Review Meat Empire - Croydon

Just loved... loved...the crumbed and grilled calamari, so tender, even my grandma would enjoy it with ease. The hot crispy hot chips with the traditional style chicken salt were yummy, the chicken and lamb were okay, but it was the thick cut, soft, deliciously seasoned calamari in the lightest of batter (well salted the way i like it) that was the star of the platter! Thanks to the team for accommodating us and being so friendly so late at night. We'll be back again to try the desserts 😊

I went here with my assistance dog to grab some lunch. I saw a couple eating what looked delicious, so asked if I could order the same and made it a meal with a coke and chips. I paid and asked if I “could also please get some water for her?( Mavis my assistance dog, who was standing flush against the solid counter in front of me)” The older Greek lady who was serving me said rather rudely “ you will need to sit outside with that dog” I replied that she was my assistance dog and asked her to move into view so she could view her harness. She replied “I don’t care you need to sit outside!” I replied again “she is an assistance dog, she is allowed inside” To which she replied “ It doesn’t matter you need to go outside with the dog!” “She is allowed everywhere by law, the same as a guide dog!” “It doesn’t matter she needs to go outside, she is a dog and this is a restaurant and she is such a big dog! You HAVE to sit outside!” By this point I was on the verge of a panic attack, and could feel ppl starting to look and becoming extremely upset and embarrassed. “I’m sorry federal law says we are allowed to sit inside if we like, she is a medical dog, it’s 40+ outside and I would like to sit inside please. It’s against the law to tell me to leave/sit outside!” She then sighed loudly rolled her eyes and told me “You can sit on the balcony there( pointing ) ok” To which I reluctantly agreed as I was on the verge of a meltdown and feeling very exposed. This isn’t ok. Owning a business you should be educated on the laws you must abide by- including assistance animals. It’s not ok to make someone have to draw unwanted attention to myself and my medical condition, putting me in a situation where I am on the verge of needing medical attention because of the situation I’d been placed. Discrimination against a person because of their disability is NEVER ok or acceptable. Ever. I’ve attached a photo of Mavis my girl while I was eating. As you can see she is very well behaved and most don’t even notice she is even there. While the food was good, we ended up getting it put into a takeaway container 1/3 of the way through as I was fighting tears, and Mavis and I went down to the local park to finish my lunch.

Delicious food! I’m not usually a big souvlaki person but thought I’d try one in a combo and it was delicious! No grisly bits in the chicken and the combo of everything was super tasty! I’m super fussy about chips and these chips were next level, really good chicken salt and perfectly cooked 👌🏻 The atmosphere was good and the food came out pretty quickly, fresh and hot. Would definitely visit again and recommended to friends.

Tasty food, portion size is very generous, the place looks like an old tuckshop & theres a bit of a wait.. But the wait is for quality food thats absolutely mouth watering, filling & fantastic. Will be back; highly recommended

Really enjoy this place! Great food (I've tried a bunch of items and never was disappointed), wonderful portion sizes, quick service. I hadn't been since pre-pandemic and went the other day. They've changed up the menu a bit but everything was even better!! They've added some fish and chips items to the menu and I'm keen to try those as well. 😋

Food was fine until we discovered a cockroach on our table - presumably had come from the salad. Spoke to staff - initially the person at the counter thought it was quite funny. Manager apologised and said there had never been such an issue before and that the cockroach could have come from anywhere. Paid near enough to $300 for a meal with bonus cockroach. Will not eat there again.

They have an opened kitchen and a huge, spacious terrace with many tables. They have candles on every table. It is really cozy and comfortable, especially in summer. They sell various kind of authentic greek food and burgers as well. You should try their baklava and empire mixed grill, it is awesome. The portions are huge and really tasty. I totally recommend this place! The staff is really kind, they can make you Lángos,a traditional hungarian street food. Best with sour cream and cheese, the classic way. Try it!

Ridiculously overpriced. Paid $18 for the smallest souvlaki I’ve ever had, the meat was extremely fatty and in the end, I still had to buy more food elsewhere as the small wrap just was not enough. $18 for a tiny souvlaki. Wouldn’t go here again purely based on cost. Food tasted fine but way too expensive for what you get

The food at Meat Empire is great unfortunately the service was lacking. I ordered 3 large chips on a Sunday night for pickup at 6:45pm.<br/><br/>I arrived on time and had to wait 15mins for my order to be cooked. I don't understand having a pickup time if you're making your customers wait, especially on a night when it was quiet and there was 3 to 4 staff members working.

We were catching up with friends and decided on Meat Empire given my husbands paleo style diet of late and the sheer convenience of being close by for all parties. Both couples decided on a platter for 2 but we made an amendment to ours given we don’t eat krabsky. Staff were happy to do extra gyros meat as a replacement.<br/><br/>We both chose mixed meat although the lamb was definitely my preferred over the chicken it just tasted a lot more flavoursome. This was accompanied by a small side of Greek salad, a little bowl of extremely lemony tzatziki and two pita breads cut into quarters. There was also a slice of saganaki which hubby loved but the real star of the plate for me were the heavenly chips.<br/><br/>They were loaded up with chicken salt and while I intended to have only a few I pretty much polished off the entire serve which definitely defeated the purpose of visiting the venue for health reasons. I don’t regret it at all though!

Have been to the meat empire numerous times now and haven’t had a bad meal yet. Great quality food, great serving sizes and reasonable prices (especially considering size of the meals). Only thing they could improve is a bigger meat>chip ratio on their platters. Nevertheless, would rate them a 4.5 if I could. We will definitely return again.

Food wasn’t too bad but also wouldn’t return in a hurry! Staff were very friendly! <br/>Ordered the platter for 2 that was not much meat and a lots of chips!

Came for dinner on a Sunday night, was early so not busy at all. Food came out quickly and was delicious, we ordered the platter for 2. I would have given it 5 stars if the serve of both the tzatziki and salad were larger, the portion was not enough for 2, otherwise it was all great.

Came here with my friend Ginger and wow it definitely didn't live up to the hype, I was expecting amazing quality but it was dry and dul. Bit of a shame, hopefully they lift their game.

We ordered the platter for two. The pitta was barely warm while there were more chips than meat. The chorizo was delicious while chicken and lamb was ok but a bit dry. The Tadziki was very ordinary and the amount of meat served was not generous but the serving of chips was generous. I guess it fills out the plate more. Overall a bit disappointing.

I had a gyros platter from here. I ordered online and it was ready and waiting in 15 minutes. The serving is massive so I hope you’re hungry! I really enjoyed the bread, dip, salad and chips. My only downside was I found both the lamb and the chicken to be really dry and overcooked.

This is a lovely establishment. On multiple visits consistency has been at a good standard. The pita used is fresh and soft, the meat is tasty and tender (both lamb and chicken) and the souvlaki is constructed in a way where it's not overfilled. I'd recommend the "empire" souvlaki, full of flavour!<br/><br/>Turning your meal into a combo for $7 is a little steep, the chips are nicely seasoned but nothing special.<br/><br/>Overall, this is one of the only places to get a good quality souvlaki in the area but it's a great place for it.

Love this place for when I feel like a good lunch. Their souvs and platters never let me down and the staff are friendly and always very accommodating to our pre-orders.

wowwwww so yummmmmmm<br/>got a hellenik pack or whateva it is...phewwww they are masssssive.....it wasnt healthy eating as much as i did, but once u start there is no stopping....yumm...<br/>probably won't buy it again for quite a while tho...purely because you eat too much = a lot of pain 😝😝

The service is very friendly but slow, we waited 30 minutes for drinks to come out. They also had run out of lamb which seemed ridiculous for a Greek place, and all of our starters and mains came out at the same time which was frustrating because we couldn’t eat it fast enough so of course everything got cold. The food however was very good. I would give them another chance may have been a bad night.

Very generous meal sizes and packed full of flavour. You wont be disappointed here if you are after a filling lunch or dinner. Great for eating in with inside amd outside tables available. A gem for Croydon!

Be prepared to walk away bursting at the seams!! The souvlakis are very generously sized but absolutely packed with flavour so too good to put down.

Got the micro platter with mixed meat. Service was fast and meat was delicious. Was a great place to go get dinner before heading to the Croydon cinemas

Waited 45 mins for a standard souvlaki other tables served before us which ordered after us <br/>Owner was very rude <br/>Went to complain and he commented I don’t have time for this!! I’m busy<br/>Food was very average aswell<br/>

Had a gyro platter to share with my wife and 3 year old. It was delicious! Sat outside on a beautiful day with some great buskers playing nearby. Croydon main st really is amazing on days like this!<br/>

I have been recommended to come here by multiple people, so I went here for some takeaway over the weekend and I was not disappointed. Welcomed into a busy restaurant, speedy and lovely, friendly service, and super tasty souvas! Even better, baklava! Will be back!

Great food, excellent service and a fantastic vibe! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a place. This isn't your average souvlaki place it's more of a restaurant.

Let's be really honest - finding an authentic, quality souvlaki and Greek cuisine in the far eastern suburbs can be a challenge but Meat Empire on the Main Street in Croydo will tick some of your boxes. Great staff, quiet & cruisy atmosphere - they were happy to let ToFeedTwo dine with a little extra canine friend who was accompanying us 🐶<br/><br/>Started with saganaki - always a treat. Souvas were great - whilst small in size they pack a lot - we had the Mediterranean (with Chicken gyros) & the Empire (with Lamb gyros). Lots of flavour and ended with our hands messy and falling apart - like every good souva does. Chips were fresh, hot & herbed - YUM! Generous servings of aioli were provided also. <br/><br/>A great place to dine in Croydon - good food & can be as casual or a bit more fancy if you wish - the restaurant has some nice touches! A highlight of Main Street!

Absolutely delicious food here! a fairly varied menu for what it is and caters to vegetarians and vegans upon request which is impressive considering the name! Everything was well cooked and not too long of a wait.

food looked good, but myself and my partner were getting takeaway and were waiting for our food, after paying $40 for the two of us, only to see that they were handling our food with no gloves on, and were touching different types of foods, which is defiantly cross contamination, we were so turned off that we couldn't eat. Will not be returning.

Seriously best souvlakia in town almost was starting to become home sick before i found out that there was a souvlaki shop near me especially one that also sells galaktoboureko haha. I ordered the Mediterranean with lamb and my god it was amazing!!!! words don't describe it you must experience this good quality greek food for your self.:)

My husband and I thought we'd try meat empire for lunch - once we ordered - we were given our can of coke then waited for 45 mins before our food was brought out to us. I did ask how much longer our order would be and was told that there were quite a few people asking for 'take always' for clearly they were served before us. This was very disappointing to be told. On a positive note the hamburger my husband ordered was huge and beautiful and my chicken souvlaki was also beautiful. Chips were rather crispy but they were ok. The waitress that served us looked like she didn't want to be there and wasn't very attentive even though we spent quite a bit for lunch. <br/>While the food was lovely - I think we might try somewhere else next time. Waiting for 45 mins for lunch anywhere is too long. <br/>Sorry guys food was lovely but service was lousy.

Omg! Best greek food I have ever eaten. Each time I am truly impressed. Great value, staff are really genuine and lovely. Always walk away feeling satisfied on all levels. Yum yum and more yum!!!

Easily the best souva in the eastern suburbs, have been here almost every week since it opened and have loved every meal. The fantasic food is backed up by the friendly staff which makes this one of my favorite places for a mid week feed. Jimmy grants has nothin on this.

Great staff, food got to me pretty quickly considering it was packed. Food is good! Maybe the meat could use more marinate but still I'd eat here again any day!!

Need to work on their takeaway game. Everything was soggy and sloppy. Nice vibes inside though - Not sure if the food is worth the price........

Amazing service. Great modern restaurant. Perfect to eat in or take away. The food was so tasty and filling. I think I have found my new fave!

Have eaten there on three separate occasions.<br/>The staff are always friendly and attentive.<br/>Great value.<br/>Fond of the chicken and lamb mix.<br/>But the platter to share is excellent.<br/>Licensed and dog friendly out front.<br/>Very good.

I went here with my partner, a spontaneous decision as the shopfront is very clean and appealing. The staff were super friendly and helped us with any questions.<br/>We ordered two burgers, both arrived prompt and were very tasty, not too meaty, and very juicy.<br/>We will be coming back here again and again!

Went here for lunch to see what it was like. Well presented, greeted nicely by staff and shop was clean and neat. Decor and atmosphere is good as well. Orders taken promptly and came out to us in good time. I had a lamb souvlaki and my wife a mini platter with lamb. Unfortunately we were disappointed with the quality of the food, chips were soggy and basic factory produced and the lamb was tough stringy and dry. Taste was ok, but not to a very good standard. Do yourself a favor and drive another 10 minutes to Ringwood and go to Jimmy Grants if you want to taste good quality Greek food for about the same money. Very disappointing.

Quality souvlaki, best in Croydon.! To top it off great service with friendly staff. Head down an check out this cool new place you won't regret it.

My wife and I have had a meal 3-4 times now, good food, fresh and a casual dining environment. Value for money with the platters and a good selection of burgers on the menu. Service can be a little slow, overall though we are very happy with the food that keeps us coming back for more.

I've enjoyed eating here many times. I love the chicken sovlakis and I always find them extremely fresh and filling! On a few occasions the owner has thrown in a small bag of chips which is a nice touch. Shared meat platter is so amazing for $17 my partner and I were so impressed! Highly recommend.

Had high hopes for this place but was thoroughly disappointed. Meat and bread were tough and dry and lacked flavour. Have had better. Much better.

They are new and trying their best to figure things out, but my first experience was pretty poor. <br/>We ordered a dips platter, spanakopita and a burger. After a lengthy wait and someone coming to check the table number and telling us it would be right out, eventually the reheated spanakopita arrived a little soggy and mildly disappointing. <br/>The burger followed a while after. <br/>An hour after we first ordered I asked for a refund on the dips platter that never came, this was met with apology as they hadn't expected to be busy that night and the reassurance that it was just being made now. we did not stick around for the dips and left rather disappointing really.

Found Meat Empire whilst wandering Main St for lunch. Fancied a souvlaki so dropped in. Ordered an 'Empire' with lamb and chicken mix. <br/><br/>Was not disappointed. Fresh taste with great flavours and a generous portion size. It is a little on the expensive side for Croydon but the taste and size rivals the value of Jimmy Grants at Eastland. <br/><br/>Will return again for lunch, no doubt.

Been meaning to go into the Meat Empire since it opened. The decor is smart & very stylish. My grandaughter & I were welcomed in by very cheerful staff member. I oredered the platter with chicken & lamb . My grandaughter had the empire. Food served very quickly. Plenty of delicious meat, lovely fresh greek salad , pitta bread & the best chips Ive tasted for ages. Then we had a piece of baclava & a great machiato coffee. Very reasonably priced & food was faultless <br/>

Extremely slow service. Had to wait over 10 minutes for a takeaway order. The lamb and chicken are also pre-cooked and as a result are very dry. Not recommended. Definitely not worth the price that they charge

Very nice food as well as great customer service and speed! Clean restaurant with a nice chilled environment, ordered the platter with lamb and was satisfied to find out how much food was on the plate ! shared it gracefully with my wife and will defiantly be coming back :)

I loved this place! It's clean, the service is fast, the food is great, the seating is comfortable, the decor is adorable and they don't skimp on chicken :D

Just wanted to tell everyone how AMAZING the food here is. The service is great, staff is always friendly; my partner and I have been in to eat many times now, and we have loved it every single time. Not once have we been disappointed. <br/><br/>I just gotta say, it is definitely incredibly refreshing to see such a uniquely decorated and beautiful clean restaurant with staff members who actually are happy to be there :)<br/><br/>So big plus: GREAT SERVICE!<br/><br/>Secondly, the FOOD. Omg. Amazing. The meat is so tender and delicious (I've had both lamb & chicken), the salad is so fresh, and the chips have the nicest seasoning on them!<br/><br/>All in all, this restaurant is HELLA worth trying! I would happily dine there everyday until the day I die :P Hahaha<br/><br/>PS: To those who complain that it isn't "authentic Greek food", they never claimed to be anyway. You ASSUMED it. Stop comparing it to "authentic Greek food". Just enjoy it.<br/><br/>PPS: As for the pricing, yes it is a bit pricey. BUT, please keep in mind that you pay for what you get, ESPECIALLY when it comes to food. A normal souvlaki is about $11, and the platter (I've attached photos) is about $18. The food is SERIOUSLY worth the price.<br/><br/>Conclusion: I LOVE MEAT EMPIRE!!!!!!!

The first time , i was really impressed. not by the food but the setting and the happy environment of this place ( mainly because i love croydon).<br/>the second time , i was still impressed with the setting but the food was horrible.<br/>Dry chicken , old bread , horrible salad ....chips had a funny taste and hommos was nothing like the authentic hommos. <br/>and above all it is very expensive.<br/>Hope the owners fix those issues before it is too late ...food industry is ruthless.

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Was good value for money. Sizeable portions. Far better value then Jimmy Grants in Eastland.<br/><br/>In Greece the souvlaki is a small to mid size pitta bread with meat onion and tomato with chips and usually tzatziki or mustard inside. It's been like that for as long as I can remember (first went in 1992). Chips inside souvlaki is traditional.<br/><br/>I will go back and I recommend to others. It's great that nice trendy places are opening in Croydon now like this. I hope they keep up the momentum and get better and better at what they do as they go along. It's a new cafe and the staff are new as well so I believe some are just learning but they were very nice and polite. Give them a go, eat out and enjoy a souvlaki! I believe if there is an issue, we should speak up! Like for example the lady with the cutlery. It's best to let people know so they improve.<br/><br/>One thing I commented on to the waitress was to wrap the souvlaki tighter so hopefully they take that on board. I will make my review A little lower as there is always room for improvement.

Don't be fooled..this aint authentic Greek food.. Chips were nice.. meat..well.. had better... one thing i must say was not acceptable was the dirty cutlery. Two knives we picked up were not cleaned properly..had dried food on them... sorry but that just puts u off your meal... very average...

I was excited to think that souvlaki were being served BUT a 20cm spongy pita bread with very few pieces of meat, approximately 1-1/2 slices of tomato, about 3 slices of onion, lashings of tzatziki and who knew chips, yeap deep fried potato chips inside the pita.  I am not at all sure why the chips are inside the souvlaki and not beside it.<br/>Understaffed on the day of our visit and therefore plates were not cleared from the table.<br/><br/>Will I go back?  Probably not.

While the food was nice to eat, and cooked quite well, it was a very small amount for the cost. Plus the chef got all orders incorrect. Over all it was very expensive. $6.50 for a small soda is ridiculous.