Empire Building,
5-6 Leicester Square,
Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7NA
0871 971 6123
Note: Calls cost 10p per min plus network extras.
The ViewLondon Review
Take a chance on the Casino at the Empire, where you can feel glam without having to spend loads of cash.
The Venue
Think all glam, all the time. Split over two floors, the former home to the Empire Ballroom hosts two restaurants, the dark and trendy Flame and the bright and ultra-modern FuLuShou. There’s also the Shadow Bar, packed full of people grooving on the light-up dance floor, and the Icon Room, full of candles, squishy low red sofas and VIPs.
The gaming area is on the ground floor, with a spread of dozens of shiny slot machines and smooth tables. The men and women behind the tables are equally as beautiful as the glamorous showgirls that weave between them. Overall the effect is glitzy and just over-the-top enough.
The Atmosphere
As this is currently the hottest new casino London, the crowd (unsurprisingly) is partially made up of rich City types showing their clients a good time. And like the capital’s other casinos, you can expert some mysterious mafia types, trophy wives and a stag party or two. If those aren’t the types of people you normally prefer to hang out with, however, don’t let the crowd put you off. The venue is so huge that you can happily move through the varying groups - just make sure you’re glammed up and they’ll be none the wiser.
The Music
If you’re in the mood to dance head upstairs to the Shadow Bar and throw some shapes to the sounds of low key jazz or DJs spinning everything from underground to top 40. Weekends see the sequin-covered showgirls performing Vegas-style song and dance routines. If you’re there for serious gambling, however, the slot and table area has some inoffensive music wafting through the air, not quite lift standard but pretty much guaranteed not to disturb the hardcore table players.
The Food
Head to Flame for hearty steaks and grills (all that dice rolling can really work up an appetite) and FuLuShou for lighter, pan-Asian fare. The Thai vegetable spring rolls are perfectly crunchy finger food, while the lo mein style noodles are filling and not too greasy. Skip the desserts in the restaurants and cross the floor to Mocha, a cute little ice cream bar where your flavours are mixed together in front of you on a marble slab. Top up your creation with some crumbled biscuits or a handful of jelly babies.
The Drink
With a total of three bars, one right in the middle of the slot machines, there’s no surprise that the folk at the casino don’t want you to go a minute without a drink in your hand. Although the cocktails aren’t terribly creative, the bar staff are competent and can pretty much put together something to match your mood – and of course, if you’re celebrating a win, champagne is a must.
The Last Word
Even if you’re not a gambling man (or woman), the Casino at the Empire is still worth a try. If one bar or restaurant isn’t to your taste, it’s no effort at all to move on to the next one. As far as people watching goes, there’s definitely a high glam factor. And who knows? You might just get lucky.