Restaurant Review of Empire Cafe in Houston
24 07 2007
My mom treated me to lunch at Empire Cafe while I was visiting her in Houston. My mom lives in Friendswood, which is a town about forty five minutes south of Houston, an area where many of the astronauts live. Mom says some days she’ll find an excuse to come to Houston just so she can eat at Empire Cafe, located in the heart of the Montrose area.
The restaurant is open and sunny, (what Empire calls a “European atomosphere”) with plenty of outdoor seating…although personally I don’t know why anyone would go out of their way to sit outside on an oppressively humid summer day in Houston! Several walls are home to a group of fabulous, large vintage looking paintings of pin up and burlesque ladies, (none of which are risque or unfamily friendly, in case you were wondering), and one wall in the back is lined with polaroids of their “customer of the week.”
Menu
Empire has all the fancy type coffee drinks you’d expect from a European style joint. Their vegetarian friendly breakfast options include things like Italian polenta, Irish oatmeal, a long list of egg specialties such as the ”Hunters Style” (on foccacia bread with crimini mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, served with cheddar hash browns and fruit) and omeletes and a ”Spinaci Fritatta”. Vegetarian lunch options include an eggplant panini, pizzas on white or whole wheat crust, pastas, and a vegetable griglia.
Mom and I stopped by around breakfast time, and I ordered a “Verdi” where my two eggs came on a spinach nest of garlic and olive oil, and came with the sides of cheddar hash browns and fresh fruit. It was great. I’m not always a huge fan of hash browns (I know, I know, I’m maybe the only person on earth who’s not a big fan of potatoes), but I loved the cheddar hash browns. The food was delicious and elegantly presented. The cinnamon pastry my mom started off with was huge and decadent.
I would not have any complaints about stopping by Empire again the next time I’m in Houston.
Pros
I’m a sucker for the art on the walls
Plenty of vegetarian and omnivoric (is that a word?) options and coffee drinks.
Lots of outdoor seating.
Cons
Not a great selection of vegan options.
Contact Info
1732 Westheimer Rd
713-528-5282
