairs or a straight high back booth. The most comfy spot in the room was the piano bench in the middle of the room. Apparently the restaurant was expecting a HUGE crowd for the eclipse. There wasn't one to Tiffin. Their limited menu and $35 dinner buffet went to waste. The buffet had been sitting out for hours. Dried out potatoes, pasta, ribeye slices that were now overcooked and chewy. We opted for the menu but momentarily were flustered that the limited menu also said cash only. Smh. Since the crowd wasn't a factor, the cash only was waived. Thankfully. (Then discovered they raised the prices on the limited menu for the event) Wasn't concerning but annoying since the event fell flat. I ordered the scallops and my husband the burger. Burger was fine, cooked to temp. Good pickles, great house made ketchup and duper fresh French fries. So good we ordered a second serving. My scallops were a joke. Three tiny 1" scallops under a coating of lobster cream sauce, and frozen chopped spinach all in a bed of overcooked white rice with some wild rice mixed in. Let's start top down. The lobster cream sauce was gritty and starting to separate. The chopped spinach was oddly bright green, unseasoned and should not have been on the plate. The scallops were fine but small. I could not eat the rest. It was awful. I ate the scallops and let her take the rest of the plate and order a side fries to supplement. I wish I had ordered the mushroom flatbread instead. Burger was good. I had a normal glass of white wine. Nothing notable. My husband ordered an old fashioned. It was good. He ordered a second and it was totally different than the first. To finish, we ordered a crème brûlée. It came out, not on a plate but just put on the table in the cup with two spoons laid on the table. Smh. Idk what was going on. They brought out a side of fries on a plate and even the side of mayo, earlier. It was just odd. The space is beautiful. The service is spotty. Food is a hard miss or home run, therefore good luck if you try it. read more

See all

I stopped into The Empire Bistro for dinner and ordered the Chicken Marsala -- absolutely incredible! The sauce was rich and flavorful, the chicken perfectly tender, and the pasta underneath tied everything together. You can tell they take real care in the kitchen here. The whole experience was great -- friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere, and a menu that feels upscale but totally approachable. You don't need a reservation, but the food and service make it feel like you should. If you haven't tried the Chicken Marsala yet, you're missing out -- it's easily one of the best dishes in Tiffin! read more

This was not an ideal experience. The restaurant was busy-- which was good for them. Our service was less than fair. The waitress was attentive at first , after our order came we didn't see her until we were finished. I was supposed to get vegetables with my entree, but didn't. We ordered a second drink & my husband never got his & was charged. It took about an hour until our meal came. We never got our bill & went to the bar to pay. Our bill was wrong as we paid with a gift card. The bartender corrected it. We may choose not to return. read more

The food was delicious. The service was excellent. We were disappointed that there was no piano music on a Friday evening. Only one other table occupied. This place is a gem for the community. We plan to come back when we visit Tiffin again. read more

Awesome spot in downtown Tiffin. Menu was amazing. Great staff and service. Circuses and aesthetics are amazing in this restaurant. Chef is usually on site too!! Bartender is really cool too!! Lots of parking availability too. Will return next time I'm in Tiffin, OH! read more

See all

This is our favorite restaurant! Just wish it were in Findlay. The food is delicious and represents culinary expertise! Scallops are excellent. Drinks are wonderful and the Manager makes sure you leave happy. Great for a special occasion or just a night out. Friday has a piano player, with dining music. We look forward to our next visit. We drive 26 miles to enjoy a wonderful evening! read more

We were in town for a baseball camp at Tiffin University and were looking for a place to grab dinner. We stumbled upon Empire and walked in. It was obviously a more upscale place but they were able to seat us at the bar. They had live piano music and the dining room was full with reservations. The food was great and treasonable prices for a nice restaurant. They even make their ketchup and mustard in house! Cynthia at the bar took great care of us. She was super friendly and was efficiently waiting on several people dining at the bar. Empire was a great find during our day in Tiffin. We'd definitely return and would definitely recommend. read more

My friend and I decided to stop in for a drink and appetizer, I ordered a rose wine which was delicious and she ordered a cocktail that she liked, no complaints on drinks. Pricy, but good. The appetizer was not something I would recommend. We went with the meat and fruit board that they advertised and it came out with maybe 6 thin slices of deli meat, five crackers, 2 small cheese chunks. ( Crayon size ) and then 2 thin slices of more cheese and the "fruit" was 7 pieces of dried up cranberries. It was 17 dollars for this.. for that price I was expecting higher grade meat and cheese and actual fruit. Very disappointed. Advice- ask further details about an appetizer Service was another experience. We sat at the bar, and the waiters definitely aired out other poor customer experiences to one another. We waited 10 minutes before actually getting served our drinks. For a "fancy" restaurant, it seems you are just paying for the name. The experience itself was not worth the price. read more

Food selection sucks, service was good, Ambiance wasn't bad either. Just takes too long and food selection sucks

We had great food and the service was top notch. We did not have a reservation but was seated right away. Will be back for sure. John Gates read more

The entrees are excellent and the French onion soup is a great starter. I'm not a big fan of the specialty drinks, but save room for creme brûlée! The evenings with live piano are always enjoyable too. read more

We came here for lunch and didn't regret it. It's a classy place in a 'recycled factory' brick walls minimalism style. The menu has a good variety to choose from but not overwhelming. Many options look appealing and the menu is very flexible, unexpectedly vegan-friendly. The staff are nice and ready to accommodate a picky eater. The service is quick. The food: trying house trio is a *must*! That pita is like donuts, so good, the romesco sauce will so tingle your buds! My portabello pesto sandwich was very juicy and grilled just the right amount. The plates are definitely enough to fill you and the prices are very modest for a place of that scale. This place is seriously a little hidden jewel of Tiffin. me and my husband were very excited to have found it. read more

See all

Ambiance was nice until the Piano player left and the meal actually began. Onion soup tasted and looked like bland, dirty, dishwater. My steak was undercooked. They took it back and threw everything into an oven for 5 minutes, so the meat wasn't cooked much more, and all of the sides were burned. The server was new to the restaurant, and I assume being a server too. Overpriced drinks. I will never go to this dumpster fire ever again. We paid way too much for what we received. read more

Went to Mother's Day brunch today. We have been in the past several times. The quality of the food was fine but the buffet was rough. When we went through the line almost half of the food containers were empty. While they were working to refill, it was slow going. I expected much more from a $40 buffet!! read more

WE have dined many times and took friends with us as our guest. The waitress was terrible (left a 20% tip when I should have not paid anything). Ordered "Dewars on the rocks with a twist for my wife, Dewars on the rocks without a twist". She brought Dewars and lemonade with a slice of lemon. Was undrinkable. Took it to the bar and the bartender said that what was on the ticket. Dinner order was asked for before our drinks arrived a half hour before. Food outstanding. We were there 2 1/2 hrs. Wrote the owner and never received a response. My bill was over $225. I did not want money back, just assurance this won't happen again. It must be normal now. Saturday night and it was less than half full. Too bad, they had a gold mine. read more

Unbelievable. We had a reservation for 6pm. We got seated quickly, ordered drinks & two appetizers within the hour. We ordered our entrees, and did not receive them until an hour and a half after we ordered them. Our waitress seemed to be avoiding us, as she would stop by for 3 seconds & leave before we could say anything. When our food was finally received, all of our steaks were cooked incorrectly, the chicken was soggy, and we were all in bad moods. We were sat next to the piano, which was lovely, however incredibly loud for such a small space. After being there for two and a half hours, my family was agitated and fighting. The upside to such a poor dining experience? They comped our bill. Long story short, they are a reservation only restaurant. They know how many patrons will be in at whatever time. To only receive one drink, have a waitress avoid us (and gave us attitude), incorrect foods, and an incredibly long wait time? We will not be returning. read more

It was our second time trying out Empire in Tiffin Ohio. First time, it was a weeknight and there were many menu items unavailable. I had high expectations because the menu looks fantastic, there is a pianist the Friday night we went, and the atmosphere is beautiful and historic. However, we timed how long it look to get a waitress to come to our table after we were seated at the tiniest table with the most uncomfortable chairs (we did have reservations): 15 minutes. The waitress seemed very overworked, and she quickly took our order and drinks. Never came back to refill our water or pop the whole time we were there. We ordered 2 of the most expensive items on the menu and an appetizer. In regards to the most expensive item on the menu, she forgot half of the food for the entree. She literally took our order, brought the food, went back for the other half after we flagged her down which took about 10 minutes of attempting to find her. And no more appearances from her except to take our credit card without even showing us the bill. The ahi tuna appetizer was TINY, I enjoyed the food otherwise. read more

This place needs work. The setting is gorgeous and the service was great. The food was expensive and quite frankly terrible. $29 for three bay scallops (not sea scallops as menu promised) is a crime. We were visiting from Alexandria VA and the prices for entrees here made no sense to us -- I wouldn't bat an eye in DC, but this is Tiffin. Get real people. There is potential here (setting, bar, service) but the food and prices need a serious overhaul. read more

When my husband and I recently went to the Empire, we both had to send our food back due to it being offensively salty. I'm talking inedible. Also, my chicken on my chicken piccata dish showed up in what appeared to be random scrap chunks just thrown on overcooked pasta. Our server was great but I was so disappointed. read more

This is a much needed place in Tiffin. I love the atmosphere. It has an old new york style feel to it. I think the service and the management is fantastic. I can't give it five stars and I'm hesitant to give it four. They claim to be fine dining, and their prices reflect it, but the food falls short. I've been here twice and i was happy, but here's a couple reasons why my return will be rare: 1) the fish cutting board had small portions of decent fish. You get two kinds, about. 2.5 ounces of a smoked fish dip. It is actually a solid recipe. Then about 2.5 ounces of in-house cured salmon. Thats great but I didn't pick up any flavor in the salmon. It wasnt smoked bc that would mean two smoked fish but I picked up nothing. You get egg, capers, cocktail sauce, but be sure that if you use the sides they give you, that is all you will taste. I like that it is on the menu, I like that they try but not quite fine dining level and not quite worth the $12. But again, not a total ripoff. 2. The crab cakes would be well worth the $9 if they weren't complete mush. Flavor was ok but again the food isn't quite rising to drawing me back. Even if the crab cakes were $5or less which would be crazy low, you still don't want to pay for something that isn't enjoyable. I will go back someday, I like them for so many reasons but I won't expect a wow factor on anything read more

The Empire Bistro - Crab cakes would be worth it, but they were pure mush. - Salad Near Me - Tiffin, Ohio

Ate here with my husband last weekend. The food was enjoyable but the ambiance was strange. I am confused with the large portraits on the wall, very distracting and unpleasing. I wish the menu was larger with more pasta options. I ordered Gnocchi with extra parmesan and was very happy with my meal. My husband ordered the Filet Oscar and scarfed it down and had no complaints. The servers were very proper and kind. I just may be coming back soon. read more

Food service in ambience is very good. We go there again. Food is delicious and inviting and comes with good service.

Highest price, worst experience ever. We couldn't even finish our meal the service was so bad!

I made reservations almost 9 months ago for a club luncheon and was assured that they could provide the space and food. I called to confirm 3weeks before the meeting. Then at 20 til 9 pm two days before the meeting they called to cancel "due to unforeseen circumstances." This left me a little over 24 hours to find a new venue. I won't be going to the Empire again.. read more

We made the 1 hour drive from Toledo and it was well worth it. Very friendly staff - and great service. The food was all excellent, with a wonderful menu. We had a larger table, and opted for serveral entrees and many more small plates, to sample the most we could. We loved it all. Restaurant itself has has tons of character, set in a historic building in downton Tiffin - simply beautiful. My criticisms are few, and did not greatly take away from our experience, but none the less the reason I did not give 5 stars. The first is the desserts - very generic selection - cheesecakes and creme brulee. Considering how wonderful the starters and main dishes where, I would have expected a little nicer choices. We also noticed the mixed drink and martini pours were a little light. This restaurant is definitely worth a trip, and we look forward to returning soon. One final note - do NOT miss the pictures hanging in the men's restroom. We laughed all the way back to our table!!! read more

For starters... When they say "practice makes perfect" the opening of The Empire At 138 must be what they had in mind. I wish every restaurant was this prepared when opening. Someone has done their homework. This is a totally unique place for Tiffin, heck it would be for most big cities. The name... This restaurant is located in the downtown historic district and the name comes from it being located in the original "Empire Block" building and 138 is, of course, it's address. The facility... Someone has put a small...scratch that...HUGE fortune into the exterior and interior renovation and build up. I will let the pictures speak for themselves and only hope I can coax my way back into the kitchen on a future visit to get some pictures. What they have done is First class ALL the way in every aspect. Opening and Service... While I'm not sure of the exact date, it appears they opened around the middle of August. So far, VERY Good! All levels of service have been very friendly and attentive the customers needs (and wants). Is everything perfect, well no, but certainly as good as ANY restaurant is going to experience when first opening. The Food... Without getting specific about any one particular dish, let me mention what they have overall and what their approach is. The lunch menu contains soups, salads, crab cakes and oysters Rockefeller, while dinner has items like a strip steak filet, seared salmon and sea scallops. In reading from something released by the manager, he mentions that they try to utilize "as many locally raised and farmed, organic, and hormone free products as are in season and still meet our quality standards. Menus change regularly based on seasonal availability. We offer fine dining, cocktails, wines, interesting beers, and signature coffee." The entertainment... A pianist will be performing at the restaurant from 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. I hope they expand this and perhaps offer some additional entertainment in the future. Last words... Tiffin has hit the jackpot on this place and I am willing to bet they will have many coming from much larger cities to experience this. I say "experience" since this is not just a place to go eat or get a meal. It is an Experience, from the aspect of the architectural details, the music, the ambiance, and of course the well thought out menu. Do not hesitate to give this place a try. Yelp #59 9.24.16 read more

See all

I have to be honest. I don't normally give a negative review. However for a place claiming to be upscale the food was far from it. I feel like this was a case of trying so hard to be fancy that they ruined the food. I got a Cuban sandwich which was $13 but was nothing more than sliced deli meat on a tiny dried out roll. The meat was cold which dried out the turkey quite a bit. Also my French fries were completely undercooked. Which to be honest is no excuse anywhere. My wife got the pasta special which was a red sauce but they drizzled balsamic glaze over the red sauce. This was quite an odd decision. The ambience was great, and our waiter was very nice. But the food was well below my expectations. They also have pictures of women in men's room above the urinals that gives the idea that the women are looking at your junk. Which to me is tasteless. Maybe at a bar or something it would be funny but not upscale. read more

The food lacked here which is sad because the place is beautiful and they have great potential. The special was a Cuban. The turkey was dry and you could not taste the flavors of the other meats. I don't think they made a correct bread choice. It was toasted but not warm. The cheese didn't even melt. The pasta dish was also very underwhelming. The sauce was sweet and tasted out of a can. Then they put a balsamic glaze over which flavor wise did not go well. For the prices they charge it should be better. The service was slow and it was empty but I'm not worried about that if the food is good. But a combo of both is bad. read more

Food was incredible. Service was wonderful! We went on a Thursday night and were seated immediately. We all ordered filets and they were all amazing. We will definitely be coming back! read more

There is truly not a bad seat in this restaurant. The decor and interior is upscale, but not to the point of making a typically casual diner uncomfortable. I would definitely dress more nicely than to go to most of the places around Tiffin, though. The menu is FANTASTIC! There is a separate lunch/dinner menu. There are meat, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free choices. I loved the Grilled Cheese with Raspberry Jam sandwich for lunch. The wait staff is also amazing. They're professional, well trained, and kind. read more

Great food, friendly staff, and even got to meet one of the founders! Such a welcoming and kind atmosphere. Will definitely be going back. Service was wonderful and food was delicious!! read more

Stopped in for lunch, just because the facade looked interesting. Beautiful interior, excellent food, surprising prices. Awesome wait staff. The French onion soup is out of this world. Tray with trio of sauces and pita chips, great! Lunch sandwiches: super. Not sure what this place is like for dinner. If lunch service is any indication, this is a great place to go for any meal. Way to go, Tiffin, OH! read more

I ordered a filet. It was edible but when you spend over $40 on a filet that's not the ideal outcome. The service was decent and I would have sent it back but I had already waited over 40 minutes. I told the bartender I was treating myself and ordered the filet, medium temp. I wasn't in a huge hurry but at this point it was past 7pm and the couple at the bar next to me had come in after me, ordered after I did, received their food and were cashing out to leave before my food even arrived. The other customer even felt the need to mention to me how long it was taking for my food to arrive. When my dinner finally arrived it was a mid-well/well done temp. I did tell the bartender but also mentioned I didn't want to wait another hour to eat my dinner. She apologized and I ate about half because it was edible and I was hungry. I said again when I was paying how it has unacceptable to have a $40+ steak that was overcooked and on a slow Tuesday night...not like it was a weekend dinner rush. read more

If they don't get your order out on time or they mess up your order they'll sear it and then microwave it I've gotten really nasty rotten pieces of lettuce in my salad too read more

Elegantly decorated. Relaxing environment. Wait and bar staff highly trained and knowledgeable. Drinks were fun and delicious. Entree cooked to perfection. Staff was attentive and courteous. Great experience. read more

My husband is in the military and we were trying to find a meeting point around the Tiffin area. Neither of us are familiar with Tiffin, Ohio so we took a shot on Empire Block. We were both impressed by the building, decor, and friendly waitstaff. We were wildly underdressed but the hostess/bartender never blinked an eye and gave us her favorite options for drinks and dinner. She was wonderful! Our dinner was beautifully plated and tasted amazing. I highly recommend the Empire Block! We will be back. read more

Great place. The food was great and tasty. They had someone playing a piano. The atmosphere was perfect and its in a nice building

In town visiting family for Thanksgiving and stopped in for lunch. Being from Columbus with endless options of places to eat, it takes a lot to impress me and the Empire stood up to the challenge. Absolutely love the decor and all of the exposed brick - definitely doesn't feel like you're in small town Tiffin. The prices for food and alcohol were extremely reasonable. $5-$6 for a glass of wine or a cocktail! They had several options for lunch as well as a few specials. We were all very happy with our meals. Sure hope this place sticks around, it's nice to have some place like this to eat when visiting town. read more

The Empire Bistro - Salad Near Me - Tiffin, Ohio

See all

We were seated promptly at our table however waited 15 minutes for our drink order. A 7/7 was ordered....."Do you have Seagrams or Jameson Irish Whiskey?" We have Seagrams..........the drinks were weak....... I was looking around at the scenery, which was very nice & looked at the bottle display at the bar & Jameson was on the 2nd shelf, last bottle on the left......if a customer knows their whiskey, they probably should make their beverage with the Jameson, just saying. We ordered the chicken and unfortunately, it was kinda rubbery and highly unseasoned. The Empire burger was good. read more

Food was very good. A bit pricey but each dish had a lovely presentation. The ancient grains with the scallops and shrimp scampi were delicious. Such flatbread was unique and tasty. We would go again, for sure. read more