Food is fantastic! Delicious Middle East cuisine, savory lamb, rice, and similar dishes. Specialty cocktails, beer and wine list. Service was very hospitable, friendly and helpful. They take care of you. Ambiance is also a fave of mine- old Inn, outdoor dining on the porch in good weather, inside very cozy. Highly recommend! read more

The Empire House - A Manhattan - Hotels Near Me - Gilbertsville, New York

I cant say enough about the Empire House, everyone is fantastic there. From the hotel to the restaurant, the menu, the rooms. The service is excellent. A great place to visit. read more

Hospitality at its finest. The food was unbelievably good and the restaurant had a very cozy vibe.

A hidden gem in little Gilbertsville run by very nice people. If I'm lucky enough to be near Gilbertsville around dinner time, I will make a plan to stop in for dinner. It's so nice to have a variety of dishes that are creative, tasty and not your typical dishes for this part of Upstate New York. You should not come if you're in a hurry. Service is great, but not hurried. Why would you want to rush through dinner anyway. They also have nice beer and wine e selections. read more

Great place- great food! Unique Mediterranean dining experience. The food is not the cooking you normally do at home. Stews and flavorful soups and dishes, excellent selection of wines and gourmet cocktails. Must have Tiramisu and fresh Pecan Pie homemade of course! Homemade ice cream too. The owner Q and his wife are warm and inviting. We sat fireside- the place is from the -1830's. A destination dining experience- well worth the drive from anywhere. read more

Five stars for good Iranian food in the Oneonta area, with a wonderful atmosphere and bar. So, not everything is perfect; I would stick with the Persian stews (Ghormeh Sabzi and specials) and biryani, both lamb and chicken--they are all great, as is the lentil soup when they have it. The shwarma, kebabs, gyros--also good. The salads are also solid. I would not recommend the hummus or bhaba ghanouj or dolmas or potato balls (all suprisingly sub-par, considering how good the rest of the food is) and I would be careful about some non-Persian specials. BUT: Go there and have the wonderful biryani & stews & shwarma! The owners are very friendly and there is an interesting used bookstore around the corner. read more

It actually deserves 4 stars, but an extra star for the effort. I visit that erea once or twice a year, and I've been to Empire House a few times. Don't expect a restaurant and bar as if it is in NYC. But for what it is, it is perfectly nice for that area. Tha atmosphere is mellow and relaxing, the new owner is very nice and tries to please every customer, if you can't find something you would like on the menu, he would even recommend something off the menu and cook it for you. Owner's wife is nice, she runs the bar. If you are in the area, stop by, have a drink and a good hearty meal, hang out at the porch or at the bar, relax for couple of hours, meat the locals and the passers-through, listen to some music, and enjoy your time. Then again this is not NYC. read more

This review is for an event, and not for the restaurant or rooms. Sason (AKA Q) and his wife catered our family wedding celebration at a farmhouse near Gilbertsville. He worked with us over the weeks to create a menu, plan the evening, think about serving ... every little detail. And he went above and beyond, with introductions to the tent house and a really good baker who did bread and croissants for breakfast. On the actual evening, the food was GREAT. Just superb. We had Khordan, the Med. Breeze, Hummus, Gormeh Sabzi and a lamb dish. Each stood out with individual taste and splendid flavor. Sason served a complimentary Sangria with dinner. And came looking like Yul Brynner, and danced his way into the hearts of the guests! A perfect party, made so my Sason and his wife. A great team to work with. read more

3 stars is the average of good food mixed with terrible service. My favorite items on the menu are all appetizers: hummus, baba ganoush, and dumplings. I do appreciate that they often use locally raised / grown food. The big problem is their service, which is extremely slow and inattentive. If I have to beg to get my order taken (most recently it took 45 minutes), I have to wonder why I would even go. They have great acoustic music there at times but the problem with that is the service becomes even worse (didn't realize that was possible until experiencing it firsthand). As many have said, it is the only 'nice place' in that town but without a musical act I like, I often spend the extra gas money to go to a place with better service. read more

It saddens me to leave this unfavorable review, however, I will do so so other people don't waste their time or money eating at this establishment. My family has eaten at this restaurant a few times previously and loved the food. Well, nothing could be further from the truth this time. First, we waited for over an hour for appetizers and an hour and a half for our dinner. When the food finally arrived, it was bland at best. A total disappointment and the cost of the food was definitely not worth what we received. In their defense, the establishment was overly crowded which may account for the ridiculous amount of time it took to get our food. read more

I grew up in Gilbertsville and remember the old Empire from my childhood. To those who comment with comparison to NYC: I now live in Boston and I think this place is like one of those trendy rustic chic places you find around here. Even city people can fall in love with this place so don't hesitate if you're in the area. It's better than anything within a 30-mile radius. I love this place for many reasons: -The old Empire was junk but it was the town hangout. This place was renovated without getting rid of all the old character. The owners were sensitive to the little village culture and reflect it in the place. -My tastes have broadened since I moved away and I often find that Upstate NY food is boring, boxed, and greasy in small town restaurants but I can still find something I'll love here. Kids, parents, Aunts from NYC, and grandparents can all find something they like here. They even have some organic and sensitively-raised food. -The owner, Q and his wife, always remember me and ask how my Grandmother is doing. -Bands and singers (without a cover!) on most weekends. On a Saturday night the whole town comes out to visit the Empire. They love it and it has brought so much vitality back to my hometown. -Fireplaces. Enough said. Cons: -There isn't a lot of space to stand and be social. When there is a band most people that are close to the stage are sitting. -The mixed drinks aren't consistent so let them know if you want it strong or weak. -For the average person in the area, the prices are a bit steep but understandably so. read more

We have traveled all over and I am so happy to say that my hometown has the best restaurant with great choices . Last weekend we had just had company for over a week and I was tired of cooking . We ended up on a Sunday evening on the front porch eating the best burger I've ever had anywhere ! read more

The empire house had a beautiful, hold fashioned bar and offers a good mix of flavorful foods and spirits. From fish tacos to beef Biryani. They use fresh ingredients, local sustainable meat, and some organic products. Many vegetarian options as well. The owner is alway chatting with customers, making sure they are happy. Their biggest problem is the restaurant needs a better kitchen exhaust fan! read more

This restaurant surpassed all expectations! We will definitely be back for the friendly, welcoming atmosphere and and the delicious food. Next time, we will leave room for dessert. read more

The Empire House Hotel is one small step above camping. It is merely a place to shower and lay your head for a night not a place to call "home base" for a weekend, especially with kids. The smell of food was so powerful it penetrates the walls and makes falling asleep very difficult. There were bugs flying around the rooms and spiders in the bathrooms. If it wasn't out of pure necessity and the non-refundable payment we would have left. The circuits blew when more than one hair drier went on, only half the rooms are air conditioned, the wifi connection is poor. This place needs major renovations for the price they ask to stay a night and to actually call themselves a hotel. The only good thing is the kindness of the host. read more

The owner is a great guy. Plenty of beers on tap and really great cultured food for the location.

Menu has a wide variety of items to choose from....different from a lot of the local restaurants. Food was good and service as well...even though were busy waitress did a good job on keeping on top of things. Owner was around to see that things were being done right and food was to expectations. We ate outside...a little noisy along the road but was a nice summer night and wanted to enjoy the weather. All in all a good place to eat and we will go back again! read more

One of the best eclectic local restaurants. A true hidden gem. Friendly servers and the dinners are paired together for a specific taste. Ask about a wine or beer to accompany the dinner to make the experience exceptional. Appetizers are unique and delicious. Decor is very nice in a old establishment make certain to look at the bars wooden and brass fixtures. All in all a very good dining experience here n a beautiful small historic village. read more

We've traveled across the country, lived in Southern California and in the Hudson Valley near the Culinary Institute of America. We love dining out, from pubs to fine dining. This place is a find, not just for the area, but compared to all of our dining experiences. Here's the thing: the food combinations are inspired. Our appetizer was called Kimchi calamari. But, it was not super hot (spicy) fermented cabbage; instead it was tender grilled calamari in a subtlety spiced tomato based sauce, which did include tender cabbage, served over greens. Super delicious! Our main course, which we shared, was the Moroccan Lamb Shank. This dish was almost a Tagine, which we love, but not super exotic. It was served with rice and a yogurt/tahini sauce which was a perfect complement to the dish. We wish we lived closer to be able to take advantage of this restaurant. read more

Very attentive and friendly staff. Owner/manager stopped by to chat after we left the appetizer soup untouched. This is clearly a popular place among locals. However it seems to be a case of a lack of places for comparison. The food is a miss. I've had the same dishes in NYC and was expecting something similar but I was unpleasantly surprised. I ordered vegetable chicken soup. The taste was more along the lines of French onion soup. There were large amounts of onion and mushrooms no other vegetables and the lone piece of chicken was tough and in shreds. The chicken kabob was made with fatty dark meat and the jasmine rice was sticky. I'm used to marinated white meat and loose rice. It all boils down to expectations. Again I'm sure all things considered the local residents probably love this place. But when you come from an area where competition is high, standards and expectations are equally high. read more

We ate at Empire House tonight, our third visit. As with our first two visits, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful with our selections. We had the sampler tray appetizer, which had bruschetta, baba ganoush and hummus served with naan bread. All were very tasty. The focaccia bread that comes with dinner is homemade and outstanding. Ask for more. My wife had the Nordic salmon and I had a ribeye with Gorgonzola sauce...both were outstanding! If you want something just a little different in a quaint old hotel, this is well worth the effort to get there. read more

What a great gem in a very small town. Went there on a Sunday night and there was only a few other tables occupied. I love fish taco's and was looking forward to the Empire House's version. Unfortunately, I thought there was way too much breading on them and too many flavors in the fixings. However, don't let that stop you from trying it yourself, they were not bad, just not for me. However, my wife had the Chicken Shawarma and it was really good (not that I've ever had shawarma before). I'd definately recommend that. Also, we split the Sampler tray appetizer which is a must!! Very generous portions of hummus, Baba Ghanoosh and Brushetta. It was hard deciding which of the three was best. We agreed our favorite was whichever one we were eating. A Sampler with a good drink on the porch would make for a terrific evening. Dont know if I'll ever get back to Gilbertsville, but The Empire House would make it worth the trip. read more

we live in Oneonta, about half an hour from the village of Gilbertsville and the empire house restaurant. we highly recommend the restaurant for several reasons. 1. the food quality is excellent as the family who runs it uses and values locally grown meat and products most of which are organic. 2. they have a variety of selection and have new items on the menu all the time, 3. the atmosphere is warm and friendly and welcoming, 4. they have a large selection of wine and beer on the menu, 5. the restaurant is in a historic building, which has been saved and remodeled very tastefully by the owner, 5. they serve as simple as chicken wings to exhautic mediteranian entres and appetizers. this place is a must go, especially for those who look for a beautiful atmosphere and quality, healthy delicious food. read more