Empire Brewing Company - Brewpub

Empire Brewing Company - BrewpubEmpire Brewing Company - Brewpub
Empire Brewing Company - BrewpubEmpire Brewing Company - Brewpub
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

120 Walton St
Syracuse, New York, 13036
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.65
Beers:
55
Ratings:
1,096
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.02
Reviews:
62
Ratings:
107
pDev:
15.42%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mgbickel:
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Reviewed by mgbickel from Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Located in the downtown section of Syracuse, you have to go below street level to enter this place. I was there in the fall months, but it looks like there is some outdoor seating/standing area.

The interior is exposed brick, steel and modern art (maybe Art Deco...I'm not sure). The bar runs along the right side of the building with a large seating area off to the right.

The service was good, borderline great. The server was friendly and knowledgeable. The food was really good...my wife and I were both impressed with the quality and presentation of our dishes.

The beer selection was appropriate for a brewpub. A few offerings from the most popular styles.

All in all, this is worth the trip. Good beer, great food and a hip atmosphere.
Feb 06, 2011
More User Ratings:
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Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

4.1/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
What I had: Hop Harvest and India Pale Ale on tap, two orders of Sweet Fire Fajitas (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives), Chocolate Lava Cake to split, a couple of white wines for my partner.
What I liked: Attractive interior, plenty of space between tables, efficient and welcoming service, delicious food, both beers impressed (esp. the Harvest), fair prices, our server gave us the addresses of nearby craft beer stores when I asked where I could get a good haul.
What I disliked: Nothing.
Would I go back? For sure. Empire is an ideal spot for dinner and drinks if you happen to be in Syracuse.
Overall Rating: 82
Jan 29, 2020
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Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

3.08/5  rDev -23.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4
I was driving cross country from Canada and decided to stay in Syracuse, NY, overnight because I had seen Empire Brewing highlighted on Brewed in NY and really wanted to try it out. It turned out to be quite a disappointment. My wife and I stopped in at 5:30 pm on a Tuesday and found the place nearly empty (Downtown Syracuse was surprisingly deserted on a work day). This is in spite of the fact that school is starting this week.

We explained to the hostess that we were interested in drinks and dessert and were informed that we could not be seated in the dining area, because we were not ordering full meals, so would need to sit at the bar. The place was basically empty. I ordered the Black Magic Stout, which I gather is one of the signature brews, and found it below average. The bar tender was satisfactory, but just -- the truth is he was remarkably aloof.

That said, EBC is nicely appointed, there are 16 taps at two different stations, there are a variety of seating arrangement and ample seating, and they serve a range of beers leaving room for a cider guest tap (which was far superior to my beer). Given the vibe, the service, and the beer, we never felt we were made particularly welcome and left after one drink (forget about dessert). I cannot imagine any reason to contemplate going back. Thankfully, we found someplace fun and welcoming a few blocks away and went there.
Aug 28, 2019
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Reviewed by brentblack1 from New York

1/5  rDev -75.1%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 1
What an awful place. Service absolutely terrible. Bartender the worst. Nothing like being ignored sitting in an empty bar. I guess there is a reason why it’s empty. Beers bleh at best.
Jun 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by Griffith from Connecticut

Mar 18, 2019
 
Rated: 3 by neliam24 from New York

Jul 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by clippers74 from New York

Jan 27, 2018
 
Rated: 3.81 by socon67 from New York

Jan 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.7 by Carron76 from Michigan

Dec 28, 2017
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Reviewed by The_Beer_Guru from New York

3.81/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.25
I’ll start out by saying that the food was fucking great! I had an elk burger with fried egg and bacon which was delicious. They had a decent selection of different beers but as far as quality goes...nothing really impressed me. The beer was okay with a nice vibe and a friendly staff.
Nov 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.45 by Ekish58 from New York

Nov 27, 2017
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Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
My wife and I visited this brewery many years ago, back in the mid 1990's. We remember it being at street level, although now it is located in a sunken level of the same building. We enjoyed flights that included mostly ales, all of which were excellent. Most notable was a white beer that was exceptional. The food was eclectic. I had an elk burger that was solid, and the service was respectable. Worth a stop if you are in the area.
Jul 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.46 by jacknyr08 from New York

Mar 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.66 by Dantitus from New York

Jan 25, 2017
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Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

3.97/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Stopped by around 4 PM on a cold and dark Wednesday. The pub is right in the middle of downtown Syracuse, a city where the architecture is pretty so as to deflect attention away from its horrific climate. You descend some steep metal stairs and then step into a large, cavernous basement bar that is bricky and woody and very warmly lit.

The bar has the feel of most other, nice brewpubs that opened between the early 90's and the early aughts, falling somewhere between a sports bar and a middlebrow restaurant. Large metal brewing kettles sit behind a glass partition, in full view of the bar. The bar itself is long and polished, and there's a chalkboard listing all the tap options. It feels nice: clean, but lived-in, very homey.

The staff was friendly and the bartender knew a fair amount about each beer. The tap selection was broad (about 15 house beers), with a good combination of older school brewpub flagships (stout, IPA, etc) and more adventurous new styles (beer with tea in it, beer brewed with asiatic hops that taste like mud, etc).

As to the beers... they were all solid, but all forgettable.

So, I dunno. If you find yourself in Syracuse, I'm sure there are more options. The place right across the street, for example, seemed to have a taplist of non-house beers that was much more impressive. But Empire was still worth visiting, I feel, as it's a warm and welcoming example of an older school brewpub, free from garish trappings of most of the places that have opened more recently.
Jan 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.73 by TheBeerdedCharmer from Pennsylvania

Nov 18, 2016
 
Rated: 3.85 by entenduintransit from Tennessee

Sep 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by Gawz from New York

Aug 28, 2016
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Reviewed by GratefulBeerGuy from New Hampshire

3.81/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
Located in a very spacious, old building in the heart of Syracuse. Large bar area with two more large eatery area's.
The place to go before a show, stopped in for the second time during Phish's summer tour stop at the Lakeview Ampitheatre. Place was booming, good vibe and the service was able to keep up.

Food is good and beer quality about the same.
Jul 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.23 by Mdf12180

Jun 12, 2016
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Reviewed by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

4.07/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
Large basement partitioned with brick archways separating dining and bar areas, giving the place a somewhat intimate feel. Huge C-shaped bar. Over a dozen beers on tap - wide and varied selection. Friendly, efficient bar staff.
May 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.58 by RancidAggro from New York

Mar 25, 2016
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Rated by Dingbat1477 from New York

4.58/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Love this place. Beer keeps getting better and better.
Feb 11, 2016
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Reviewed by brewaddict from California

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5
Been to Empire Brewing a number of times throughout the years when traveling "upstate" to visit family. It's in a cool basement location with a modern style decor. A glass window behind the bar looks in on a number of fermentation tanks. Never seen anyone actually working back there, but it's a nice touch. Service has always been friendly and prompt. The food, while a little upscale, has always been good. I'm particularly fond of the Gumbo and Jambalaya. Beer selections are good combination of in house and local offerings.
Jan 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.88 by RUN-4-B33R from North Carolina

Dec 16, 2015
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Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -19.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
From the outside it is effectively a scaled up dive bar, but upon entering, it's a large restaurant with brewing production on display from behind large windows. As we perused the menu, we watched a brewer scooping spent grain out of a tank.

Service is attentive and knowledgeable and the selection is moderately large and varied with some classic takes and new twists. The beer didn't blow me away, but it wasn't bad either.

Food is all right, with a nice selection, although a couple of side dishes had me wondering if they were pre-processed frozen foods.
Dec 15, 2015
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Reviewed by kelseyr713 from New York

5/5  rDev +24.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
This might be my favorite restaurant. The food was amazing, atmosphere is great, our waiter was super friendly and knowledgeable. There were tons of choices for both food and drink, and I definitely want to go back here again. It's also cool to see the brewery part through windows inside the restaurant.
Oct 20, 2015
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Reviewed by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

3.86/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | food: 4
A neat step-down space, decent food, with a range of beers. Many are quite delicious, and represent a range of styles. The service is reasonable, if a touch slow during our Sunday morning visit. If I'm in Syracuse again, I'd return, and would recommend it.
Jul 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Himself from Massachusetts

Jul 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.54 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jun 23, 2015
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Reviewed by eluvah from New York

2.98/5  rDev -25.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.25 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.25
Was there on a Wednesday night, not crowded. The service was slow. Had two beers, price was reasonable. Had Aphrodisiac Ale and Two Dragons. Both were decent, but I have had better. May have tried one more since I wasn't driving but the service was so slow, the person I was with wanted to leave. Had fish tacos that were unimpressive.
May 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.18 by Martelljw2 from New York

Jan 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by Cooker_stp from New York

Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.4 by SyrAQse from New York

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by craftaholic from New York

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Soloveitchik from New York

Nov 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.04 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Nov 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by grahuba from Connecticut

Nov 08, 2014
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Reviewed by Brenden from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
EBC is on the busy stretch of downtown Syracuse in Armory Square, where the locals understand one goes for the best pub crawl in the area. It's typically busy, and it's pretty much half restaurant / half bar. Reservations are required for the restaurant, but the bar is always open for walk-ins. Not only that, anything on the menu can still be ordered at the bar. It's a nice vibe with a mix of industrial and modern, a more retro look outside. It can only be reached under the sidewalk, so it's underground. There is some small outdoor drinking space, though it seems more like a waiting area; there are tables and a counter, but no chairs. The brewery has a good number of beers available in excellent variety, so there's something for everyone. Barmen are attentive, too, and will not hesitate to offer a free sample or several. The service, food, and selection are good, and I enjoyed the beers as well. They serve 12 of their own beers at any time, as well as ciders they brew themselves, with a few guest taps and some bottles.
Sep 27, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Travislcastleman from New York

Sep 23, 2014
Empire Brewing Company - Brewpub in Syracuse, NY
Brewery rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 1096 ratings