Empire Slice House

[no1cub17]

My god that is great!!! Maybe (gulp) KD and Russ will actually stay here when their current deals are up? Imagine that.

Finally got to try it out today. Service was good, not amazing, but good enough. Pizza was so-so, again not great but not bad either. Love the vibe though, and the beer selection is fantastic. Plenty of craft beer but enough "normal" stuff to keep simple palates like mine satisfied.. In fact I wish this place was closer to DD - if that were the case I'd be there on the regular.

[kevinpate]

Are they actually staying open until 2 am?
Do they have pizza after 12:30 a.m.?

[Plutonic Panda]

Are they actually staying open until 2 am?
Do they have pizza after 12:30 a.m.?

I was in there until 1:30(ish)am a week or two ago, and they had pizza.

[kevinpate]

Good to know. I was thinking about popping in early early this am. My lovely's flight back from a cuddling g-babies trip was delayed over two hours before departing DEN.

Once her bags were the car though, all she wanted was home and a pillow. Between our lil' darlin's being right happy to see Nana, and finishing crocheting 64 crochet blocks together for Ollie's blankie, Nana was a wee bit spent.

Another night, canned soda notwithstanding.

[Pete]

Photo from Spartan:

[Urbanized]

Having eaten at Empire maybe 10 times now, I would highly recommend one thing. If you have time and several people, instead of getting by-the-slice pizza, agree on a pie or a half-and-half and get one made from scratch. Their by-the-slice pizza just rates "good" to "very good" in my book, due to the fact that it is made and then held under a heat lamp until purchased. You are at the whim of demand.

If you happen to be there during a time when the flavor you desire is flying off of the shelf and you get something hot out of the oven, you'll be very happy. But if demand isn't high at the moment on the type you want and it has been sitting around for a while, you might be a little underwhelmed. I prefer the method used at Sauced (I have no connection to Sauced and actually go to Empire far more often however). Sauced's way of pre-prepping and pre-cooking blank slices, then topping to order and finishing in an oven just makes for fresher-tasting slices in most instances.

That said, if you go to Empire and order a whole pie, I will place it up against any pizza in OKC. It is absolutely delicious. Trust me, go when you can order a whole pie.

[RadicalModerate]

imho, That ^ was one of the best, most pragmatic and practical reviews of [what used to be the next big thing] that I have encountered. Thank you.
Previously, I was on the fence about making a trip down to the vicinity of Empire Slice House. Now it is on my Definitely Do list.
I know exactly what you are referring to when you say that "by the slice" puts you at "the whim of demand". Perfect.
(I had the same feeling about Falcone's before it faded into pizza history).

Since it is extremely unlikely that I would be with a group large enough to eat an entire pizza, I would probably order one, eat a couple of slices and take the rest home. I would hope that it reheats well from the 'fridge.

[Pete]

Going tonight for the first time. Looking forward to it!

Well, the first time to actually eat anyway.

[Urbanized]

...Since it is extremely unlikely that I would be with a group large enough to eat an entire pizza, I would probably order one, eat a couple of slices and take the rest home. I would hope that it reheats well from the 'fridge.

It does reheat very nicely. I've not ordered a whole pie when visiting solo, but even two people are unlikely to finish one. Went with a co-worker and we barely ate half. So you'll definitely have quite a bit left over, which is fine because...fridge pizza!

[Garin]

It has quickly become my favorite pizza in this city.....

[RadicalModerate]

It does reheat very nicely. I've not ordered a whole pie when visiting solo, but even two people are unlikely to finish one. Went with a co-worker and we barely ate half. So you'll definitely have quite a bit left over, which is fine because...fridge pizza!

Time for an old Math Joke:
"How would you like your pizza sliced, Sir? Six pieces or twelve pieces?"
"Better make it six. There's no way I could eat twelve."

Thanks, again, for the reminder of Empire Slice House.
Happy New Year!

P.S. =) :

[kevinpate]

Left-over pizza? You guys crack me up.

[RadicalModerate]

heh, heh, heh . . . (!)

I figure that by about June, I'll be down to 200.
To celebrate, I plan on visiting Empire Slice House.
Followed by a donut chaser from the Daylight down the street.
For just desserts.

[bluedogok]

Left-over pizza? You guys crack me up.

As I have gotten older I don't eat near as much, just can't and I am not exactly "small". We almost always have leftover pizza at most places, the thin at The Walnut Room we will finish off but for most it is another meal.

[onthestrip]

Having eaten at Empire maybe 10 times now, I would highly recommend one thing. If you have time and several people, instead of getting by-the-slice pizza, agree on a pie or a half-and-half and get one made from scratch. Their by-the-slice pizza just rates "good" to "very good" in my book, due to the fact that it is made and then held under a heat lamp until purchased. You are at the whim of demand.

If you happen to be there during a time when the flavor you desire is flying off of the shelf and you get something hot out of the oven, you'll be very happy. But if demand isn't high at the moment on the type you want and it has been sitting around for a while, you might be a little underwhelmed. I prefer the method used at Sauced (I have no connection to Sauced and actually go to Empire far more often however). Sauced's way of pre-prepping and pre-cooking blank slices, then topping to order and finishing in an oven just makes for fresher-tasting slices in most instances.

That said, if you go to Empire and order a whole pie, I will place it up against any pizza in OKC. It is absolutely delicious. Trust me, go when you can order a whole pie.

I was told (by a bartender) that the slices are partially cooked and then finished off/quick reheat upon ordering ala Sauced. And it makes sense because slices normally take a few minutes to get after you order.

[soonerguru]

I was told (by a bartender) that the slices are partially cooked and then finished off/quick reheat upon offering ala Sauced. And it makes sense because slices normally take a few minutes to get.

That's how they do it in NYC.

[Urbanized]

It could be that they re-heat an already-topped slice after you order, but I can tell you for a fact that it is NOT the same as Sauced or the above-described NYC slices. In those instances they pre-make "blank" pizzas with sauce and base cheese and then pre-bake, but not to the point of finished. Then when you order, they top to your specifications and then send the individual slices through the oven to finish.

In the case of Empire, they pre-make a completed pie and then hold under a lamp until you order (from a specified menu). It's possible that they re-heat, but there is no customization allowed. The pizza is done; that is why they limit you to only certain favors each day when ordering by-the-slice. Trust me on this. It might seem like a minor difference, but it IS a difference. If you want custom toppings, that is only going to happen if you order a whole pie.

[soonerguru]

It could be that they re-heat an already-topped slice after you order, but I can tell you for a fact that it is NOT the same as Sauced or the above-described NYC slices. In those instances they pre-make "blank" pizzas with sauce and base cheese and then pre-bake, but not to the point of finished. Then when you order, they top to your specifications and then send the individual slices through the oven to finish.

In the case of Empire, they pre-make a completed pie and then hold under a lamp until you order (from a specified menu). It's possible that they re-heat, but there is no customization allowed. The pizza is done; that is why they limit you to only certain favors each day when ordering by-the-slice. Trust me on this. It might seem like a minor difference, but it IS a difference. If you want custom toppings, that is only going to happen if you order a whole pie.

Sauced, maybe. But not at the good NYC slice houses. No. They usually make a cheese, a pepperoni, and a sausage. If you want more than that, whatevs. They cook them about 95 percent. Then they heat them up quickly to perfection when you order. The turnover is quick enough in a decent joint the food always tastes super fresh.

[Urbanized]

I'd like to think that I have been to some decent NYC slice houses myself, and I've seen both ways.

The fact remains that if you want Empire's best product, you should order a pie from scratch. By-the-slice is still a fine option there if you're in a hurry, but it is not as consistently great.

[BBatesokc]

I'd like to think that I have been to some decent NYC slice houses myself, and I've seen both ways.

The fact remains that if you want Empire's best product, you should order a pie from scratch. By-the-slice is still a fine option there if you're in a hurry, but it is not as consistently great.

We've eaten there several times ourselves, and I'd agree with that assessment. Also, the last time we were there I had pepperoni and they DID NOT run it through the oven again - I watched her grab it from under the heat lamp and bring it to me.

[soonerguru]

Clearly Empire is good: it has brought the OKCTalk community together. How rare is it for so many people on this board to agree on a restaurant?

[OKCRT]

Someone should do a poll. papa Angelo or Empire. These 2 seem to get the nod for NY style pizzer

[Pete]

Clearly Empire is good: it has brought the OKCTalk community together. How rare is it for so many people on this board to agree on a restaurant?

The restaurant game in OKC has come a long way in the last few years which means we are finally getting a bunch of just plain good operations, and that makes it easy to agree.

The love for the Good Egg restaurants is pretty universal, for example.

[Prunepicker]

The restaurant game in OKC has come a long way in the last few years which
means we are finally getting a bunch of just plain good operations, and that
makes it easy to agree.

The love for the Good Egg restaurants is pretty universal, for example.

This pretty much negates wanting a national chain to violate our city. There
are so many local cafes that are no less than excellent. Why would anybody
want a chain when they can get a local biz that's as superb as any Yankee
or West Coast restaurant? Seriously.

Except for the Braized Lamb Shank, OKC is as good as the 21 Club.

OKC is fab.

[Bellaboo]

Went there the other night - I'll give them a thumbs up !