Empire Grill

We had dinner last night. We were lucky enough to get a table outside the weather was so nice. My fiancé and I had a very shared dishes. Fried Calamari, Korean chicken wings, pot stickers and Rigatoni Bolognese. My fiancé had an Awesome Old Fashion. And the Bar tender took care of us all night. She did an awesome job!

Was my 3rd time coming here and this time with a party of 5 and was seated instantly with friendly service. Everybody enjoyed their meals and we had a very nice and funny server who everyone liked :). Great prices and food! The fried raviolis and coconut prawns were amazing!

Roger and his staff have done an outstanding job at this Grille. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS food and reasonable price. Excellent location with indoor ambiance full of beauty and comfort. Great place for family, friends and business. Very versatile restaurant. I recommend to anyone looking for delicious American food and a beer or glass of wine!

Steven “Stevo Swiss” Scholom

Everything on the menu looked really good, and then everything we ordered was delicious. The Crab and shrimp Louie was big, with lots of extra veggies and a entire half of a avocado. The chicken piccata was massive, and came with real mashed potatoes. My mushroom burger was really juicy, and had plenty of mushrooms on it. The French fries were really crispy and coated, like that stuff you get on curly fries at the fair. I would highly recommend this place! Service was friendly too.

Carrie Dillon

We had a great time and a wonderful meal. Our service was quick and the staff were all so friendly. I recommend the burgers. The fries were amazing as well. 10 out of 10.

On Tour Again

You can get a perfectly good steak and & salad for under $20... not bad!

Anne Margaret White

Stopped in for a post-hike lunch and were so glad we did. Dawn took great care of us with recommendations that were right on the nose and with fabulous service. Lots of locals and I can see why. Enticing variety of outstanding food served well. Make sure you try the fries - transformative!

Elli H

Excellent lunch choices available. Though we only intended to grab a snack, the garden salad appetizer surprised us with its generous portion of super fresh local produce. They also provide kids' portions, and the chicken strips were delicious and satisfying. The service was great, and the place was clean.

bouo

Eat here. Our server was clever, swift, and accommodating. The food arrived startlingly fast, and it was beyond delicious, not to mention reasonably priced. I had the rigatoni bolognese, crab cakes, a side Caesar and the chocolate lava cake with ice cream. This meal was the highlight of a spectacular trip, and frankly one of the better dinners in my life. When I next ride in Santa Cruz, I expect I will stay in Felton specifically to dine at this restaurant.

Dennis Kornegay

Seems like a popular spot in Felton. Got in just in time for dinner and then the place completely filled up! Nice servers and bartender . Plenty of "bite" options. Large bites , round bites, small bites lol I had sal n was very good . My buddy had a crab and salmon burger I think . He really loved it with fries! Full bar It gets LOUD! A lot of hard surfaces in there and if one table is loud EVERYBODY GETS IT . They really need some acoustic panels on the ceiling . Good place! I recommend the lava cake with ice cream for dessert !

Mike Karnaukhov

This place had such good food!!!! The fries are so crunchy but soft on the inside! The crunchy bread on the sandwiches, clam chowder was better than lobster bisque in Ruth’s Chris restaurant! I just gotta say that I’ll come back here for the amazing food and the sweet lady that served us. She was so sweet and patient with our kids.

Ed Ellestad

Thank you Marlene and the crew at Empire Grille. We started with a group reservation for 10, on Saturday at noon. At about 10:00 I called the restaurant and told them our group had grown to 25, hoping they could do something for us. “No Problem, see you soon” was the reply. We arrived just before noon, 25 motorcycles and riders. Tables were arranged, menus, place settings, water all prepared and waiting. We travel as a riding group often, and have lots of experience throughout the Bay Area, and the staff here was truly amazing. They (Marlene) didn’t bat an eye when asked if they could do separate checks. This has become a rare but appreciated accommodation. We probably ordered most things on the menu. Not a single complaint. I had the chicken and cheese sandwich with onion rings. The chicken was moist, well seasoned, and tasty. Onion rings were perfect. Thank you so much for accommodating our motley crew, and a special shout out to Marlene, our server, who never stopped smiling. This ride and destination will be added to our list of preferred locations for sure!

Brianna Lara

This is a humble little restaurant on the way to Santa Cruz. It looks like the kind of restaurant that you imagine when you think of the cartoon version of a restaurant. There were little thoughtful things that stuck out like our salad dressing was mixed in when it was served to us and that the onions in the salad were picked and the fries were perfectly crispy, salty and seasoned and how the proportions for everything were fair and good. Great service great place.

Courtney Houtekamer

We had dinner last night. We were lucky enough to get a table outside the weather was so nice. My fiancé and I had a very shared dishes. Fried Calamari, Korean chicken wings, pot stickers and Rigatoni Bolognese. My fiancé had an Awesome Old Fashion. And the Bar tender took care of us all night. She did an awesome job!

Savvy Collins

Was my 3rd time coming here and this time with a party of 5 and was seated instantly with friendly service. Everybody enjoyed their meals and we had a very nice and funny server who everyone liked :). Great prices and food! The fried raviolis and coconut prawns were amazing!

We The People

Roger and his staff have done an outstanding job at this Grille. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS food and reasonable price. Excellent location with indoor ambiance full of beauty and comfort. Great place for family, friends and business. Very versatile restaurant. I recommend to anyone looking for delicious American food and a beer or glass of wine!

Lunch menu was on point. My veggie sandwich was amazing - very tasty. The fries were hit and crispy.

Barbara McMasters

Lunch menu was on point. My veggie sandwich was amazing - very tasty. The fries were hit and crispy.

Sapphire Steamer

Great food for the whole family. Got the fried chicken with mashed potatoes, the gravy was fantastic. Glad we stumbled upon this place, will be back whenever I'm in town.

We went for Burger week both hamburgers were really good and the french fries I absolutely love service was good definitely worth the $20 for Burger week. Will definitely come back and try some of their other food.

This place is very good. I really like their hamburgers, very juicy and delicious. I just didn’t like their bar drinks. I had two of their most popular ones that they have and recommended both on Instagram and in person. And they weren’t drinkable, the merry berry drink had too much pepper and hot sauce. Hard to drink however the food was good. Thanks!

Stopped in for lunch and had a delightful Shrimp & Crab Louie. The portion was very generous and the cost very affordable. The o ion rings were also really tasty!

Ruby Cortez

This place is very good. I really like their hamburgers, very juicy and delicious. I just didn’t like their bar drinks. I had two of their most popular ones that they have and recommended both on Instagram and in person. And they weren’t drinkable, the merry berry drink had too much pepper and hot sauce. Hard to drink however the food was good. Thanks!

Robin

Stopped in for lunch and had a delightful Shrimp & Crab Louie. The portion was very generous and the cost very affordable. The o ion rings were also really tasty!

This was my son's best meal of the trip. He said he loved his burger. We ate here when visiting the Henry Cowell State Park. It was very convenient, just a few minutes away. I didn't like my salad but everybody else loved their food. Service was great. The restroom was odd, there was only one for everyone and the door was very difficult to lock and unlock. We had to wait a very long time to use the restroom - and there was only one other table of guests when we were there!

Michael Ann Effron

This was my son's best meal of the trip. He said he loved his burger. We ate here when visiting the Henry Cowell State Park. It was very convenient, just a few minutes away. I didn't like my salad but everybody else loved their food. Service was great. The restroom was odd, there was only one for everyone and the door was very difficult to lock and unlock. We had to wait a very long time to use the restroom - and there was only one other table of guests when we were there!

Update: We wanted something close a couple nights ago and we have eaten here before. It’s not the worst food, not the best, standard run of the mill diner type restaurant here. (We are tough critics, mind you) The menu is semi limited but it is a small town. Each time we have gone there, there is only a handful of diners and the seating is pretty much carte blanche. We started with the Calamari for an app. It showed up pretty quickly, but to our surprise...it was breaded calamari sticks. That'd be a NO for us, we live in Ca, we want rings and tentacles. (We looked back at the menu and it doesn't specify "rings" or "sticks" so I guess Calamari is Calamari). My bf ordered a bacon cheeseburger without cheese. It showed up loaded with enough mayonnaise to condition your hair. The bun was cold, the fries were cold. But, it was a burger and did its job. In all honesty it's pretty much what we were expecting, so no disappointment or loss. I ordered The Beef and Bleu Salad. Now, keep in mind as it calls out on the menu for Beef Medallions. What actually showed up was, wilted lettuce with a non modest amount of bleu cheese, and a medium well steak that was supposed to be rare (Notice I said “steak”which is far different from a medallion.) We ate most of it as we were hungry, and we reminded ourselves of why it's a run of the mill place. I'm sure at some point we may grab a burger there for lunch or something due the proximity, but will be prepared for nothing short of non spectacular. The service was good and our waitress was friendly. 2 months ago: My bf and I stopped into Empire Grille yesterday for lunch. We entered the restaurant and were promptly greeted with a friendly smile. We were seated right away and received our drinks quickly. We ordered the special riblet appetizer, jalapeño burger and bacon cheeseburger. The appetizer was delivered in an appropriate amount of time before our burgers arrived. All the food was delicious and our waitress was attentive and accommodating to our requests for side condiments not provided on the table. Our meal was a great value for the quality of the food received.

Cheryl Noon

Update: We wanted something close a couple nights ago and we have eaten here before. It’s not the worst food, not the best, standard run of the mill diner type restaurant here. (We are tough critics, mind you) The menu is semi limited but it is a small town. Each time we have gone there, there is only a handful of diners and the seating is pretty much carte blanche. We started with the Calamari for an app. It showed up pretty quickly, but to our surprise...it was breaded calamari sticks. That'd be a NO for us, we live in Ca, we want rings and tentacles. (We looked back at the menu and it doesn't specify "rings" or "sticks" so I guess Calamari is Calamari). My bf ordered a bacon cheeseburger without cheese. It showed up loaded with enough mayonnaise to condition your hair. The bun was cold, the fries were cold. But, it was a burger and did its job. In all honesty it's pretty much what we were expecting, so no disappointment or loss. I ordered The Beef and Bleu Salad. Now, keep in mind as it calls out on the menu for Beef Medallions. What actually showed up was, wilted lettuce with a non modest amount of bleu cheese, and a medium well steak that was supposed to be rare (Notice I said “steak”which is far different from a medallion.) We ate most of it as we were hungry, and we reminded ourselves of why it's a run of the mill place. I'm sure at some point we may grab a burger there for lunch or something due the proximity, but will be prepared for nothing short of non spectacular. The service was good and our waitress was friendly. 2 months ago: My bf and I stopped into Empire Grille yesterday for lunch. We entered the restaurant and were promptly greeted with a friendly smile. We were seated right away and received our drinks quickly. We ordered the special riblet appetizer, jalapeño burger and bacon cheeseburger. The appetizer was delivered in an appropriate amount of time before our burgers arrived. All the food was delicious and our waitress was attentive and accommodating to our requests for side condiments not provided on the table. Our meal was a great value for the quality of the food received.

Prices on the bill were 1-2$ more per item than the menu. Fries were great. Had a hair on my burger but just ate around it. Was pretty decent otherwise. Just one bathroom in the place, seemed like they could use another one. But it was clean and smelled good. $9 for a pint of beer. 💁

Another Thing

Prices on the bill were 1-2$ more per item than the menu. Fries were great. Had a hair on my burger but just ate around it. Was pretty decent otherwise. Just one bathroom in the place, seemed like they could use another one. But it was clean and smelled good. $9 for a pint of beer. 💁