This month my dining experience took me to a newer restaurant in downtown Naperville called Empire Burger, located on the beautiful Naperville Riverwalk at 40 W. Chicago Ave. They’re open every day for lunch and dinner and after dinner. They have convenient valet parking for $7 from 5-11PM on Wednesday through Saturday. The atmosphere in the restaurant is lively with rooftop seating over-looking the DuPage River.
Empire is the only restaurant in the Chicagoland suburbs with a retractable rooftop deck. Open mic night is Tuesday, Trivia night is Wednesday and they bring in bands on Saturday nights to perform after 9PM.
Now for food. For my entree I choose the Empire Burger which is made with 50/50 bacon burger, egg, spring mix, cream cheese, green onion and maple bourbon syrup. The burger was cooked to medium and was juicy and full of flavor. The combination of the bacon burger, egg and syrup made me think I was having a fancy breakfast sandwich. All of Empire’s burgers are ½ lb. and served on a yummy pretzel bun and come with your choice of fries or chips.
You can also swap the burger out for a chicken or veggie patty for an additional $1. I choose the homemade fries which were mouthwatering delicious.
My mom and Brad ordered appetizer “Bites” which easily can be your full meal and that is what they did. They ordered the Burger Cigars which were certified Agnus beef and pimento cheese encased in a spring roll, drizzled in honey with chili garlic aioli and topped with green onions. Next they tried the Poutine fries which consisted of French fries with fried mozzarella chunks, cheddar cheese, gravy, bacon and topped with sour cream. This was by far Brad’s favorite. Being from Canada, the gravy made Brad feel at home.
The next time you’re strolling along the Riverwalk and are in the mood for a unique dining experience, check out Empire Burgers and tell them Jack the Foodie sent you. Until next month, keep exploring new places and eating and remember happy tummies make happy people.
