Empire Kitchen & Cocktails
Restaurant · Midtown ·
American bistro with a sunny patio, pizza, and cocktails
American bistro with a sunny patio, pizza, and cocktails
"A restaurant whose critical reception became a major local story after a particularly harsh review in the Detroit Free Press and the establishment's response, a controversy that continued to generate conversation for months." - Brenna Houck
"A paint-by-numbers American bistro that feels entirely generic and risk-averse, offering dishes easily found in better forms nearby; the critic dismissed it as a hollow echo of more interesting neighborhood options and lamented its placement near a homeless shelter as an uncomfortable example of gentrification rather than a meaningful addition to the local dining scene." - Monica Burton
"Opened in May by Michael Abrams and partners as a self-styled “American-style bistro and bar,” the restaurant received a scathing Detroit Free Press critique that called it a “paint-by-numbers restaurant concept” and “a hollow echo” of downtown trends, largely despised the food, and pointed out the odd juxtaposition of sipping $13 cocktails on the patio “a stone’s throw from a homeless shelter.” Abrams says he was taken aback by the brutal review but defends the concept as intentionally approachable for nearby residents of The Scott, explaining the deliberately small, broad-appeal menu (burgers, pizzas) and his long history selling burgers; he insists “our pizzas are great. I think our burgers are great” and that he’s proud of the restaurant after years in the business. While he isn’t planning to change the restaurant’s format or menu, he may encourage a bit more creativity going forward, and he notes relatively strong crowdsourced scores (about 4.7 stars on Google and 4 stars on Yelp)." - Brenna Houck
"Two months after opening at the base of the Scott luxury-apartment building in Brush Park, this American-style bistro and bar was panned by Detroit Free Press critic Mark Kurlyandchik as bland, derivative and poorly executed. The walnut-paneled dining room with garage-door–style windows leans into a trendy, paint-by-numbers aesthetic, but the food and value fall short: a supposedly charred Caesar salad arrived with “stone-solid” croutons; a monkey-bread dessert had a rock‑hard exterior and raw-dough interior; and a flatbread (and later the pizza) exhibited an “almost moldy” off‑flavor. A few items—the spicy chicken sandwich and a kale salad—were singled out as acceptable, but overall the critic described the concept as a hollow echo of other Detroit restaurants that takes no risks and warned that its trite approach could be problematic if it becomes successful." - Brenna Houck
"Beginning Monday, June 18 I saw that Empire Kitchen & Cocktails in Brush Park is launching a happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; the walnut-paneled “American bistro” will feature $3 draft and domestic bottled beers, $6 house wine pours and cocktails, plus discounted food deals like half-off spiced cauliflower and $5-off wings and pizza." - Brenna Houck