The Empress is a Bohemian place which feels like a proper pub in a residential back street.   We arrived at the front door to hear the bolts being pulled back as the pub opened.   The friendly lady behind the bar was happy to see us & told us about the Romsey Town t-shirts & the 3 cats.   More friendly was one of the cats called George who took a shine to us.

   6 real ales plus on real cider on tap - we didn't try the cider but the beers were in good condition.   The beer was a little pricey at £3.10 a pint but in good condition & the pub was an excellent place to be drinking it.   We had the Thwaites Original, Milton Empress Bad Boy Aleⁱ & Wells Eagle IPAⁱ which were all reasonable beers.

Lots of board games were to one side & giant samosas were in a glass cabinet on the bar.   4 types of pizza were for sale too.  

Doesn't open at lunchtime in the week.