Definitely not what you would expect from a restaurant attached to a Holiday Inn. The decor here is beautiful, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. The FOH Manager gave my friend and I a tour and I actually learned a ton about the history of this hotel/restaurant as well! I was here around 3:00PM on a Sunday, so they had a limited menu, but the selection was simply tantalizing. I had the chicken quesadilla which came with a lime cream and salsa and it was delicious -- dare I say one of the best quesadillas I've had in quite a while. My friend is a vegetarian and was thrilled to see the option for a veggie burger and hummus platter still on deck even with the limited options available at the time. Overall just a great experience. read more

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I'm giving the imperial two stars because I thought their cocktail (espresso martini was great). As for the food it wasn't great. Wings are described as crispy chicken wings on the menu.... They are far from crispy and the blue cheese dressing isn't homemade. Ceasar salad was ok. Shrimp fri diavlo was overcooked and lacked flavor. I wouldn't come back. read more

Servers were nice. Butternut Squash bisque was okay. But the other food (tofu and mushroom spring rolls, burgers) were so greasy they were inedible. The price for the quality is definitely not worth it. There are way better places to eat in Lancaster. I have wondered why this place always had few diners and now I get it. read more

I had the "Imperial Smash Burger" for $15 and easily would paid $20-$25. The staff was very helpful and friendly and the burger was one of the best I've had in a while. I'm only in town for a couple nights and I might have to grab another one before leaving. Great job everyone! read more

Ordered 2 salads to go. The Caesar came as advertised. My Asian salad was advertised to contain Bibb lettuce, spinach, peanuts, fried wonton strips, sesame seeds, carrots, red peppers, orange segments and Asian sesame dressing. I got a salad with only baby spinach, 5 orange segments, one green pepper strip, and one chunk of red pepper. No Bibb, peanuts, wontons, sesame seeds or carrots. It was also served in a to go container meant to hold an entree and 2 sides ( 3 compartments ). read more

I was staying at the hotel, and had a kitty in the hospital in town. The restaurant and its employees were a bright spot in my day. I got dinner there for 4 nights straight, and actually had the PAPPARDELLE PASTA WITH BROCCOLI yhree times - it was that good. I did vary one night and had the Imperial Smash Burger too, with was very good also (with sweet potato fries). Thank you Daniel (manager) and Phillip (chef) for everything. And just so you know, kitty is still recovering! Just also want to say that the hotel is top notch too. RIght in the center of the action, easy parking and very pleasant folks. read more

My husband and I were very pleased with the service we received her. Our server Natasha was an absolute delight. The food was excellent. My husband had the chicken pot pie and I had the smash burger. We really enjoyed our meal's there. The ambiance was great too! read more

We came in a little after Noon on a recent Sunday specifically to try the brunch. We were disappointed to be told the brunch was only served 9:00am - 10:30am. ??? Those are not usual brunch hours. We decided to make the best of it and order off the menu. I ordered a three egg omelette, my son ordered steak and eggs and my husband ordered the shrimp & grits. My omelette was delicious and came with home fries and toast. Definitely filling. My son's steak and eggs was cooked to his specifications and came with home fries as well. He said it was delicious and it definitely looked great. The shrimp & grits were not something we will order again. The menu calls it "bloody butcher's grits". We should have asked what that was. They were definitely not the typical grits that would be served in a shrimp & grits plate. They were edible just not something we would order again. The $4 Mimosa made up for it. The restaurant is clean and bright. The decor is 1920's art deco. Very nice style. The bathrooms are lovely as well. Vivian was our server and she delighted us with her warm, lovely smile and friendly manner. We will be back to try other things on the menu because overall the food was delicious, the service was great and the environment is charming. read more

If you are interested in using this venue for a large party (ie a brunch post your daughters wedding) DO NOT DO IT. Not friendly for large parties. Never received my food. We were told after the fact that checks can not be split beyond 5 parties. Order coffee? Ok! It'll be at least half an hour till it arrives. Cocktails? Oh, hell no. Not happening. You may get one, but never expect a refill. I heard from the people in my party that the food was good. I wouldn't know. Looked nice. Couldn't tell ya though. Not coming back. read more

There is a cute patio outside the bar which makes you feel like you are in Philadelphia -- Lancaster is indeed sort of becoming a Little Philly. It is wonderful that this hotel and restaurant were refurbished, and you would never EVER imagine that you are in a Holiday Inn -- no Holiday Inn I ever saw had a restaurant as cool as this one. Tons of modern art cover the walls, and check out the striped floor -- a LOT of money was spent on this in-bad-shape old building, former site of the Brunswick Hotel and then the Hotel Lancaster. All the staff we've encountered have been very sweet, and we had no trouble with service in two visits. They have been very accommodating to vegans with several items right on the menu and were full participants in the Lancaster Veg Week. Oh how I hope the boulettes (I kept repeating that cute word) stay on the menu -- they were made with Impossible Burger and served with broccoli rabe spears and the fanciest shredded fries that looked like pasta at first. My spouse had the meatball parm sandwich (we were craving meatballs, I guess) and loved it. It came with homemade chips. I look forward to seeing more creative dishes and already plan to come back with other veg friends to try the dishes we have not gotten to. I pray they will add some creamy nut-based sauces, made with cashew or brazils. which would be so great on pasta, pizzas, and fancy sandwiches. I love that the bathroom has automatic lights no matter where you go, so you never have to touch any switches. We had one glass of wine (and the aforementioned food) for a total bill of $42, reasonable. Their open hours are incredible, making it a great place for a drink or snack after a show. Owners are very receptive to communication. Can't wait to see this place thrive and grow. read more

I want to start by pointing out in the other reviews how they all mention that they're new and starting out but still leave somewhat negative comments. I can't imagine how difficult it is to open up a new restaurant when there are 90 restaurants in the downtown area to pick from. Sometimes it takes growing pains and a little time to get in a groove. The price point is the same as most other brunch spots downtown We went here for Mother's Day and the service was very efficient, attentive, and the food came out relatively quickly for how busy they were. The food was incredible and very unique, we had Korean fried chicken and waffles, duck fat biscuits and gravy, and some caramelized French toast. The decor and ambience is really cool, it has a mid century modern vibe and it's a great addition to downtown. Not to mention it's attached to the newly renovated Holiday Inn which is absolutely stunning read more

This is my new go to place. It's an hour and a half from Philadelphia so it close enough to get to and far enough to feel like it's a trip out of town. And I definitely wanted to get out if my Coronavirus rut. Safe to drive in my own car with my boys and Lancaster is a cool town. There's a hotel upstairs so if we eat and drink late and do t want to go home, it's an nice place for an overnight date. Food is excellent. Chef Abou Kouyate is a superb chef and a renaissance man. We found this place through Black Restaurant Week. I'll come back often when I want an easy drive and great food and drinks and an international flavor. read more

The Imperial - Bars Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

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The food is good. The cocktail are very good. Breakfast is served there. When I was there a transition to buffet style was happening with limited a la carte which was a tad disappointing. Staff handled everything with grace and understanding. read more

Coming from NYC, we didn't expect our usual brunch experience but this was beyond disappointing! We came here on a Sunday for "brunch". First, of all it's a buffet. It's not a brunch at all. You're paying $30 per person for a continental breakfast I could've got for free at my hotel. Drinks are not included, the food was low quality food. They had powder scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, omelettes. You're better off grabbing breakfast at McDonalds or Sheetz. I would give this negative 10 stars if I can. Worst brunch spot we've been to. Overpriced basic food! read more

Husband and I had brunch for our anniversary. It was excellent as always! I had the eggs Benedict and he had the steak and eggs. Both were very good. The steak was prepared perfectly and the accompanying fried potatoes were delicious! Sat outside on the patio which is a nice little oasis in downtown Lancaster. We are never disappointed here and will be back! read more

Very extremely regular food from the grocery store being slapped together and sold for premium prices. Charcuterie board was stuff from a normal grocery store, and both our meals were uninspired and presented sloppily and unappealingly. read more

We came to the bar tonight with my wife for a casual dinner. I probably had one of the worst service from The bartender we had in Lancaster, I travel a lot for work and to be honest did not like how bad service is at this establishment. The food was ok nothing wow but the service was a huge turn off, definitely not coming back. read more

The best swordfish I ever ate. Very moist, tender, and above all Tres Bon. Vivian was our server and she gave us excellent service with her friendly smile and great service. My friend had the Imperial Burger, grilled veggies, and said it was excellent and done to perfection. My swordfish was served with wasabi mashed potatoes and broccoli. Outstanding. This is located on the first floor of the Holiday Inn downtown Lancaster. To our surprise they have trivia night on Mondays at 7pm. Stephanie is the host. They also just came out with a new Fall Winter menu with a lot of seafood choices. No I don't work there but if you ask, will I go back? See you next Monday. read more

I was really looking forward to dinner at the Imperial. We were a party of 5 with some vegetarians and I was excited because I had finally found a place in Lancaster (other than Root) that had more vegetarian options then the traditional veggies burger. So we get there and the waiter immediately tells us that because they are super busy this night (at this particular time we were one of three tables) we have to order off of this special menu, not the regular menu. Out of the 5 or so vegetarian options on the regular menu only one was available on the "special" menu. You guessed it the veggie burger. Best part of the experience was the server, he was very attentive. A couple of other staff including a fellow in glasses whom I can only assume was a manager seemed to be doing a good job holding up walls. Vegetarians were fairly disappointed in the choices and said there was truly nothing special about the food, as for the rest of us the food was decent but definitely overpriced. I might go back but not really in a hurry. read more

Went here for breakfast with some out of town friends last weekend. We were on a bit of a time crunch so we ordered food as soon as we sat down (about 9am). Time passed with no update from our server on when our food would be out... we watch people who walked in after us (even one lady who walked in when we did) all get their food (about 9:45)...Still no word or update from our server... we tried to brush it off as them being busy or whatever... but each of us only ordered toast, potatoes, eggs and bacon... we finally were able to grab our server (around 10...) who said "yeah, I was thinking your food was taking a bit... let me check on that..." she comes back and says it'll be out in a few minutes.... 15 more minutes goes by and we ask a gentleman for a manager. He says he's the manager and we explain our situation. He says "well, sometimes this is the breakfast rush when hotel guests come down so we're a little backed up..." we explain to him that we've seen multiple other people (pretty much everyone but us) get their food. So he goes to check and 15 minutes later we get our food. They did end up comping two of our four meals. It was not worth the wait or the price. Communication would have gone long way in this instance... we didn't leave until 10:35. An hour and a half after we arrived... and we had ordered food an hour and a half prior to when we left... read more

Great food & special shout out to Philip, chef in the Restaurant. He had no server this morning & when I went in for breakfast he apologized that he had to take orders, help prepare & serve. He cheerfully served everyone in the restaurant & there were multiple tables of people & he told everyone it was on the house. Merry Christmas Philip, I will pay forward your kindness today & hope you can get the help you need at the restaurant! Thank You ! read more

Lancaster folks need to go to The Imperial! Fantastic service and even better food! My wife and I are Vegan and to find a restaurant with so many vegan options is very rare. Classy decor with a chic vibe. Definitely worth a visit. We will be back! read more

Decided to try this spot out for breakfast. They advertise a breakfast buffet online for the weekends. What they do not tell you is that it is just your typical hotel courtesy breakfast. The fact that they even advertise it to the public and allow people to come in and pay for that breakfast buffet is pretty bad. For $14 a person, I expected an actual buffet with a lot of options and well cooked food, but it was in a small room with minimal options and I did not enjoy anything I ate. Just picture a hotel courtesy breakfast station because that is exactly what it was. I haven't had their brunch, dinner, or drinks, so I can't comment on that. However, the purpose of my review is solely to warn others to steer clear of this restaurant's breakfast buffet. As a hotel courtesy breakfast it's more or less what you'd expect, but as a restaurant breakfast option in Lancaster city, it's really bad. I said it already, but they really should NOT be offering this to the public at all, or there should be something on their website that fully explains that it is a small buffet mainly meant for hotel guests. I cannot say anything bad about the staff. Everyone was really nice! read more

The Imperial has some very tasty food. My husband ordered oven roasted chicken and he really enjoyed it. I ordered the New York Strip and it was really tasty. This was delivery so the fact that it was still juicy by the time it arrived says a lot. The meals are very rich in flavor but we were very satisfied with everything we ordered. read more

I just made a yelp account solely for the express purpose of saying how disgusting this food is. We came for brunch and started with Bloody Mary's. My husbands had approximately two ice cream scoops of horse radish in his. Mine tasted bizarrely sweet? My "avocado" toast had a slimy green film on it that was likely squeezed out of a plastic bag they found in the back of their walk in. My husbands eggs Benedict had a suspicious slimy piece of ham(?) on it and soft spongey potatoes that came out cold - likely because they had been on ice for two days and then spent one last unfortunate day beneath a warming lamp. My husband is a marine and his direct quote is "I've had better MREs" read more

We've had a reservation with the Imperial restaurant for the Thanksgiving dinner. One day before Thanksgiving, we received a request to confirm that we are coming - and we did. But when we came for the dinner, we found out that the restaurant was closed, and all downtown Lancaster looked like a deserted city with all other establishments also closed. So, we ended up spending the Thanksgiving evening searching for food. The only place that was open was "Plough" restaurant in Marriott. Also, on November 26 we received a Thank-You message from Imperial restaurant - a bad joke. So, next time we will stay at Marriott, not the Holiday Inn and never book dinner at the Imperial. read more

The service was timely and outstanding. The food was top shelf. I had the surf and turf which was phenomenal. I wanted to try nearly everything on their great menu so I will have to go back! They have an experienced chef who used to work in Philadelphia restaurants, and he came out and greeted us during our meal which was very kind. I'm so glad this place survived COVID, I will certainly go again. Please support them too as there is so little fine dining left, you will surely not be disappointed! read more

I can't say enough about this restaurant!! Not only does it have a cool vibe and great cocktails, but the food and service were EXCELLENT!!! The menu is so creative and tastes as great as it looks!!!! The service was outstanding (ask for Bre!) we had several staff members stop by our table to make sure everything was prepared to our liking. This is definitely going to be one of my favorite places in Lancaster!!! I should also mention that the portions are very large!! Enough for lunch the next day! Can't wait to go back and try more of the Chef's creations! read more

I've been eyeing this restaurant for awhile and today i finally had the chance to stop by for lunch , this place is literally so underrated the food and drinks were amazing, definitely will be coming back. read more

Great service, disappointed in the food though. Pros: Staff was very friendly, we called in to order food to go and it was ready when we arrived. My in-laws got the salmon blt and imperial burger which were both excellent. Also, the seasoned fries were fantastic! Cons: The two entrees we got were absolutely not worth the $20+ price tag. I got the roasted chicken and was a little disappointed by the portion size and the risotto was very heavy on garlic. My husband ordered the chicken parm and it was seriously inedible. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt though. Maybe it was just a fluke and something funky happened with the sauce but I would not risk it again. Not sure if we'll go back but I'm glad we at least tried it. read more

The quinoa and tofu salad I had today was terrible, with barely any flavor. The portabella sandwich was not much better, and was served cold. I have eaten here but unfortunately will not return unless food quality improves. read more

Don't waste your time. Service was terrible and they only have a limited menu. Salad was almost good except the croutons and the parmesian crisp were stale. Nice try. The bread served was so oily it was disgusting. Although edible, we all wished we had eaten somewhere else after the meal. read more

We came here for breakfast Saturday morning and it was buffet style. The food not great. Danishes were doughy and wet and tasteless. Everything seemed microwaved. They gave our table to someone else when we went to the buffet and there seemed to be no organization. Our waitress was great she was attentive and seemed to be helping the most tables. read more

Microwave everything. Trash food. No menus, no utensils. No one knows anything. Shame. Expensive microwaved food.

Went there for Valentines Day on a recommendation from a friend. Very limited menu with more desserts than entries. My steak was overcooked and the soup was lukewarm at best. Service left something to be desired. This was my first and will be my last visit. Not recommended. read more

My family and I ate here twice while staying at the attached hotel. Despite a slight mix up in the order taking/placing it was a very nice mean and the decor pleasing. Next morning breakfast was the buffet and it was decent but most of the food was a little dry. Both waitresses were very nice and attentive. read more

I was remiss in not posting this review sooner because IF you haven't been here yet, you have been missing out on some seriously fabulous food! Located downtown, it is adjacent to the Holiday Inn (although not associated with the hotel). We stopped in for a mid-afternoon lunch and chose to dine on the charming outside patio. With black wrought iron seating, striped umbrellas and lush plants... the only thing it really needs (for evening enjoyment) is more string lighting. Between the wait staff, and a welcome by the manager we were thrilled with the service. A large group was seated outside next to us and literally every person was 'oooing' and 'aahhhhing' when they tasted their food. We could hardly wait for our food to arrive. It did not disappoint! Every item we ordered was simply delicious. I now wish I had taken photos, but I'm just not a food photo person. Sorry. I snapped a couple pics of the patio before leaving....mind you it was about 3 in the afternoon, on a week day, so we were the last people on the patio. All I can say is run, Don't walk to the Imperial. (Just don't knock me down on the way ). You're welcome. read more

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We got take out. I was impressed that there were vegan and vegetarian options. Online ordering and curb side pick up was easy. I ordered the impossible meatloaf with roasted sweet potatoes. It was very good. The meatloaf had great flavor and the potatoes were excellent. Probably the best sweet potatoes I've ever eaten. They use fresh herbs and the flavor shines. My boyfriend got the pot roast and he said it was great. It came with with roasted potatoes and they were excellent. This place has their potato game on point. I heard they got a new chef recently and it seems to be working out. And the price for the amount food gotten was great. read more

Today my family & I had brunch (party of 20) and I want to say its was superb. The food was good but that staff was extra extra superb. Every single staff member was great. I felt like I was in a big city 5 star restaurant!! That is how great the service was. The only thing I would recommend regarding the food, is more meat options like turkey bacon & turkey sausage for the non pork eaters. It was a good vibe and I will return again. read more

DON't eat here. Visiting from out of town all restaurants had 45 minutes to 1 hour wait. we were so hungry we decided to take a chance in the restaurant. Starter Calamari was a bad sign. Chewy and fishy dip tasted lemony. Kids ordered gnocchi starter which was not flavorful at all creamy bland blah. Ate 2 bites and the rest was sent back. Hamburger had at least 3 Tbs of salt. Omg meatloaf was way worse. Waiters. And managers were ok. Discounted check but last of regard to overall disappointment. Sad read more