Empire Banqueting & Conference Hall
Conference center Empire Banqueting & Conference Hall, 1 Foundry Ln, Leicester LE1 3WU, United Kingdom:
86 reviews
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Address: 1 Foundry Ln, Leicester LE1 3WU, United Kingdom
Website: the-empire.co.uk
Phone number: +44 116 220 1129
GPS coordinates
Latitude: 52.6427377Longitude: -1.1287027
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reviews
Andres Dominges
If I could give zero star I would, wedding cancelled due COVID which was bad enough, the owner then refused to give deposit back, then he actually tried to scam yes scam the rest of the money out of us for the hall.
Hamza the owner is a low life scammer that has tried to make money of couples during the COVID pandemic.
1 month ago
Shana M
This place is probably good for any function..!!!
9 months ago
T M
AVOID BOOKING THIS PLACE!!! There is a total lack of professionalism and they are extremely sneaky when it comes to money. My wedding got cancelled due to COVID-19, and despite the CMA providing guidance to confirm our deposit should have been refunded, the Empire have relied on "loopholes" to weasle their way out of returning our deposit.
When you initally book them they will come across co-operative, however they will then add charges for items which were fully discussed prior to the booking. Unfortunately we have lost our deposit, even though it was not our fault in any way. They have attempted to justify their actions by stating they have incurred various costs in relation to our booking, althought it appears as though they have just listed various services (which they have not provided) as a sneaky way to retain the deposit. Numerous guidance by the CMA and articles in the news advise that our deposit should have been returned. I have complained to the CMA and to Trading Standards, therefore if you are in a similar situation please do the same. So then the Empire can be punished for their immoral actions.
I would strongly advise to AVOID THE EMPIRE!!!
1 month ago
pat rohan
Had a Christmas works do here in 2016. We all had a great time. Food was good and entertainment and disco also. Only downside the Toilets needed attending more.
10 months ago
anime Weeaboo
The empire hall in itself is a majestic venue, incredible features and just perfect for a wedding. The empire also did the decor and designed it with such elegance it was a sight to behold.
The management staff especially Hamza was very friendly and accommodated our every wish. They dealt with us with such professionalism the wedding process became a lot more smoother.
Would definitely recommend this venue.
6 months ago
KayLee Voorhies
Gorgeous Gothic backdrop set inside the former church. The beautiful architecture has been preserved both inside and out, and accentuated with clever spot lighting and luxurious chandeliers. Seating, kitchen & toilet facilities are good and the rear choir balcony offers an excellent view of the hall. Catering & waiting staff were private, but the dining experience in such a historic setting was sublime.
2 months ago
Josh Tendler
Excellent staff a privilege to have been there..
1 month ago
Olesya Sting
Absolutely lovely place! Easy to get to, ok parking in the area adjacent.
2 months ago
JORGE HERNANDEZ
Empire is a beautiful venue, we wanted a rustic feel for our wedding mixed with elegance and richness, it’s a bonus with the venue being so local which made our families lives easier. Hamza and Fatima were both very helpful and made sure our day ran smoothly on the day. Would definately recommend this venue if you want a beautiful rustic venue at your doorstep.
3 months ago
Sabrina Lynn
Our wedding started 830 in the morning and reception was at 6pm. Everything - top to bottom was done perfectly! Everyone loved the venue and how unique it was. Can’t thank the staff enough for doing everything we requested...helped out even with the smallest stuff, and always replied back quickly. 100% recommended if you want an unforgettable event.
Thank you for everything, Riky and Manisha ????
2 months ago
Patty Griffin
The Empire Banqueting hall is a lovely building, but the experience was poor due to the party we attended. Appreciate this was a third party event
4 months ago
Pat Mistak
Came here for the vintage fair. Was a great time! Absolute chaos, but surprisingly well organised chaos! Really cool venue l, the interior is really unique and I still am in shock that this place isn't a church, for years I always passed it and just wrote it off as an old big church. Would definitely attend another event here or organise one to be here.
6 months ago
Rebecca B
Beautiful venue. Best in Leicester. Perfect for weddings and receptions. Beautiful lighting
6 months ago
Nick Avery
Really lovely Masha'Allah. The in house decorators are amazing.
2 weeks ago
Richard Meyer
Amazing location, came for a Christmas party and the food was terrible, pre warmed, overcooked, the carrots tasted tinned, have had better food in hospital, absolutely disgusting, awful service, at least an hour between courses. We were packed in like lemmings and the bar was understaffed. The toilets were not pretty. The roulette tables, aren't my thing but cool if you want them, although they looked poorly made and cheap. Didn't appreciate the sales leaflets on the table trying to sell everything from holidays to I dont know what. Fire eater cool, stilt walkers good. Saw one of the waitresses using her hands to move food from one plate to another.
Do not come here for a Christmas party, this was the worst I have ever been to.
2 weeks ago
Norma Dunson
Nice old church, do weddings etc, parking as well, great time had all round!!????????????
2 months ago
Cara French
Came for the Vintage £15 kilo event, was a bit disappointed to see that the once beautiful church had been converted into a venue on what looks like the quick and cheap, wires visible on the walls, speakers that fuzzed because they weren't meant for an open area of that size and very tacky lighting fixtures that flickered, clearly not enough thought had been put into the conservation of this magnificent building and more thought into it making money
2 months ago
Justine N
Food is awesome, music is too bassy, very friendly staff.
2 months ago
Karen Bembridge
Lovely venue. Definitely worth the money
2 weeks ago
Drema Davis
Good venue and accommodates large numbers. Parking is available but limited and you have to get there early to get a spot
2 months ago
Jeremy Vazquez
Perfect place to have your special day
1 month ago
Barry Carroll
The guy who owns this place has an attitude problem. His wife is easier to deal with however. Sort your self out mate. You're extremely annoying and lack basic people skills.
8 months ago
Terry Callaway
They have cancelled my friend's wedding ,they didn't respect the contract and they are not offering a refund either .
What a disgusting thing to do.
3 months ago
Jacob Pugh
Very beautiful venue with dramatic lighting. Huge hall for large parties. Nowhere pretty outside but large car park available. Great for weddings and functions.
2 months ago
Thomas Rooney
Attended a wedding here. Toilets were clean. Was very beautiful inside. Gives you a sense of being back in time with the bricked walls. Very traditional and beautiful. From the outside it looks like a small castle. And it's on Memory Lane' which suits it very well considering lots of great memories are created here.
2 weeks ago
Brandon Fisher
Beautiful old building given a new lease of life. Tastefully done too. We had our Christmas party here and it was fun without being too serious.
2 weeks ago
Cynthia Love
Went here for a Chinese/Indian wedding. It was a very good venue. Lots of space and a great atmosphere. I particularly liked the cultural mix of a old British Church combined with the Indian and Chinese ceremony.
2 weeks ago
Priya Sivanathan
I had my wedding reception at Empire last month. Fatima and the team were great they have been on hand for advice and support for the last 10 months to help make my wedding reception memorable and they sure did. The venue speaks for it self its elegant, regal and when your guests arrive they will in ore of the sheer beauty. I had 350 guests and there was plenty of room aswell as a big dancefloor. Best decision I made out of all the venues I seen. Thanks Fatima and Ibrahim for all your help and support.
8 months ago
Etty Benitzhak
Great night out, just happens to also be where my parents married 50+ yes ago
1 month ago
Sarah foster
Nice banqueting hall made from an old church,which helps with nice atmosphere.
4 months ago
Josh Hertel
Enjoyed wedding very nice
6 months ago
Michael McConnell
Fatima and her team were excellent. I cannot praise the service, connections and general advice that was offered when needed highly enough. Planning a wedding is daunting enough and honest answers are sometimes needed. We had a budget and Fatima helped us stick to it. As a personal bit of advice having been through it now, Open and clear instructions are a must for the day itself. People can't read your mind! Our photos are amazing - inside and out, our guest found it easily enough and a car park is available to hire, all of our guests were wowed by the interior and I'd do it all over again at this venue, no questions! Enjoy your experience with The Empire :)
Anita & Tristan Dennis
8 months ago
scott kovanda
Went to my nieces wedding on Saturday, it is a very beautiful building inside and the atmosphere inside was really great, car parking wasn't that convenient, a man was standing outside pointing directions.
7 months ago
Ron Ron
BEWARE THE OWNERS!! Whilst the venue is very nice, the owners Fatima and Ibrahim are very shady and you'd be best to pay extra and hire another venue. Recently used this for 2 events and they refused to give the deposit back due to some highly questionable points in their contract. They'll say whatever they can to make sure that they are never in the wrong with the local authority. Beware that you cannot do a civil ceremony on the same day as a religious ceremony in this venue, no matter what they tell you, they are in breach of their licencing if they say otherwise. If you go ahead and do this, understand that they will not help you in any way whatsoever if an issue is raised with the registrar service.
You'll be lucky to get your venue and toilets completely clean, despite what they say, make sure you take plenty of pictures and make note of everything that is discussed with them prior to your event and get them to sign and date it.
Their supposed employees also have no regard for disabled children, having seen first hand one of them verbally attack someone for sitting in the office.
The hassle from these two is not worth it, hire a different venue and save yourself a lot of trouble.
6 months ago
Joe Filbeck
Amazing place for events. Food from Rafiq catering was amazing too
9 months ago
Delia Hunt
Nice venue for those special occasions
4 months ago
Steven Kelly
My son had his Walima celebration here and 4 months on every guest still say how much they enjoyed it all. This venue is stunning inside. This venue gives your event an almost regal feel. We had our do during the day in summer, so the ambiance and lighting was just right. I think for an evening do, its worth checking the lighting.We would have liked some tv screens dotted around the room so guest can see whats happening at the front or we can load some family photos etc. But they're minor gripes, and maybe something to consider to make the venue even better. Outside, the location may be an issue, but the inside more than makes up for it. We found Fatima very helpful and easy to deal with. Would we recommend it. Massive yes.
2 weeks ago
Canh Bui
This a great venue and all our guests loved it. Fatima and Ibrahim are very professional and to the point. They delivered everything they promised and catered to our last minute changes such as adding additional seating and extending the party on the day. Reasonably priced venue against other competitors which is why we chose it and also something different.
Thanks
Nav and Sanj
2 weeks ago
Brian Hailey
Beautiful location!! Our original wedding venue was cancelled and Hamza and a recommended caterer Minesh helped us! They were so kind, reassuring and fair! They could easily have ripped us off due to our very last minute booking but instead they were so reassuring and kind especially to my wife who was really upset! The made the day so magical and helped us organise a memorable event. Great team!
5 months ago
Ghassan Fakhri
Exactly what you need for your event.
1 month ago
Chip Taylor
Awful service, worst wedding event ever, the waiters missed out serving the desserts to my table, when I approached the head waiter to serve the dessert to our table he made a terrible comment. Then never served the dessert. Awful food, the worst I have ever had at any wedding. Do not ever book this venue for your wedding or any other event. Most of the guests complained of the food quality and service. Some left and had a Mc Donalds on way home. The staff was mostly young inexperienced 16, 17 year olds who have no experience of serving the food to the tables, or clearing the tables after the food has been served.
5 months ago
Marie Crone
Small cosy looks great . Great for small functions
4 months ago
Emrick Crosby
Great location great staff easy access and best of all really tasty well presented food would recommend.
4 months ago
Gail Topps
Nice venue with reasonable quality food for mass catering. The toilets are very poor and freezing in winter.
2 weeks ago
Lisa Journey
Large hall with good facilities. Lots of parking at nearby car park. Limited street parking.
4 months ago
DeAndress Green
Amazing building
11 months ago
Evan Burns
Excellent value
2 weeks ago
Preston Blake
From the first time we stepped into the Empire, we knew we wanted to get married inside it.
The atmosphere on the day of the wedding was amazing and the venue was set up just as requested. Fatima was on hand to answer all sorts of queries and questions from the outset and her team worked hard to set up early morning and also completely changed the layout of the venue as requested for our reception party later that evening!
The venue has such a good central location which has hotels close by and parking for lots and lots of guests!
We had such a memorable, magical day at the Empire!
Best wishes, Chani & Nav Sandhu x
9 months ago
Jose Romero
When my little brother found a special lady to be part of the rest of his life, I was ecstatic. To give the Happy couple a chance to relax and meet their guests, as a family we decided to extend celebrations and hold a reception party, a day after the wedding.
My other half always wanted the venue used for her sisters wedding. So it was good she managed to secretly takeover the reception arrangements. St. Marks Church is a naturally beautiful building. I was glad my wife got her way and luckily the church was also available for that Sunday in February.
The church provides the ideal environment on it’s own and we wanted to keep the ‘historic’ feel – so we decided on limited decorations. We had family and friends’ attending from and outside of Leicester and all feedback on the venue was positive – words like ‘beautiful’ ‘atmospheric’ ‘perfect’ and ‘picturesque’ come to mind.
As the first major family event we’ve helped to organise, I really believe St. Marks Church played a very important part in making the day special for the Happy couple and all the guests.
Thank you all from the Empire, for the support in holding the event and making the process so smooth!
Best Wishes Jayant & Nini
5 months ago
Shay Palmer
Nice little venue.
3 months ago
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