Emperor Restaurant | Wedding and Events

We visited Emperor Restaurant and were absolutely delighted! 💫 The food was simply amazing - everything was delicious, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The atmosphere was festive and elegant, and the staff were attentive and friendly. It’s the perfect place for celebrations, weddings, or just a lovely dinner in good company. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates great food and excellent service! 🍷✨

I am absolutely blown away by my experience at Imperator Restaurant! From the very first moment, I was greeted with the kindest, most attentive service. The staff were incredibly professional, warm, and welcoming — making me feel truly special and cared for throughout the evening. The atmosphere in the restaurant was magical — elegant, cozy, and full of charm. Every corner of the space radiated comfort and celebration. The ambiance was further elevated by the wonderful live musicians who filled the room with joy and energy, creating a festive mood that made the whole evening unforgettable. And the food… oh, the food! It was a true culinary delight. The Ukrainian and European cuisine served here is out of this world — every dish was cooked to perfection, rich in flavor, and presented beautifully. You can truly taste the love and skill that goes into every bite. A very special thank you to the incredibly talented photographer, who went above and beyond to fulfill every wish with such professionalism and creativity. Every photo captured the spirit of the evening so perfectly! Imperator is a place where every detail is thought through, and where every guest is treated like royalty. I couldn’t recommend it more highly — this restaurant is a gem and an experience I’ll treasure forever.

Only fantastic and positive things to say about this restaurant , owner and staff <3 We have been coming to Emperor for years, from regular Saturday nights out, to family/friend parties, and most recently- our Wedding!! The owner Lilya and her staff, especially Bogdan, were the most patient and kind people I have worked with. They listened to every request I had, and even if they were not able to accommodate it, they would make sure that there is another alternative. The food is absolutely amazing- fresh and tasty. The music and ambiance is a 10/10, and this is truly one of the best restaurants in Philadelphia!!!!

We went with Emperor Restaurant catering for my event this weekend. To say that we were blown away by the quality of everything - from planning, food, service, and creative touch is an understatement. This team is (from my experience) the most detail-oriented and special in this area! The servers really made everything we envisioned come to life, and they were so willing to work with us to make the event unique and special. Chef was amazing, food was amazing, presentation was amazing! Highly recommend for catering!

The food and service is amazing! We had the restaurant cater a party at our house and it was beyond what we expected. Not only was the food so delicious, but the service was very helpful. Set up and clean up was so fast and professional. It truly allowed us to enjoy our event with no worries and be able to be in the moment with our guests. We will use then again and again.

We were very pleased with the catering provided by Emperor for our Post Wedding Garden Party. Liliya was fantastic! She helped with the planning, made suggestions, always worked with our ideas, was able to make everything work. The food was delicious and plentiful. The servers were very professional. I can’ t say enough about the entire service!

I want to thank the Emperor restaurant for celebrating my anniversary. Everything was at the highest level - food, service, music. It was tasty, fun and comfortable for us. Thank you very much. You are professionals in your field. Keep it up.

The food was excellent. It's a beautiful restaurant. Wait staff are attentive and work hard. Music selection was enjoyable. We had a great time!

Delicious, freshly prepared food, fast service, and courteous staff. Conveniently located.

Love the food, service, used to love live music there. Lately not a fan of the choice of music. Maybe it changes based on the customers that night, not sure.

I had a memorial lunch here for 30 people on a recent Sunday in August. My experience far exceeded my expectations (I had been here 5.5 years ago for a similar occasion, under previous ownership). To arrange things, I had worked with the owner, Lilia; she was very service-oriented and made everything very easy. I chose the $115/person menu option. (By the time you account for 15% service charge and taxes, it ends up being $132/person.) It is not inexpensive, but the amount, variety and quality of food were outstanding and I found the price reasonable, given what was delivered. The service by two people was equally beyond reproach: attentive, timely, smooth but not intrusive, annoying or overbearing. We could take our time; no one tried to pressure us to leave, and at the end, the remaining food was very nicely packaged by the two servers and then brought out to our vehicle to take home. The interior of the restaurant has been nicely revamped; it's very clean, and there is ample parking. I highly recommend it.

Couldn't recommend this place any higher. We hosted memorial services here after a death in a family and we had to book something within 24 hours. From the making arrangements with the manager, to the quality of food and service, everything at Emperor was excellent. They helped us pay respects in a respectable way, while ensuring all our guests had a good time.

We had our wedding there this past Sunday, and the owner, along with the entertainment and staff went above and beyond to make sure we had the absolute best wedding reception ever. The music never stopped and the food was beautifully prepared. We could not have asked for a better place to celebrate our marriage at! Not our first time celebrating at this restaurant, but this was definitely the most memorable and amazing experience ever! This won't be our last time booking this restaurant thanks to Liliya, Yura, and Vasyl!

Amazing place! We were celebrating friend's birthday. He ordered banquet style. Everything was delicious and so much food. The service was exceptional! Restaurants lately have forgotten how to treat a customer. The service we received at Emperor was really out of this world. The music was really popping. The restaurant was fully booked but the singers made sure to give everyone celebrating a special mention through out the night. Highly recommend Emperor

Doesn't look like much when you walk past , but inside the restaurant wooow and all foods are delicious I highly recommend to everyone

I have a hard time appraising Russian restaurants because almost always they fall way short of what I'm expecting. I was here for a big event and the one really positive thing that stood out to me was the service. The waiter on our side of the table was really attentive and made sure that we all had what we needed. When we needed something brought out he made sure it was out quickly. I imagine our dinner was at least a hundo a plate and the food didn't taste that great. It was just completely unremarkable. The entertainment was also alright; parents and grandparents seemed to enjoy it so that's good.

We felt unwelcome from the moment we came in to the very end. Waiters do not notice you. We had to get up and get our own water and ice or we would not have any. Half of the menu items were not available. The music was two guys with laptop and keyboard.

Probably the best Russian restaurant in Philadelphia. Great food, live music, friendly staff what else can you ask for well yes and it is BYOB so if you are looking to dance the whole night away this is the place to do it. I had my wedding here, my friends had weddings, New Years parties etc. all the time Monya the owner will greet you in a pleasant demeanor will help you pick out the menu that fits your budget and will give you the best deal. The amounts of food they bring out is incredible starting from dozens of different cold cuts, salted fish including Lox and salads, to kabobs Chilean sea bass and pilov. The music is amazing Silva and Yuriy are great they have a chemistry on stage and sing their heart out every time. The dance floor is pretty big and always has some one dancing. The restaurant has plenty of free parking

This place cannot compare to GG's. For 1, the music is not prerecorded and is actually performed live....like LIVE music is supposed to be performed. The entertainers are energetic, talented, soulful and most importantly do their job and entertain, not just look pretty on stage. But because this is a foodie-driven site, I must say the calamari & shellfish salad is fantastic. Aside from the mass-marketed "Russian restaurant" food, Emperor has various delicacies not found elsewhere. The chicken & mushroom alfredo crepes will leave you speechless. Emperor puts a new spin on shish-kebobs...by actually putting meat on their skewers, instead of spiced fat like most of their kind. From decor to entertainment to food to the caliber of attendee's, Emperor is the best Russian restaurant, this side of Bustelton Ave =) PS- B.Y.lots of your O.B.

The food was not delicious. The a la cart menu didn't have the expected items like olivie. Definitely overpriced. The service was non-existent. We didn't have a dedicated waiter. And nobody's was checking on our table regularly. When we paid with cash, the waiter came back asking for a different $100 bill. When asked why, he said he didn't know, it was the owner who asked for it. Unprofessional, strange, unwelcoming. We won't be returning.

Been here a bunch of times. Definitely our "go to" place for special occasions. We had our wedding here and had a wonderful experience, and a great opportunity to meet with the staff. Monya (the owner) was very generous and included a TON of food! A lot of food is standard at Russian restaurants, but he went above and beyond. Even our guests who regularly attend banquets like ours were impressed with the spread. Silvia (the singer and MC) was an absolute gem. She spent so much time with us, ensuring that every detail was addressed and executed wonderfully. She also has an amazing voice and repertoire that is surely the best I've ever heard. I couldn't have been happier with her performances and selections. I know she has a following, and now I know why - simply terrific! The food is delicious as well - especially the mushroom crepes, the kabobs, the foie gras, the salads, and the lamb chops. Also worth mentioning was Alex (the waiter) - he helped us so much making sure everything was just the way we wanted it to be. Lots of free parking, but call first to check if they're open, and to see if Silvia is singing when you go! Looking forward to celebrating our next special event here.

I don't usually write reviews, but I had to for this.. Do not get them catering for anything! They catered for my brothers wedding and it was a fail! They get paid a lot of money and they don't do their job! First of all, the plov was raw! It was like eating sunflower seeds, that's how hard the rice was! Second, they didnt clean up the kitchen after themselves, we had to stay after the wedding and do it. And last, they forgot like 10 plates and a bag full of the cloth napkins, that we dropped of for them.

Could get any better! I love the singers, food and service!! Had my 21st birthday here, it was definitely a day to remember! The prices are not even that high for such a high quality restaurant. The program in general is very entertaining. The music is always great and you actually do not have to order a song in order to hear a good one!! Would definitely be celebrating more parties here!!

Emperor Restaurant is a very elegant place, where you need to dress to impress. When you come there you are greeted by a "concierge" who is ready to take your coat (for a small price of $1) Once you enter the restaurant you see a beautifully decorated place. Basic evening at Emperor Restaurant consists of live music, possibly a show and any where from 3 to 10 course dinner (depending on what menu options you choose). Food is very tastefully prepared. It is a good place to celebrate B-days, Weddings, Anniversary, etc etc. Definitely recommending to try it out of you have never been there before

A Golden Gates wanna be that falls on its face. Everything here is just a few notches down. The music is not varied, so if you want to hear something other than Russian music, you're out of luck... not to mention that its not very well performed . The food is ok, but of mass produced quality and there is less than what you would usually expect at a Russian restaurant. The only thing this place has up on GG is that there is dramatically less stupid drunk teenagers, puffing out their chests, starting fights because someone looked at their girlfriend funny.

We had a New Year's Eve party here. It was the worst experience ever. The main course was served at 3 am. We were starving and were filling up on cold horrible appetizers. Permomers on stage were so messed up and couldn't even make a proper count down to midnight there were counting from 1-12 not from 10 to 0. The worst service and ignorance by waiters. I will never step my foot in there eve and will keep on spreading a "good word". I am Russian and new year celebration is very important to me. I was ashamed that I invited friends there. Shame on you MONYA you are the worst restaurant owner and organizer. Evgenia

Make sure you call the right restaurant or else you'll get yelled at by the person taking your order! Glad I wasn't ordering from your restaurant if that's the way I'm treated for making an honest mistake.